The new KQED.org: pretty damn good
Best-in-class right now: KQED.org has relaunched with a new look, more integration between radio and TV, universal navigation and a few other goodies.
That’s my opinion and you’re certainly entitled to yours. Take a look: The design is finely balanced – lots of white space, smart use of Helvetica, boxes with dark borders that add heft to the page without making it overbearing.
Content is mainly grouped by genres, and audio content lives next to video. Too many joint-licensees haven’t taken advantage of this kind of integration. Frontline is news, just like Marketplace is.
KQED has created a video playlist function that looks great; audio plays from an embeddable flash player.
I think what I like most about the design is that they’ve found a way to display and curate a lot of content in a way that doesn’t crowd you out. The old KQED site was great for its time, but a weakness may have been the jam-packed appearance.
This new look is smooth, and behind the pretty face is thoughtful organization.
That’s what I think. What do you think of it? (You san see what KQED’s audience is saying here.) What other site re-launches have you seen that are noteworthy? Leave a comment, if you like.
UPDATE: I neglected to include the link to comments about KQED’s new web site. It’s now there.
Todd, thanks for the thoughtful review of KQED.org. I’ve sent it around. … and Happy Birthday!
Tim – thanks for the note and congrats on the successful re-launch!
I both like and I’m also Meh’d by the new redesign. On one hand its much more modern looking than any pub radio site out there. My problems with it are:
There are no audio play lists like on the TV side.
No place to leave comments on locally produced segments (they do have a forum, but i’ve been blog trained regards to commenting).
It seems very generic. Other than it says its in California, there is nothing that screams “local flavor”. You could almost use this as a template for any pub radio/tv station out there.
Thanks for the comments!
Very nice, and you're right, it is full of content but not brain busting