Viewing "Edward's" Blogs

We've just recently created our product page for MatrixSuites and our business page for Matrixwebs.com on Facebook. If you haven't already created an account there, I suggest you register and please support our projects by clicking on the "Become a Fan" link.

The design process for the MatrixSuites product line was a bit of a challenge. It currently consists of 6 software products, all carrying out different tasks for businesses operations. However, from the beginning, it only made sense in my opinion to build a single interface that would easily carry over and work with each product's purpose.

Layout & Navigation

The main menu was placed at the top of the screen simply because I saw our software as being very data intensive. Table data in some cases would most likely include a good amount of columns, thus I came to the conclusion of needing as much horizontal space as possible. Along with the main menu placed up top, sits the utility menu (for user specific functions) and the product logo. In the main body content, you will see a tab system we implemented into some of our products, specifically DistribuSuite and LegalSuite. These applications contain many features, so we thought it would be convenient for a user to open several programs for multi-tasking.

Colors

Colors play a key role in user interaction. It catches attention and moves the eye. The MatrixSuites brand utilizes a range of blues and light grey color palette. We've decided to place the darker colors in the top header portion of the interface. This aids in guiding the eye to where we want more of the initial focus, since the main menu functions and utility bar reside in this area. The background of the page is colored in the light grey to bring out a little more prominence in the white of the main body content. The blues are also found in the designs button set so that they also pop on the page.

Re-branding

Assuming the layout will stay the same, colors can be easily switched out to match the client's own theme. With the power of stylesheets, re-branding is possible and can be carried out in a fairly streamlined way. This feature is loved by clients as it reenforces their own brand identity.

In the current version of BlogSuite, administrators will have access to a new Theme Library that we started putting together in the past couple months. Right now, the library consists of 7 quality themes that can be easily applied to the blog application with just a click of a button. In addition, users can even upload their own custom banner image for the top header and of course, their own logo.

We will constantly add new themes to the library as the software also gets further developments with new features. You can view some of these sample themes here:

http://blogs.matrixwebs.com/ - Based on note-taking and paper pads

http://family.matrixblogsuite.com/ - A welcoming and soft-colored theme, plus decorative house elements

http://green.matrixblogsuite.com/ - Green and eco-friendly

http://sports.matrixblogsuite.com/ - For sports and the active lifestyle

In the near future, we will release another set of themes for you get your hands on. We will focus their design aesthetic more around corporate and clean layouts. Stay tuned!