I think it might even be worth considering a navbar which can also serve as the display engine for all of these cases
This was the best part (in fact, I think it was the main goal) of the new LiveJournal site scheme introduced a few years ago. Having a consistent UI that tracks across the site, and can be adaptable both to the relationship you have with the page you're viewing and the size screen you're using would do a lot to improve the general DW experience.
Edit: Hmm. Okay, looking closer I see that the top banner and the navigation strip are still separate parts, but that they've been designed to fit together better with no repetition of links between them. Also, the top banner has taken the place of the navigation strip as the element that floats at the top of all page views.
Re: also, i must note that it's part of a bigger problem
This was the best part (in fact, I think it was the main goal) of the new LiveJournal site scheme introduced a few years ago. Having a consistent UI that tracks across the site, and can be adaptable both to the relationship you have with the page you're viewing and the size screen you're using would do a lot to improve the general DW experience.
Edit: Hmm. Okay, looking closer I see that the top banner and the navigation strip are still separate parts, but that they've been designed to fit together better with no repetition of links between them. Also, the top banner has taken the place of the navigation strip as the element that floats at the top of all page views.