Metafilter's new visual style. Like it?

December 1, 2001 12:08 AM

metafilter's new visual style. like it?
posted by elle to MetaFilter-related at 12:08 AM (79 comments total)

It's just for the next 24 hours.
posted by mathowie at 12:09 AM on December 1, 2001

i like the new look, but the old style seem to have induce higher focus on the read. but hey, customisable.
posted by elle at 12:11 AM on December 1, 2001

:-P i'm a dufus.
posted by elle at 12:12 AM on December 1, 2001

Actually, I was just stopping in here to drop a comment, too. I think it's gorgeous, temp or not.
posted by Su at 12:15 AM on December 1, 2001

Agreed. Well done, Matt.
posted by fraying at 12:26 AM on December 1, 2001

Make the temp perm. GoldenEye has spoken.
posted by Opus Dark at 12:30 AM on December 1, 2001

temp perm!
posted by canoeguide at 12:58 AM on December 1, 2001

Woah! That was a head trip! I still have a window open with the old MeFi look, cuz I got all these windows up doing different things and I went back in another window and whumbah!

Link and think? I think I got too many links up.
posted by ZachsMind at 1:07 AM on December 1, 2001

Wow, this comment toolbar is the stuff. I need this badly.
posted by Dean_Paxton at 1:36 AM on December 1, 2001

Matt,

The comment toolbar kicks ass.

The new style - very keen. Have you considered making MeFi 'skinnable'? Or at least allowing a shift in colors (like what Yahoo or MSN have done with their various areas?)

You could have pre-set styles that users could subscribe to, and store it as a preference. I admit I don't know exactly how much backend processes that would take up, but it would be nice. Make it into a contest - let users contribute MeFi themes.

Anyway, those are my thoughts.

posted by dgallo at 2:00 AM on December 1, 2001

Very nice. Cudos!
May I keep it? Please please please!
posted by ashbury at 3:08 AM on December 1, 2001

It is a very nice layout and looks good in Opera 5.12.
posted by bjgeiger at 3:59 AM on December 1, 2001

Put me down for liking it. But I'm the type of guy who thinks the Bible could stand some updating -- maybe a comic book format -- Oh, that's right, forgot all about Jack Chick.


posted by MAYORBOB at 4:06 AM on December 1, 2001

yuck
posted by clavdivs at 5:45 AM on December 1, 2001

Genius!
But the old design is genius too. Any chance we can choose, according to mood? Though I may be an old fogey, who hates change of any kind, I think I could get used to the new look. It loads quickly, combines the best the-text-is-what-matters of lo-fi MetaFilter with the cool couldn't-care-less aesthetics of mid-fi.
I love surprises. The day I stop being surprised by MetaFilter(though it's 90% members, 10% Matt - so no matter what happens...)I'm out of here.
Or maybe not. Congrats and double root beers/malt whiskies all round!

posted by MiguelCardoso at 6:04 AM on December 1, 2001

yuck 2. sorry.
posted by normy at 6:12 AM on December 1, 2001

Huzzah!!!
posted by adampsyche at 6:21 AM on December 1, 2001

You have a real (rare) talent for design, Matt.
posted by rushmc at 6:23 AM on December 1, 2001

I forgot to say: before, when I had ICQ on, if I did control+shift+a my ICQ(!) window popped up and I'd have to shut(not just hide) it before posting a link. Now this doesn't happen. Though newbies - if there were any nowadays(go on, Matt, open membership for a limited period only so I can get my own back on some rookies!) - might appreciate a for-ignoramuses-only explanation below the comment box. I know I did...
posted by MiguelCardoso at 6:26 AM on December 1, 2001

Ignorami.
posted by Grangousier at 6:29 AM on December 1, 2001

Just last night, I was musing about Metafilter, and thinking "I wonder if Matt would ever redesign it?" Then I thought "Nah, the current design is branding and he can't change it without a huge stink, not with 8 billion registered users." But then again, maybe you can.
posted by jennyb at 6:38 AM on December 1, 2001

