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  • It’s a lot easier to take something with a well-architected framework (like MODx) and make its manager LOOK good than it is to take something with good-looking manager (like WordPress) and make it WORK WELL. The time it takes to skin the MODx manager pales in comparison to the time it takes to write and rewrite core WordPress functions. I’m a big believer that developers run the world... designers wouldn’t even have a place to stand if the devs don’t give them room (no flame-bait intended), so even though MODx may be code-heavy, I think it will attract more and more designers because it CAN. Without serious core rewrites at every turn, WordPress simply can’t attract more and more developers.
    • Designers solve problems. They don’t make things look better, they solve problems. It’s just a different approach to problem solving than a developer takes. Designers and developers need each other. *shrug* I think as far as the look alone, Revo is fine. It’s sort of impressive. And you’re right, you can skin and modify. oi. this is probably a new discussion... a designer’s role. I think it isn’t always clearly grasped. ... in the same way that a designer might not understand the importance and real necessity of a proper database schema. Where a designer can step in and contribute the most is in the actual UI itself.

      for instance, the main reason WP is so friendly has to do with the type styling and sizes in the UI. Type styling is -huge-. That and the simplified, more hub and spoke type menus. They are not visually overwhelming. It doesn’t inspire fear. It -seems- simpler. We know it isn’t. But you have to step outside yourself and think like a Luddite.

      When you work with clients who are actually intimidated by Facebook, this is a huge..huge ....huge issue. I am working with a professional firm right now but the Partners are intimidated by UIs easily. They’re smart, well-off people who use software daily, but they are easily overwhelmed by new interfaces. It doesn’t matter how great something is built if the person buying the product can’t use it...for whatever reason.

      The other big plus WP offers is its easy SEO optimization ...which is almost scarily simple. They’ve gotten good press for it and rightly so, but MODx offers ways to make SEO much much more flexible than WP and there isn’t a lot of info out there about it. But a client wants to rank high and all they know is... we want WP. Because they’ve heard of it.

      Bottom line is, educating clients and spreading MODx "propaganda" is the best thing you can do to avoid painful rebuilds and WP hacks. The revolution starts with us.



        ________

        Anne
        Toad-in-Chief
        Red Toad Media - Web Design, Louisville KY
        Hear me tweet: http://www.twitter.com/redtoadmedia
        "Bring on the imperialistic condiments." - Rory Gilmore
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        • 24,544 Posts
        Interesting points. For me, the UI sits in its own place between the nuts and bolts of the platform and the visual design. Many developers suck at UI creation, but so do many designers.

        I often visit big-name corporate websites where the design is pretty and the underlying code is fine, but the UI is horrendous. A lot of sites would benefit from having the UI planned by neither the developer, nor the designer.
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          We use WP for client blogs for a number of reasons, the most common being - that is what the client wants. Most have at least a basic understanding of WP, there is a LOT of support.

          Yes - I think it is a pain to theme. Mainly because I don’t do it often enough to be good at it. Basically - I have to go and look up all the ’hooks’ I need each time I start coding.

          However, on the plus side, Modx makes it easy to integrate WP into rest of the site and we charge a nice fat fee for making the custom theme. We just do the blog specific stuff in WP, things like menus and all the other pages on the site are handled by Modx, which makes site maintenance ’dead easy’.
            • 33968
            • 863 Posts
            Quote from: mregan at Mar 12, 2011, 01:21 AM

            Modx makes it easy to integrate WP into rest of the site and we charge a nice fat fee for making the custom theme.

            Haven’t tried this before, but does that mean you have to login to modx for site admin, and log in separately to WP to add blog entries? Or can it be done with just one login and a way to switch between CMS.

            Also, doesn’t that mean you end up doing twice the work as you have to code up templates for two systems? Or does it save time by taking advantage of WP’s ’out of the box’ blog functionality
            • Yep, your instincts here are correct: most of the time when you tap into WP for your "MODx" blog, you do in fact end up installing and maintaining 2 separate systems, separate logins, separate templates, and yes, you often have to do extra work to make the separate templates look similar.
              • Bob Ray... my reply is a blog. Seriously.

                http://www.alistapart.com/articles/understandingwebdesign/

                cheers smiley
                  ________

                  Anne
                  Toad-in-Chief
                  Red Toad Media - Web Design, Louisville KY
                  Hear me tweet: http://www.twitter.com/redtoadmedia
                  "Bring on the imperialistic condiments." - Rory Gilmore
                  • 3749
                  • 24,544 Posts
                  Quote from: redtoad at Mar 23, 2011, 03:25 AM

                  Bob Ray... my reply is a blog. Seriously.

                  http://www.alistapart.com/articles/understandingwebdesign/

                  cheers smiley

                  I’ve written similar blog posts a number of times -- but only in my head. wink
                    Did I help you? Buy me a beer
                    Get my Book: MODX:The Official Guide
                    MODX info for everyone: http://bobsguides.com/modx.html
                    My MODX Extras
                    Bob's Guides is now hosted at A2 MODX Hosting