Beyond the Rhetoric officially launched in March 2006, migrating over to WordPress the year after that. Version 3.0 of the blog was unleashed in 2008, thanks to some great work by my friend Matt Freedman. Curiously, that was actually the last major update. Up until a couple days ago, I was using a theme that was eight years old. That’s an eternity in blogging years!
So, I decided late last year that this blog needed a makeover. I had originally considered doing the work myself, but in the end, I decided to hire my friend Lesley Chang to help with the process. And by “help,” I mean do practically everything.
Did you know it was Lesley who came up with the “coffee stain” MK logo that I continue to use to this day for my freelance writing business? With some assistance from my friend Joshua Denney, we’ve translated some of that aesthetic to the Beyond the Rhetoric “thinker” logo too. Do you like it?
Some of the new features on this new blog theme include:
- Mobile-friendly, fully responsive design
- Homepage slider with most recent posts
- Social sharing buttons at top and bottom of each post
- Reorganized post categories
- Category navigation in header
- Magazine style homepage with category sections
- “Zoom” animation on featured images and homepage
- Twitter and Facebook widgets in sidebar
- Instagram feed in footer
- Social media profile links at top and bottom of page
Aside from the obvious aesthetic differences, the other biggest change was how we went about reorganizing the category structure. Instead of simply a series of “top level” categories, now there are fewer “top level” categories and more “subcategories.” This required some moving around, plus the creation of new “top level” categories like “Just Dad Things” and “Perspectives.”
There are still a few more changes and updates I need to make, but what do you think? I’m always open to feedback! And if you’re interested in rocking out a new theme for your own website or blog, be sure to give Lesley a holler and tell her I sent you.
For posterity, here’s a walk down memory lane with previous iterations of this blog.
August 2006
March 2007
December 2008
October 2016
Current (January 2017)
We’ve come a long way, baby.
That Lesley does some good work! Do appreciate the responsiveness when I’m swinging through on my commute into or from work.
She really does! I tried a couple different mobile theme options these last few years, but a responsive theme is far more user friendly (and brand consistent) for sure!
Aw, thanks đ
I have not been keeping up with my normal reading of btr since taking the new position with the school board. I’ve got a lot more responsibility, while still trying to maintain the old position until it’s filled. Tonight is the first night I’ve taken up reading again outside my work and I’m impressed with the new look of the webpage. The one thing that I find would be helpful is the comment section. The Light gray around the slightly darker gray text box with the gray text all blends together with no real contrast. The text box should be white with the gray text would make it easier to read while typing. Also, the text could be even darker gray for more contrast, especially if the background color couldn’t be changed to white.
Overall its a great look and of course Lesley did a great job.
Ta daaa! It’s white now đ