overview-2026-01-05-publication-page-design

I. Layout Specification

1. The Navbar (Publication & User Focused)

The top bar is exclusively for the publication's brand and the current user's utility.

• Height: ~64px - 72px.
• Sticky: false (Following Substack pattern; avoids persistence annoyance).
• Left (Platform Escape Hatch):
  • Logo: Small DataHub logo.
  • Style: Visually lighter (lower contrast, no badge framing).
  • Function: Primary escape hatch to the network layer (discovery, cross-publication browsing).
• Center (Publication Identity):
  • Title: Publication name in an elegant font.
  • Signals: Sovereignty and authorship.
• Secondary Nav (Centered or Below Title):
  • Links: Home (Post Feed), About, Archive.
  • Data Specific Links: Datasets (Index of raw data), Queries (Saved SQL snippets).
• Right (User & Action):
  • Subscribe Button (Primary CTA): High contrast, pill-shaped.
  • User Avatar (If logged in): Clicking this opens a dropdown (My Library, Settings, Sign Out).
  • "Sign In" (If logged out): Simple text link.

2. The Footer (Platform Home)

Since platform links are removed from the header, the footer does the heavy lifting for DataHub branding.

• Zone A (Publication Footer):
  • Copyright © [Publication Name].
  • Social links for the Author (Twitter, LinkedIn, GitHub).
• Zone B (The "Powered By" / Platform Badge):
  • Text: "Publishing on DataHub" or "Powered by DataHub".
• Zone C (Platform Generic Links): Explore, Pricing, Docs, Start Your Own Publication.

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II. Recommendation & Rationale

The Pattern: Substack with DataHub Modification

What works (and why to keep it):

• Creator Primacy: Centered and dominant publication title clearly signals sovereignty.
• Minimal Navigation: Publication-specific and minimal nav reduces cognitive load and reinforces editorial coherence.
• Secondary Platform Affordances: Dashboard, notifications, and search are present but visually secondary (Infrastructure-first design).

Adjustments for DataHub:

• Visible Infrastructure: Keep a small DataHub logo on the far left, but visually lighter.
• Legitimacy & Navigation: Unlike Substack, data publishing requires platform legitimacy and cross-publication navigation. Visible-but-muted infrastructure increases trust without diluting ownership.

The Rule: Publication first, platform legible, platform never loud.

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III. Technical & Logic Specs

1. Logo Rendering Logic (KISS Style)

• Placement: DataHub logo remains on the far left as a platform anchor.
• Branding: Publication name rendered in center in elegant typography.
• Avoid Duplication: No DataHub branding elsewhere in the header; footer, favicon, and URL are sufficient.

2. The Body (Feed)

• Sorting: ORDER BY published_at DESC.
• Pinned Post (Bonus 🏆): Deferred for now. How to pin a post will be treated as a bonus feature post-MVP.

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IV. Job Stories

Story 1: The "White Label" Feel (Publication Owner)

When I customize my publication layout, I want the top navigation to show only my pages and my branding, So that my readers feel like they are on my personal data blog.

Story 2: Conversion Focus (Publication Owner)

When a user is reading my analysis, I want the "Subscribe" button to be the only colored action item, So that there are no platform distractions competing for attention.

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Summary Table: Navbar Elements