Journal
.Net Magazine Feature
3 May 2008 › 11 comments
I am pleased to announce that my write-up about church web design will be featured in the June 2008 issue of .Net Magazine. Despite the similarity in name, it is not affiliated with (or related to) Microsoft’s .NET framework.
I was privileged to be one of three designers to participate in a “build-off,” crafting a hypothetical home page for a real or fictitious place of worship. To expedite the artistic process, I chose my own church, Spring Valley UMC. Doing so gave me plenty of context and original content to consider.
You may recognize the Spring Valley mockup as the 12-column example from the 960 Grid System. I sat down to work on a Saturday morning, determined to create something efficiently, so I began with one of my own Fireworks templates. Later that evening, I was finally satisfied with the result.
I then annotated my thought processes, per the editor’s instructions. It is worth noting that for the purposes of the article, the home page dimensions were specified in advance, which is why the design fits neatly into an 84:81 width to height ratio. The world of print publishing is truly mystifying.
Anyway, click the image below for a full-size version. Needless to say, if you live in the UK, I would highly encourage you to purchase a subscription!
#1 Mike Robinson
I saw and instantly recognized your work while flicking through the issue when it arrived. Haven’t read the article yet, but I’ll be sure to give it a look this weekend.
#2 Jeff Mackey
Nathan – Congrats on the magazine coverage! Will you ever launch the redesign of your church’s website (as it appears in that article, or in similar form)? I am curious, as I would love to see a working example of the 960 Grid System put to good use.
I love the CSS framework you released—thanks again—and have been trying it out on a couple sites.
Best,
Jeff
#3 D. Goodmanson
As always great work Nathan! Who were the other designers? And how can we view the article if we are in the States?
#4 Ben
Nicely done! BTW, I’m really looking forward to your redesign of sonspring.
#5 Nathan Smith
@Mike — I am envious, because you guys actually have ready access to .Net Magazine on your side of Atlantic! Let me know how you like the build-off.
@Jeff — I probably won’t get to the church redesign, because of my new job, and trying to finish up my master of divinity degree sometime this year. I’m glad that you’re finding the 960.gs to be a good resource though!
@Drew — Ah, whoops! I had meant to put that in the article. The other two designers were: Zaid Al-Asady, who did a design for a mosque; and Aaron McClung of AM Design, who did a design for a church. As for how to get ahold of .Net Magazine in the states — as to not conflict with .NET copyright in the US, I think it’s offered under the name Practical Web Design.
@Ben — You and me both. I’m still procrastinating on my redesign.
#6 James
Great Job Nathan. Really nice design.
I’m in the UK and used to subscribe to .Net. It’s a pretty good mag, esp good when I was learning css, but I find that I get more from the godbit forums now (I’m jpc101)!
Having recently re-designed my Church site (www.minehead-baptist.com) it’s nice to see some similar ideas! Member photos – I’m working on that one…
#7 Mike Rundle
Sweet! Can’t wait to see it. I’ll have to look for it the next time I make a trip to Barnes and Noble.
#8 Michael Montgomery
Congratulations!
Perhaps we could all request the ability to subscribe to PWD in the U.S.?
#9 Michael Montgomery
Sorry, they do offer U.S. subscriptions.
Expensive, but if you buy every issue, I think it makes sense.
#10 matthew Smith
Nathan,
You dog! You’re writing for .Net! Well done. I can’t wait to read the full article. You continue to be a great resource provider for designers and developers alike. Well done.
#11 Rob Spangler
Looks great Nathan, I love how you styled out even the smallest of details. I just wish .net wasn’t so expensive for people outside the UK, such a great magazine.