In the words of Mr. Horse (was watching Ren and Stimpy last night), "No sir, I don't like it!" The text is way too small for my crusty, Saturday-morning eyeballs and the main page doesn't seem to accept customization changes anymore. Plus, the followed links change to the same color as the background. Maybe it's a Netscape thing.
posted by MrBaliHai at 7:32 AM on December 1, 2001

umm, are there some crossed wires (or malformed packets :P) going on here?

we're sitting around debating the pros and cons and treating it as some sort of redesign, but afaik the new look is a temporary one for link and think - there's a reason its grey and somber folks (slick as it might be)...

here is what the site looked like a year ago today, which might give some useful perspective
posted by sawks at 7:49 AM on December 1, 2001

hard to read
posted by corpse at 7:54 AM on December 1, 2001

It takes some getting used to, but it's really very nice. The ability to set the background and text color is something that would be very appreciated though.
posted by revbrian at 8:17 AM on December 1, 2001

what would be the point of that, revbrian? it's only up for the next twenty-four hours.
posted by bluishorange at 8:25 AM on December 1, 2001

For the record, Matt: If you ever decide to change the color scheme, I'll be forced to spray paint a translucent #336699 sheen all over my screen. Either that, or I'd shrivel up and die.
posted by jpoulos at 8:26 AM on December 1, 2001

hard to read is more like impossible to read for me. can't... adjust... font.. size....

posted by y2karl at 8:35 AM on December 1, 2001

anyone having reading trouble might want to try the higher contrast experience of lofi mefi - unfortunately the font size is fixed at 12px there as well...

you could also try turning off stylesheets in your browser, or even rolling your own

posted by sawks at 8:48 AM on December 1, 2001

Er. I have a feeling I'm being stupid, but what is "the comment toolbar"? I don't have anything that would match that description...
posted by rusty at 9:03 AM on December 1, 2001

I don't see a comment toolbar either.

Love the look, though. I don't like the older design much at all. Perhaps if you stuck with this design but made the background "MeFi Blue" rather than dark grey...

Branding is important, after all, and I think the blue is what does it for MeFi.
posted by jragon at 9:30 AM on December 1, 2001

Again, I don't think Matt is changing the site design, just putting up a different look to focus on the mood of the day. The day.
posted by Hildago at 9:58 AM on December 1, 2001

I think it looks very 1999, and (independently) is hard to read. It doesn't matter because it's only one day, but I'm just dutifully recording my data point for posterity. (I am sick of MeFi blue, though.)

What is the comment toolbar?
posted by rodii at 10:15 AM on December 1, 2001

I personally find the temp design to be very easy to read, and i love it. Keep it!
posted by pete at 10:18 AM on December 1, 2001

(It doesn't work in Opera 6.0.)

posted by gleemax at 10:22 AM on December 1, 2001

Looks like there's a bug in the auto-fix code. (View source; it was supposed to be alt=" " width="508" height="24", but it turned out to be alt=width=" 508" height="24". (Link to image, if the other one didn't work.)
posted by gleemax at 10:27 AM on December 1, 2001

The comment toolbar only works for IE4+/Win.
posted by megnut at 10:45 AM on December 1, 2001

I am sick of MeFi blue, though.

Blashphemer
posted by jpoulos at 10:50 AM on December 1, 2001

The comment toolbar only works for IE4+/Win.

Lame.

I like the new design though, personally. I'm another one in the "too much blue" camp, I have to admit.

posted by rusty at 11:16 AM on December 1, 2001

It kind of reminds me of my own site, so I like it. :-)
posted by briank at 11:32 AM on December 1, 2001

Ignorami

Thanks, grangousier. Couldn't resists the new, easy italics. It's also agendae for "agenda", sinii and doofi for "sinuses" and "doofuses" respectively, innit? Let's start a thread on this and really piss off our hosts! ;)

I don't see a comment toolbar either.

Is that why there are far more comments on MeTa than over on the front page? Is this a first? Or are the MeFi weekend crowd at a loss to say anything new on AIDS?

Or is it just pique that they can't access "my comments", "my devastating call-outs", "my charming off-tangents", et ceterae?

