Welcome to the Redesign!

Redesigning a blog on blogspot is hardly cause for a party but it's still worth a mention. This site is getting hits and I'm working steadily on it so I figured it was time to take a look at the original template I chose and make some changes. First off the white text on the dark gray background is gone. It may have looked cool but it is hard on the eyes and pretty nontraditional, especially for a site as text heavy as this one. Were it just or mostly photos it may have worked better.

Also gone is the old header and background. For the old header I had custom text coming up and it constantly was fighting with the template text when it loaded. This drove me crazy and I do not know HTML enough to fix it. I spent the better part of the morning working on a new header I'm very happy with. It is just a graphic, no HTM text, so there is no conflict when it loads now. :)

I started with the same text/font from the old header and traced it on my ipad with an app called Tracing Paper. It allowed me to zoom in and trace it very large but still has a pencil/marker feel to it. I exported this to my photos then over to photoshop to work some magic on it. I added a D20 and rotated one and then added some loose leaf paper I found on Google Images. I spent the majority of my time getting the header just right.

Then I went over to donjon to generate a map for the background. For all you gamers out there that do not know about donjon, well I suggest you go there as soon as you are done here. It is a gamers generation paradise. Maps for a bunch of different RPG systems can be generated as well as names, adventures, and even worlds. It's a fantastic resource for any gamer. Kids with limited resources, especially should use it often.

map generated @ donjon

At this point I messed with blogspot for a while and fiddled and futzed to get things, hopefully, just right. It's far from a perfect layout and navigation but for free hosting from Google it's actually a huge cut above other hosting services I've seen. Only Dreamweaver, I think, offerers more customizability. Tumblr is the only other service I think stands alongside Blogspot but since I'm all in with Google I like this better. 

For anyone who may miss it, here is the old header. It was using a map that someone else did (?) and I took it off Google Images. I knew this blog could not grow with borrowed art atop the page. Now I can sleep at night knowing I've designed the header myself . 

I hope everyone enjoys the new look. Enjoy. 

—Adam

Addition: Wizardsneverweararmor now has a real URL and can be reached via wizardsneverweararmor.com as well as wizardsneverweararmor.blogspot.com