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Web Dev + WordPress + Security

Time for a New Design?

As you may know, Perishable Press was redesigned only several months ago. As much as I enjoy the transparent imagery of the Quintessential theme (opens new window or tab), I find it too distracting and complicated for everyday use.

So I have redesigned, yet again. The new theme is called “Requiem” (opens new window or tab) and is return to my minimalist roots (opens new window or tab). There is something calming and yet energizing about working with a streamlined, no-fuss interface, especially when you are extremely busy. The new theme was completed in December of last year, and I have been using it behind the scenes ever since.

Now I want to know what you think about the new design. Is it an improvement over the previous, more colorful theme? I will be taking your feedback into consideration when deciding whether or not to keep the new “Requiem” theme as the default. Let me know your thoughts! Thanks :)

About the Author
Jeff Starr = Designer. Developer. Producer. Writer. Editor. Etc.
The Tao of WordPress: Master the art of WordPress.

57 responses to “Time for a New Design?”

  1. definitely better. easier on the eyes too.

  2. It also works on a 1024×864 display. Nice work!

  3. While I am a fan of minimalistic designs, I personally think that you went a bit overboard with that concept.

    If you decide to change anything, I personally think that having a background in the content area (between the header and the footer which both have dark backgrounds) would make the content a little less all-over-the-place, if you know what I mean.

    Either way, I’ll be using the ol’ "Quintessential" theme when browsing this site. Good attempt at a new theme, though.

  4. Jeff Starr 2009/01/19 8:25 am

    Thanks paul! I think so too! :)

  5. When I first came here I thought an update broke something with my side or your side :p

    While yes easier on the eyes (and cpu :p) hmm its a flip…i’ll give it a few days :D

  6. I like it a lot, except for the headlines which look crowded. (And sorry for any typos in this comment, because my eyes don’t do dark grey on mid grey!)

  7. Jeff Starr 2009/01/19 9:08 am

    @Irina: Thanks! Where are you seeing “dark grey on mid grey,” btw?

    @Nathan: Thank you! :)

    @John: Thanks for the input! It is greatly appreciated :)

  8. Stereo Zeitgeist 2009/01/19 10:14 am

    I casually browsed through here on Google and read an article on Saturday.

    I came back TODAY because the theme stuck in my mind.

    Think about it. :)

  9. Well, this is definitely a simple way to go. But I did really like the sidebar in the previous design. It was a quick way to access everything without scrolling.

  10. Jeff Starr 2009/01/19 9:51 am

    @Shirley: Yes, that is a good point — there is a bit more work involved to find content, and that may return to bite me before its over, but I really needed a change and felt that a return to single-column was the way to go.

    @Donace: This new theme resolves several significant issues that people were having with the previous theme; namely, poor contrast/readability, too-wide content, no IE6 support, and sluggishness on old machines while scrolling. This theme may look simple, but it is a performance-optimized, fine-tuned piece of themery! ;)

  11. Dan Felton 2009/01/19 10:53 am

    I like the general style, but the color of the links seems out of place. I probably would have made them dark grey to match the rest of the theme.

  12. Bill Brown 2009/01/19 9:56 am

    Ubuntu Firefox (all versions) has an issue with fixed backgrounds, transparency and content set to overflow:auto. It becomes very jerky and non-responsive while scrolling. You have a fair amount of code blocks on your site, so while browsing your site, I would switch to my virtual XP window and view it in Chrome. This use to annoy me a little…like a splinter in the cornea.

    This new theme is much more responsive. As an added bonus, it’s easier for my 78% colorblind eyes to read.

    In short, Requiem gets my vote.
    Update: I am now responding with Chrome because Firefox/Ubuntu reports a Forbidden *and* a Not Found error when I try to leave a comment. Probably something to do with my redirects or referrers being turned off.

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Perishable Press is operated by Jeff Starr, a professional web developer and book author with two decades of experience. Here you will find posts about web development, WordPress, security, and more »
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