stm.info
For those who haven’t noticed yet, the STM has redesigned its website to bring it into the 21st century. The previous version, while functional, wasn’t very pretty and looked quite dated.
The new version fixes that, with all the current design clichés:
- Rounded corners
- Gradients
- The colours blue and grey
- Flash-based Cycling series of main images
- JavaScript-based collapsible menus
- Helvetica and/or Arial, mostly in all caps
Fortunately, the design change is cosmetic. Most of the content is the same and even the URLs don’t change, so links aren’t broken.
The redesign fits in with the STM’s “Society in motion” brand, with a yellow and blue chevron forming a green one (it’s not clear what this represents exactly), and an increased emphasis on the environmental benefits of using public transit. The INFO STM page in Metro has also been redesigned with this new design.
They also launched Version 4 of Tous Azimuts, the trip planning application that uses the STM’s database of bus, train and metro departures. The new version is faster, easier to use and shows a map of trips, in addition to allowing smart searches of departure and arrival locations. If that’s not good enough for you, the STM also gives people the choice of using Google Transit, which has had access to departure schedules since October.
BTW, the new Tours Azimuth (Click on Plan your trip) is pretty nice!
what a terrible choice of colour! it’s a good thing whoever designed that website didn’t decide to get into the interior decorating business. imagine walking into a pale blue and fluorescent yellow restaurant :(
I want to point out the “Flash-based main image” is not Flash; it’s Javascript. That’s why the new STM site is brilliant and professional.
Too many websites use and abuse Flash while they can use Javascript to achieve the same effect, and more search engine friendly.
You’re right. Though it’s not really search-engine friendly when the text is made into an image.
You are even more cynical than I could ever be.
When the unknown liquid (yellow) sits for a long time without being cleaned on the floors of Guy/Concordia metro station (blue), it starts to grow some fungus (green)!
Yeah, that’s all I’ve got…
Oh and apparently my laptop’s screen isn’t wide enough (piddly ol’ 1024*768) and their menu section does not crunch nicely. Half of the cool little white circle buttons disappear into nowhere, and the “SEARCH” button falls down to the next line and covers up the “Find your bus stop code” link. Joy.
Your thoughts on the new GlobeandMail.com design?
I’ll let you know when it eventually loads.
In the new chevron logo, the yellow represents energy and blue represents the STM.
Also, hate to nitpick, but the new version of Tous Azimuts was launched quietly a few months ago, and infact wasn’t launched with this new enviro campaign
What kind of a graphic artist chooses florescent yellow over a white background?
Unfortunately with this new site design I can’t access the website anymore on my Samsung m510 :( Can’t get bus times now. Don’t know about blackberries….
But! It doesn’t do that horrible thing anymore where they took away the “English” button on the main page and replaced it with a little “English” link off in a corner. I found that to be the most fascinating act of language spite I’ve yet encountered in this province.
From an unnamed source who worked on this redesign: The yellow represents people, and the blue represents the stm, when they are together it is green because it’s eco-friendly when people use public transportation.
I like the new design, however ever since this new design the STM Mobile iPhone application hasn’t been able to give me bus stop times in a timely manner.
I need to redo my website…