#4 — Jeff Starr

Hi Frida, I completely understand. Obviously, designs can’t appeal to everybody, so I continue to provide many other themes, including the previous dark design. Thanks for chiming in — it’s always good to hear a variety of responses ;)

#6 — Jeff Starr

Hi Jeff, honestly, you raise a good point about the apparent difference in presentational styles between “informational” sites and “arty” sites as you call them. I have been around awhile, and certainly know what you’re talking about, yet I prefer to do my own thinking when it comes to design, informational architecture, and stereotypes.

First of all, I think the main reason that you see informational sites that are so dry and boring (but, yes, easy to read!) is because their designers either prefer it that way, feel compelled because, as you have observed, “all informational sites are like that,” or else some combination of both of these reasons.

For artsy-fartsy sites, there is a much stronger desire for personal expression and individuality which unfortunately suggests that the designs are creative just because that’s how all artistic sites should look.

As for me, I may recognize this apparent design dichotomy, but I certainly don’t surrender to it. I embrace both sides of sides of my brain, the creative and the analytical. The challenge for me when it comes to designing a site that I can live with involves synergizing these two mentalities into a unified design that appeals to both. Not easy, but I continue to do my best with it.

I do appreciate the sincerity, and would remind you (and anyone else who finds the current design too difficult to read comfortably) that I maintain a wide variety of different themes from which to choose. Thus, there is not reason to live in agony! ;)

#7 — Jeff Starr

@lazar: yes, I know! I was surprised at how many screenshots were sent in as well (you would not believe how much time I spent on this post!). As for a nice summary of which designs work and which don’t, that is a great idea, and so I will try to do that here and now while the information is still fresh in my head.

Overall, I would say that most browsers display the content satisfactorily. There is of course a big difference between the way PCs and Macs display text content, so I don’t need to elaborate on those differences. Personally, however, I can’t stand what Macs do with text display. They make text look completely fat and bloated, and I really despise it. Anyway, let’s move on..

There were also differences in the bold versus lighter properties as applied to heading fonts on Linux Ubuntu with Firefox. Namely, if you look at some of the screenshots, you will see that the lighter post title headings appear much narrower than on any other system/configuration. Also interesting is that the default font used, Trebuchet MS, does not seem to be available on certain Linux machines.

Aside from all of that, the design works great in almost every browser I could get my hands on (figuratively speaking). One notable exception here is Opera 8.54 on Win98SE, which just looks terrible; the layout is completely whacked out beyond recognition. I don’t know if this is an issue with Opera 8.54 on old Windows, or Opera 8.54 in general; and, I have yet to examine the site on even older versions of Opera.

Other notable observations include K-Meleon 1.5 on WinXP. The transparent PNG used for the header logo is surrounded by a wide black band of non-display. And finally, on a positive note, thanks to Paul Walker’s iPhone screenshot, I was able to see just how remarkably and accurately that device (and browser) are able to display the new design. It really is impressive, almost to the point where I want to throw some money at one of my own. ;)

Anyway, I hope that helps give you an overview of the experience without having to spend countless hours on it like I did. Let me know if I may answer any other questions about all of this. Cheers!

#8 — Jeff Starr

@jalbert: thanks for the kind words — I am stoked that you enjoy the new design! :)

#10 — Jeff Starr

Hi Cody, a couple of ways to reset the default stylesheet; either clear your cookies and refresh the page, or click here to set the new theme (this method returns you to the home page).

#13 — Jeff Starr

Hi KeeKee, Thanks for the feedback! I know the site’s appearance is heavy on the eyes (too busy, too dark, etc.), and so I have set aside some time this week to work on improving some of these usability issues. Until now, I had been thinking about improving readability by increasing the opacity of the content panels, but now thanks to your comment I may also try toning the background image itself down a notch or two. Thanks for the excellent advice ;)

#15 — Jeff Starr

@Paul: I was unfamiliar with the text-shadow trick.. I will definitely be trying it out. Hopefully it will provide some relief. Does it affect text-rendering on all Mac browsers, or just Safari? I am so used to looking at Windows-rendered fonts that Mac rendering always frustrates me. I would simply make the fonts smaller, but then there are other issues.. In any case, thanks for the tip!