Sci-fi e-zine makeover required

Futurismic.com serves up near-future science fiction stories - but currently looks like a relic from 2005! Can you use CSS and minimal graphics to make a Wordpress theme to fit the content?

Futurismic

Tagline:
Near-future science fiction and fact since 2001

Desired Color Scheme:
Blues, some green highlights - see full brief

Desired Style:
Close-range futuristic - see full brief

Accepted File Formats:
Standard Web Formats (.jpg, .gif or .png); XHTML, PHP, Wordpress theme template

 

Greetings, ladies and gents – Futurismic ( http://futurismic.com ) needs a facelift, and I'm hoping one of you can help!

 

 

 

Futurismic is a science fiction webzine; it publishes an original short story every month, and will be running a number of monthly non-fiction columns too, as well as the daily blogging. The subject focus is the near-future – not the starfleets and empires stuff, but the cyberpunk dystopias, the orbital colonies, the new tech and tough times and social changes that are just around the corner.

 

 

 

Problem is, that ugly generic rehash of the Copyblogger theme just doesn't cut it, really! So I need you to make Futurimic's looks match its content – but not to overshadow it. I'm after a predominantly CSS-based Wordpress (2.3.3) theme with minimum graphics; the theme should display the content to its best advantage, but never overpower it.

 

 

 

What I definitely don't want is a typical rounded-corners-drop-shadows web2.0/tech start-up look. This is a chance to try out that new idea you've had, to play with styles you like but that no one has asked you for yet.

 

 

 

Interested in taking a shot? Read on for full specs! Please note - $350 prize for the winner, and $50 for the runner up; both prizes will be paid by PayPal and will require full invoices, please.

 

 

 
Basics:  

 

 

Well-commented semantic code, please – XHTML, CSS, PHP (Wordpress)

 

 

 

No obscure/non-standard fonts (except when used in graphics)

 

 

 
Layout:  

 

 
- Two-column, fixed width, right-hand sidebar
 

 

 
- Max total width = 1000px
 

 

 
- Max. width of text in content column = 600px (surrounding white-space is not just OK but desirable)
 

 

 
- Content-ordered code (i.e. content loads before sidebar)
 

 

 
- Tabbed menu at base of header (as in current theme)
 

 

 
Colour scheme:  

 

 

Pale blue through to navy blue; green/turquoise for highlights or details, perhaps

 

 

 

Body text – always black on off-white background; titles and links emphasised in keeping with colour scheme

 

 

 
Header block:  

 

 

Site name and tag-line in readable futuristic font; background image/graphics in keeping with site theme and not too overpowering – otherwise, surprise me!

 

 

 
Look and feel:  

 

 

Simple, minimal, slightly futuristic (but not tacky or Star-Trek sci-fi style), a little grungy – future technology, but well-used, a bit worn.

 

 

 

No heavy graphics content required; likewise no unnecessary Javascript, please! CSS and tiling PNG files wherever possible.

 

 

 
Interface:  

 

 

Clean, uncluttered, readable fonts, simple to use

 

 

 

Visually should look a little like a near-future touchscreen interface: e.g. menu items ‘back-lit’ or surrounded by thin black margin on hover, perhaps?

 

 

 
Sidebar:  

 

 

The following items need to be hard-coded into the sidebar.php before the live widgets (in top-down order)

 

 

 
- RSS logo and link

- Feedburner subscriber-count widget

- Search box

- [begin widgets]
 

 

 

 

 

OK, I think that's about it! I'm sure you'll come up with things to ask that I've forgotten to mention – I'll do my best to check in here twice a day over the duration of the competition, but bear in mind I'm operating on GMT, so I may be asleep during your regular workday! :)

 

 

 

Good luck – show me what you got!