Cutting-edge print magazine CRACK now has a responsive site. We chat to the people behind it and find out how it was built.
CRACK Magazine is a monthly paper publication and online platform that offers the latest in cutting edge music, art, reviews, and listings.
Now in its fourth year, CRACK has grown substantially in distribution of the paper and in the amount of content published online. So they asked design agency Fiasco to create a flexible site that works as a desktop and mobile website, with an easy-to-use, intuitive content management system.
New flexibility
Central to the brief was the need to increase CRACK's user retention rate and lower user drop-offs, as the rigidity of their current site was clearly limiting their growth.
The team at Fiaso worked with D:Coe Design to create a fully responsive design using a WordPress core that focuses on adaptable grid structures to show off a wealth of content, while looking smart on across different browsers and devices.
Faster load times
"The key aim for us was creating a site with lots of great content and a standout design but balancing it with fast load times and easy usability across the board," says Dan Coe, director of D:Coe Design.
Content-heavy pages use a 'lazy' load technique, whereby only the visible content is loaded. This increases page load times and again adds to a much faster overall user experience.
The backend management system works with Masonry to enable the site editors to easily add, edit, and manage large amounts of content.
It's a vast improvement on the old site, and is a great example of how print and online can combine to meet the ever-changing needs of a cutting-edge audience.
What do you think of CRACK's new site? Does it work well on your mobile device? Let us know in the comments!
