The CHSSWeb team has released a new design and there’s no room for modesty here: it looks great.
The design brings our sites more in line with the university's new design, gives our “look” a more contemporary feel, and minimizes the amount of work you will need to do before switching over.
If you compare our new design to the university home page, you will see that it incorporates its basic elements but does not fully copy it. We have taken your feedback into account, and our design gives more emphasis to the audience navigation and presents the various news brief types on the home page without categorization.
How Will My Site Look?
To help you prepare for the switch, we have added a preview button to the dashboard. Once you click that button, you will be able to instantly browse your site in the new design.
- Log into the admin tools on the site you wish to preview (if you have access to multiple sites, you must log into each site separately to enable the preview).
- At the top of the dashboard, you will see a button labeled "Preview Theme 2016." Click that button. The page will refresh and you will see a classic, vintage "under construction" animated gif.
- Browse to your site to view the design.
- When you wish to leave the preview mode, return to the dashboard and click the "Switch to Current" button.
What Should I Expect?
We tried to make this design work with seamlessly with our 60+ CHSSWeb sites. However, as with any new design, some things that work well in the current theme need adjustment in the new theme. In some cases, we may be able to tweak the design and in some cases you may need to change your content. We are happy to work with you on addressing any issues you encounter.
There is a new element available to you on your home page. You can have an image next to your introductory paragraph, which you can add or change by editing your home page and using the "Attach Image" feature.
You can get a first look at the new design on the college’s site, chss.gmu.edu. New Century College and the Department of Communication have made the switch (ncc.gmu.edu and comm.gmu.edu, respectively). We think you will agree that the update is an improvement, and we look forward to working with you to get your site moved over.
Please contact us if you have questions or if you are ready to make the switch.
January 29, 2016