You did know et ceterae were two separate words, didn't you, Lord Grangousier?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 11:49 AM on December 1, 2001

[what would be the point of that, revbrian? it's only up for the next twenty-four hours.]

You can't change the background color in the regular MeFi setup either. It's something I've wished we could do for awhile, not just in todays incarnation.
posted by revbrian at 11:58 AM on December 1, 2001

rusty, what's really lame is that the mozilla team can't fix a text selection bug that makes it impossible to modify selected text on the fly when it is within a textarea. It's sad they've known about it for some time and haven't rectified the situation (thus robbing mozilla/netscape users of increased functionality within web applications)

I forgot to mention that Meg wrote all the toolbar code, it's much more streamlined and simple and I thank her for it.

(also rusty, you don't have to use p tags here, it isn't kuro5hin, just hit return to make a new line :)
posted by mathowie at 12:05 PM on December 1, 2001

Fabulous...you cant go home again, ever.
posted by Voyageman at 12:11 PM on December 1, 2001

I was doing a little nude surfing, while I decided what to wear today. I wanted to see if Sarah Kuhn had written any new reviews of buffy the vampire slayer.

Of course, Metafilter is my homepage, so when I saw the new design I shrieked to my platonic best friend, (mlang) "AH - what's happened to Metafilter!!!!!"

It was quite awkward, as I had to then shout, "I'm naked, I'm naked" twice to stop him from coming in. (explaining naked surfing is always awkward...) he started shouting, "what is it? what is it?" from behind my closed door, as I rushed to get dressed, so that we solve this mystery together.

We were both quite scared as we are creatures of habit who are adverse to change (especially when the change is related to something as integral to our daily lives as Metafilter is). We went immediately to metatalk, and phew, it's just for one day...

Of course the design is great, and I'm sure others would be better able to cope with a change of this magnitude and would perhaps even, dare I say, enjoy it.

I'm just a big wuss, but hoorah, I don't need to reevaluate my sense of security in the world!

On a non-related note, (well - related to my post but not much else) why hasn't Sarah Kuhn written any articles recently? Anybody? Anybody?
posted by goneill at 12:38 PM on December 1, 2001

Matt, you're the best designer ever. Ever!
posted by jkottke at 12:48 PM on December 1, 2001

At first, I was quite excited about the new format -- I like it. Upon realizing that it was only for AIDS day stuff, however, I was quite disappointed. FWIW, I really like the idea of skinnable MeFi, too.
posted by davidmsc at 1:00 PM on December 1, 2001

The comment form is looking very...... odd..... in Opera 5.12 for me. Build 932, win 98, java installed.

Here's a screen shot.

Hmmmm...... The preview looks much better, but I still can't read the text at the bottom.
posted by y6y6y6 at 1:24 PM on December 1, 2001

Same thing in Opera 6.0. I didn't notice it until now. (I actually can't post unless I switch to document mode.)
posted by gleemax at 1:43 PM on December 1, 2001

Oops. It's different in that the buttons lie behind the text area, I think. Here's a screenshot from Opera 6.0.
posted by gleemax at 1:47 PM on December 1, 2001

goneill: ALMTINTK (A Little More Than etc.)

But very funny nonetheless...have you had to explain nude surfing to a lot of people?
posted by timothompson at 2:19 PM on December 1, 2001

 I want my MeFi blue
posted by piskycritters at 3:11 PM on December 1, 2001

I'm glad MeFi can be "skinned" from time to time and I'm glad such a major step was taken for Link and Think today.

But aesthetically? I don't like the design.
posted by skylar at 3:16 PM on December 1, 2001

Matt, you're the best designer ever. Ever!
posted by jkottke at 12:48 PM PST on December 1

And so the A+ list begins! Just Matt, Meg and Kottke. Nice and simple. The new monochrome set. The Frat Pack. Sinatra, Maclaine and Martin.

Wait - but who's Sammy Davis Jr.? Peter Lawford? Joey Bishop? Toots?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 3:25 PM on December 1, 2001

What a disturbing comment, Miguel!

