We would like to update the design of our homepage, etc. Am looking at the 60 theme design. Is there any way to work on the design and new homepage before it goes live?

No. However, anything you've done on your site will immediately transfer to the new design. IE. your school logo, photo, primary school color, secondary school color, etc. will all be there instantly when you switch. From there you can customize in any additional ways.

Hi Patsy,
Of course, Brad is right about the design. If you wish to try some, go ahead when you do not see someone on the site. Instead of a long post, I'm going to make a video showing you how you can do this now or at anytime. I'll be back.

Patsy,
This is an overview with my comments as to changing your design while the site is live.

http://screencast.com/t/Gr27c6JQ1O2

I will follow this with another about changing the home page.

Patsy,
Though I have a video to share, the basics in redesigning your home page start with using Announcements for most of the home page. Each topic and each cartoon is one announcement. This gives you the ability to turn them on and off at any time. It is changing your home page with just one click.

To redesign, simply begin adding one announcement at a time. You can move them in the order you wish to have them, as you do site pages. Enjoy and let us know how it goes!

http://screencast.com/t/KcNcCKT3RQe5

I would not use announcements as a main design tool. For one, they reduce the available space for images.

Secondly, it's hard to coordinate a fluid design with parts and pieces made in "blocks".

Announcements should be ... announcements, not a main design tool.

Just my 2 cents nothing more

Totally a choice, Jack.

Of course it is. I was explaining the other choice.

Thanks to Brad, Gwen and Jack!

I basically just bit the bullet after Brad initially responded to my post and changed the design on the fly. Worked out well. Haven't received any complaints yet.

Will be reviewing the additional information for Home Page updates and ponder the situation for a while. Probably using a combination of static info and announcements. That's what we have now. Looking for input from my other local admins right now.

Thanks for all the input.