After six years online, we've learned a lot about how to help you find all of the great stuff we have on Big RED & Shiny. Sure, we've had re-designs before, but none this comprehensive. So here's a quick overview of the new look so you can find your way around.
In the past, all of our options were in the left column. This new look puts different kinds of content in easy to find menu bars so that you can get to what you want easily. Across the top of the screen is the general navigation bar, where you can browse user comments, as well as peruse and search our archives. The "About BR&S" tab is where you'll find our mission statement, history and the biographies of staff and contributors. The "Contact" tab is for messages, writing submissions, and advertising information.
We've also moved our social media to the top bar. The "Our Daily RED" tab shows you the latest postings on our news blog. The smaller blue icons link you to our RSS feeds, Facebook and the latest tweets on Twitter.
With all of this general information now located at the top of the screen, our left-hand column is entirely devoted to our journal. The new "Table Of Contents" link takes you back to the homepage of the issue you are reading, where you can see all of our articles with ease. If you are browsing our archives, us the "Table Of Contents" links to go back to the main page of that back issue, or click our logo in the left corner to jump to the most recent issue. Links to Articles, Reviews, Columns and pictures are where they have always been. Our "Writing Collections" have always been a great way to explore BR&S content, consolidating essays from our archives. If you've never checked out the Collections, click the link to experience BR&S in a different way.
Our "Gallery Finder" is a revised version of our old "Venues" section, allowing you to browse and search for museums, galleries and other venues in a number of regions. We're always expanding this section, and our new "Search" feature makes it really easy to find the gallery you are looking for. Click the link to their website or open a map to find how to get there.
One of the most active parts of Big RED & Shiny is our listings, and we've put a lot of effort into helping you find what to see and where to be. Along the bottom of our screen is the new Listings toolbar. Here you can see all of our Exhibition & Event listings, Calls For Work & Artist Opportunities, and Classes & Workshops for the current month. You can also check out which exhibitions are opening today, classes starting this week and calls for work with deadlines coming up. Click the blue star to see which exhibitions our editors recommend for this week!
We at Big RED & Shiny are proud of our six years online and amazed at how much content we can provide in each issue. With this new design, we hope you find it easier to get to all of our content.
