Majin Planet

Finding the Balance

I have to tell you it’s very hard to come up with a new layout for the site. Why do we need a new layout? Well I have for the most part gone with a new theme of changing the layout once a year (the overall design) I generally end up adding elements, changing colors here and there and making new banners. Generally the new layout comes out around December, which is Majin Planet birthday.

Another reason why the end of the year layout change is such a big deal is because I have in the last 2 years also released a new backend to the site. For years I used a simple patch work system which became my little TMPL system, that I’m currently using. The new system is all new, totally rewrite from the ground up. Code Named Project Majin.

The base of the design was the current layout we have right now, I wanted to change it and the main reason why was it looks too anime like. (Yes I know DBZ is anime) but some times simple is better and while I like the current layout and think its one of my best, I think its a little too much of the wrong thing. When people come to Majin Planet I don’t care if the site looks pretty, or blows you away with Graphics. Its about what’s under it, the content. Even know videos and media has over taken the Internet with sites like NarutoFan, BleachNotes that are media sites, as well as much larger sites such as MySpace and YouTube. Media is king now. But I’ve known something that most don’t videos are also content, if you use them right. That was where Majin Unlimited came from.

So how do you go beyond what the current web standard is? Well I thought about that question for months. I thought I needed to make the site simply Dragonball, but the fact is the news I’ve posted over the last year about the movie was all I needed. I thought about making the site more YouTube like, so many people (well only a small few) have asked me how they get their videos on Majin Planet. It’s almost as if no one bothers to even look at the site anymore. Never have I taken submissions like that nor has there ever been a Upload Now button. But thought about doing that, but then again that would cost me lot of problems. After all I’m not looking to make the site another AnimeMusicVideos.org, they have that hold and they can keep it.

But back on topic here, what I think will help the site go beyond what it is now, is to make it more simple. Less is better I say and no I’m not talking web 2.0 crap. If anything lot of people will hate the new layout because I am really going Retro with it. Not stupid but just very plain, 90% of it will be CSS with maybe a few images for layout design.