Visual Comparison of Demo Options

This document provides visual examples of each demo option showing how they improve the Literature Geek website.

Original Design (Baseline)

Original Design

The current design features:

  • Rainbow gradient site title
  • Colorful tag pills for navigation
  • Hero statement with author bio
  • Simple list-based post layout
  • Basic spacing and typography

Demo 1: Enhanced Visual Hierarchy and Spacing

Demo 1 - Hierarchy

Improvements:

  • ✅ Better spacing between sections with consistent margins
  • ✅ Enhanced hero statement with gradient background and border
  • ✅ Clearer visual hierarchy with improved heading sizes
  • ✅ Subtle shadows on tag pills for depth
  • ✅ More polished and professional appearance
  • ✅ Better separation between content areas

To enable: Uncomment @import "demos/demo-1-hierarchy"; in assets/css/style.scss

Demo 1 + 2: Cards Layout Combined with Hierarchy

Demo 1+2 - Hierarchy and Cards

Improvements:

  • ✅ Recent posts displayed as modern cards with shadows
  • ✅ Hover effects on cards for interactivity
  • ✅ Colored accent bar on the left of each card
  • ✅ Better visual separation between post previews
  • ✅ Magazine-style modern layout
  • ✅ Previous posts section styled as a card container
  • ✅ Year headers with gradient backgrounds

To enable: Uncomment both demo-1 and demo-2 imports in assets/css/style.scss

All Demos Combined: Complete Overhaul

All Demos Combined

All improvements included:

  • ✅ Enhanced visual hierarchy and spacing (Demo 1)
  • ✅ Modern card-based layout (Demo 2)
  • ✅ System-preference dark mode support (Demo 3)
  • ✅ Improved mobile responsive design (Demo 4)
  • ✅ Professional typography and readability (Demo 5)

Result: A completely modernized, accessible, and professional website that maintains the original colorful personality while dramatically improving usability, readability, and visual appeal.

To enable: Uncomment all demo imports in assets/css/style.scss

Demo 3: Dark Mode Support

While not shown in screenshots (requires system dark mode preference), Demo 3 provides:

  • Automatic dark mode when user’s system is set to dark theme
  • Eye-friendly colors for night reading
  • Adjusted gradient and tag colors for dark backgrounds
  • Smooth transitions between light and dark modes

To test: Enable dark mode in your system preferences or browser DevTools and enable Demo 3

Demo 4: Mobile Responsive Design

Demo 4 focuses on mobile improvements:

  • Touch-friendly navigation with minimum 44x44px touch targets
  • Optimized typography for small screens
  • Better spacing on narrow viewports
  • Improved tag pill layout on mobile devices

To test: View the site on a mobile device or use browser DevTools mobile emulation

Demo 5: Enhanced Typography

Demo 5 improves text readability:

  • Professional system font stack for native feel
  • Optimal line length (60-75 characters per line)
  • Better text contrast (WCAG AA compliant)
  • Improved heading hierarchy with better sizes and weights
  • Enhanced code block styling

To test: Enable Demo 5 and read a full blog post to experience improved readability

For Professional Polish

  • Enable: Demo 1 + Demo 5
  • Best for: Clean, readable, professional look

For Modern Design

  • Enable: Demo 1 + Demo 2
  • Best for: Contemporary card-based layout

For Accessibility

  • Enable: Demo 3 + Demo 5
  • Best for: Dark mode support and better readability

For Mobile Users

  • Enable: Demo 4 + Demo 5
  • Best for: Optimized mobile experience

For Complete Transformation

  • Enable: All Demos (Demo 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5)
  • Best for: Maximum improvements across all areas

How to Enable

Edit /assets/css/style.scss and uncomment the desired demo imports:

// Uncomment any demos you want to enable:
@import "demos/demo-1-hierarchy";    // Enhanced spacing and visual hierarchy
@import "demos/demo-2-cards";        // Modern card-based layout with hover effects
@import "demos/demo-3-darkmode";     // System-preference dark mode support
@import "demos/demo-4-mobile";       // Improved mobile responsive design
@import "demos/demo-5-typography";   // Enhanced typography and readability

Then rebuild with: bundle exec jekyll serve

Notes

  • All demos are designed to work together
  • Changes are non-destructive - original theme files are untouched
  • Easy to revert by commenting out the imports
  • Each demo uses CSS custom properties for easy customization
  • Demos maintain the site’s colorful personality while improving professionalism