New Site Template for Audioholics

[gene]

Guys;

We are looking towards refreshing the Audioholics Editorial site.

Here are a few template options which would be customized to fit our site and look.

<!--[if gte mso 9]><![endif]--> Option 1: Summarize
Summarize - Responsive Blog/Magazine


Option #2: Magazine 686
686 Magazine

Option #3: BootMagz
BootMagz : Magazine Style Theme built with Bootstrap

<!--[if gte mso 9]><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <![endif]-->
Tell us which one you prefer and why. We kinda have our favorite already but want your input too!

 

[Bizarro_Stormy]

Voted for Magazine 686 (1 column view)...

I like the "cleaner" look...

Maybe offer a mobile site too... (with compatibility for older browsers)

 

[fuzz092888]

I like 686. Clean, simple and will look good IMO with an AH theme.

Bootmagz is too boring and summarize is too cluttered. IMO.

 

[rojo]

Both Summarize and Magazine 686 look great on Chrome for Android with a mobile layout. Magazine seems like it would offer better hierarchical organization and navigation of content. Bootmagz has no appropriate layout for mobile and needs to be disqualified with gasoline and a match.

Edit: Now that I look properly on a PC, I notice that Summarize offers bread crumbs for navigation, while Magazine 686 does not. It'd be handy while reading a review on a subwoofer if the user could click a bread crumb to view a listing of all subwoofer reviews; or while reading an explanation of the subwoofer crawl, click a bread crumb to list all tutorials, as a couple of examples. Could bread crumbs be enabled on the Magazine layout?

If not, I guess the tag and category lists on the right column of Magazine will do. But man, it's not a clear-cut victory either way after closer inspection. Magazine is more aesthetically appealing, so I'm comfortable with my vote for Magazine. I think.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Not big fan of any of the options, but for me Summarize is lesser of evils plus is has responsive layout which I appreciate

 

[TheWarrior]

I said Summarize because Magazine is exactly that, identical to every single print magazine that has a companion site! You offer a great variety of content, and Summarize looks to make that easier to navigate!

 

[j_garcia]

Summarize does look to be the easiest to navigate, however I'm not crazy about the look. 686 looks cleaner and less complicated and is simply more appealing appearance wise. BootMagz looks too common and cluttered.

 

[Adam]

The template with pictures of women is getting the most votes. Shocking.

 

[gene]

I was actually leaning towards Bootmagz for its simplicity but we will likely do a combo of the best of all 3. Summarize is nice but too complicated IMO. I want the site to be easy to navigate and be very visual. I like the rotating featured article of Bootmagz but I also like the layout of Magazine686. We want the site to be a responsive design that adapts to screen resolution which would also make it good on tablets and portable devices. I am also looking at separating reviews from previews if possible, perhaps a split column approach.

 

[jinjuku]

Summarize. When utilized properly (Arstechnica's 3 column view) it makes it easy to present multiple topics with ease, quick navigation is a cinch, and leading headlines are right there without pushing anything else out of the way.

Anandtech is also formatted this way *but 2 column.

Drop down system works really well with large format menus.

Ability in right adjusted column to present ordered lists (latest posts, most popular trending etc) is really nice.

Also shows good on Tablet and Phone.

 

[MidnightSensi2]

Summarize's homepage looks nicer than the single-banner sub-page... here is the link to the homepage:
Summarize - Responsive Blog/Magazine

Those are all Bootstrap, which I think is a good choice.

Have you considered buying one from Theme Forest or something?
Bootstrap 3 themes: compatible with: Bootstrap 3 | ThemeForest


Or just making one? It's pretty easy!
Bootstrap