Scuba Magazine Website Template - Fun Project!!!!

Midwest Scuba Diving Magazine has been around for just over one year and it's time to get rid of the template design and have a professional create an original design. Website: http://www.midwestscubadiving.com

http://www.midwestscubadiving.com

Tagline:
none

Desired Color Scheme:
See description

Desired Style:
See description

Accepted File Formats:
HTML + CSS (external)

Company Details

1a) Name of Company
Midwest Scuba Diving Magazine

1b)Company Tag Line or slogan:
None

1c) Do you have a company logo?
Yes. Download here:
EPS: http://www.midwestscubadiving.com/d…tScuba.eps
PDF: http://www.midwestscubadiving.com/d…tScuba.pdf

1d) Do you have a corporate visual identity (a customized (non stock) logo and color scheme carried out throughout your office, stationery, business cards, etc.)?
No. The current website is the closest thing to an identity that we have. It is a template that we bought and modified. It's now time for an original design.

1e) What is the nature of your business?: Briefly describe your products or services:
Scuba Diving Magazine primarily targeted at Midwest divers. Online community with forums, blogs, image galleries, etc. Our online presence is growing every day.

1f) Who is your target market? Who are you hoping to reach with your site?
Scuba divers from all over the world. We would like to increase participation with the forums and some new sections we're adding.

Website Details

1b) Do you have an existing website? If so, what is the URL?
http://www.midwestscubadiving.com

2b) IMPORTANT: Please list at least 3 URLs (web addresses) of high quality sites that you like the look of (these do not have to be sites whos business is similar to yours. It aids us in determining what your design style is.) Please consider layout, colors, navigation, graphics, and typography.
http://www.scubadiving.com - This site is perfect. It's layed out very clean and is very easy to navigate.
http://www.sportdiver.com - This site is very good. The colors and navigation are nice.
http://www.ourworldunderwater.com - A site we helped get redesigned on Design Outpost 2 months ago. It's very clean.
http://www.naui.com - It's OK. Maybe too playful for us...but is nice and clean.
http://www.akona.com - Get past the flash stuff to see the site. It's very nice

Comments on...
Layout - This is very important, of course. We like what http://www.scubadiving.com has done.
- The top logo with background image is nice.
- The top navigation with the search area works very well.
- We also like the large rotating image on the homepage.
- The 8 area on the homepage are a great way to show what the site has to offer.
- The right advertising area is perfect too. It's there for the customer to see, but doesn't take up too much real estate.
- Footer is OK.
Colors - Blues and whites are always great. But the scuba flag is all red with a white strip going from the top left corner to the bottom right corner.
Navigation - Top navigation (with drop down menus) on every page with left navigation on sub pages.
Graphics - Diving is all about what you see to most people. We need to make sure the is a lot of photography incorporated into the website!
Typography - smaller font is good. Font on http://www.scubadiving.com is very good.

Note: Please design for 1024 x 768 (take scrollbars into account)

3b) What colors or color schemes would you like?
Blues and whites, of course.

4b) List the Navigation links for your Site:
Blog (no subnav)
Forums (no subnav)
Dive Buddy (no subnav)
Dive Match (no subnav)
Magazine - Spring 2007 Issue, Winter 2006 Issue, Fall 2006 Issue, Summer 2006 Issue, Subscribe, Advertise
Go Diving! - Upcoming Trips, Local Dive Sites, Destinations, Learn To Dive
Gear - Midwest Shops, Accessories, Bags, BCs, Computers, Dry Suits, Fins, Masks, Regulators, Snorkels, Tanks & Weights, Wetsuits
Gallery - Videos, Underwater, Marine Animals, Reef Scenes, Shipwrecks, Caverns and Caves, Topside, Dive Girls, Dive Guys
(Search box and button)

5b) What type of look are you trying to achieve? (e.g. clean, high-tech, conservative, warm, flashy, etc.)

6b) Please provide the addresses of competitors' sites, if possible:
http://www.scubadiving.com
http://www.sportdiver.com
http://www.scubanews.com
http://www.scubanews.com
http://www.nedivenews.com and http://www.nwdivenews.com

7b) Do you have any images for use in the design of your site? If not, do you have images, can you offer suggestions of what you type of imagery you feel would be most suitable for your website:
We do not have images that we'd definitely want in the design, but if you'd like to take images from any of ther following websites, we'll pay for them if you design wins.
http://www.istockphoto.com, http://www.dreamstime.com, or any other site you use that has very affordable stock photography
Be sure to use the free versions until your design is selected.

Deadlines and Deliverables

1c) What is the deadline for your template design?
May 27th - 1-1/2 weeks from today

2c) Will you require HTML coding?
Yes. The design will be dropped into a Content Management System that allows me to drop in a header area, left area, center area, right area and footer area. So please be sure the HTML is broken up accordingly.

3c) If so, will you require it to be ONLY CSS layout?
No, tables are OK for us.

4c) How many pages coded will you require delivered? ({fees})
4 page total
Homepage
Blog List - will have left nav to filter by date - take a few entries from http://www.midwestscubadiving.com/Blog.aspx
Forum Topics List - will not have left nav - take a few entries from http://www.midwestscubadiving.com/F…s.aspx?F=1
Forum Threads List - will not have left nav - take a few entries from http://www.midwestscubadiving.com/T…aspx?T=163

Are there any other comments/specific ideas we should keep in mind while designing your project?
1. There needs to be an area to Login or Register. Maybe to top needs a Members link...but that might be too much for the top nav. And once they're logged in, they need a link to "My Profile" or "My Account".
2. Each month, we give away a feww prize. On the current site, it's at the top center. Please find a place for it on the new design...it's rather important.
3. On http://www.scubadiving.com, they have the "Subscribe Now!" with their latest issue displayed. Maybe that's where we put "This month's prize". We do want to put our latest issue on the homepage too. I worked on this site: http://www.whatsyourmotto.com. See the right side below the video. It has the latest issue graphic and then advertising jkust below it. We like that!