Anyhow, I enjoy the new design, but I can see where others are coming from such that they might not. Since it's only for today (what a shame, but that's just my thought), it's not worth arguing about, but if there were, say, a Lo-Fi type option so that I coulod view it like this all of the time, I would not be averse.

But I'd always come back by the regular one for some of that sweet, sweet blue.
posted by j.edwards at 3:45 PM on December 1, 2001

MiguelCardoso: And so the A+ list begins!

December 1: World AIDS Day, Day with(out) Art/Weblog.
December 2: Day without A(+)-List references.
posted by tamim at 3:53 PM on December 1, 2001

Works now.
posted by y6y6y6 at 3:54 PM on December 1, 2001

Opera people shouldn't see the toolbar anymore, and for windows users I put it below the comment form, to the right, in order to reduce the visual clutter of a big bar above.
posted by mathowie at 3:56 PM on December 1, 2001

Outstanding. A bang-up job, Matt.

Oddly, I prefer the lack of toolbar, because I never use it (and I don't like how it looks). But I'm glad it's there for the uneducated masses.
posted by gleemax at 4:03 PM on December 1, 2001

Touché, tamim. It was a silly comment. But I am doing my bit over on the front page - posted a link, commenting - which is more than can be said for a lot of you! :)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 4:44 PM on December 1, 2001

I am Sammy Davis Jr. Meg, the new toolbar is even nicer than that other, unnamed .js toolbar with Bold and Italic and HREF.

I am the only man in the world who wants an <em> <strong> toolbar.
posted by anildash at 6:13 PM on December 1, 2001

I am the only man in the world who wants an &lt;em> &lt;strong> toolbar.

I would want one! But then, I am on a Mac (and therefore have no toolbar at all) and I am not a man. So your claim stands.
posted by redfoxtail at 6:38 PM on December 1, 2001

I'd think anyone 733T enough to use "em" and "strong" would be waaay too clever to need li'l GUI widgets anyway. :)

As for the teeny little toolbar on the bottom -- wah. I liked it better on top. I think it should at least be the width of the textbox, anyway. Of course, who am I to argue with the best designer ever? Ever?
posted by webmutant at 6:58 PM on December 1, 2001

I just manually code my own EM and STRONG tags. Using the little toolbar means taking my hands off the keyboard and I'm lazy.
posted by Su at 7:26 PM on December 1, 2001

Using the little toolbar means taking my hands off the keyboard and I'm lazy.

The keystrokes still work, mouseover the toolbar and read the tooltips. You'll never have to leave the keyboard.
posted by mathowie at 7:40 PM on December 1, 2001

I'd think anyone 733T enough to use "em" and "strong" would be waaay too clever to need li'l GUI widgets anyway. :)

Well, of course, silly! The idea (or, at least, my idea) is to indoctrinate.
posted by redfoxtail at 7:42 PM on December 1, 2001

I don't get it. a few colours and tables are changed, and people are raving about this design and how cool it is? or about how cool the blue version is? it's like... this is a just a message board. a fancy guestbook. you guys are weird.
posted by kv at 8:08 PM on December 1, 2001

and I wonder if the shortcut toolbar will be reconsidered when every post has words emphasized etc etc etc
posted by kv at 8:14 PM on December 1, 2001

*withers under the relentlessly cool, genetically superior, snarky gaze of kv, suddenly realizes that it's just a message board, and goes off to save the freakin' world or something*

</sarcasm>

posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 9:28 PM on December 1, 2001

Lavish praise from Cotkie! I offer mine as well: looks very tight, though of course I will be happy to return to the familiar blue page. And without consciously trying to suck up, I will say that it's very cool, Matt, that one of the things you're good at doing is designing web sites, and so that's what you did to support AIDS awareness.

I wonder if I phrased that correctly.

posted by Hildago at 10:45 PM on December 1, 2001

em and strong are the way to go. i just feel way more indie when i use them.
posted by lotsofno at 11:40 PM on December 1, 2001

em i don't mind. strong is a tag i will never use, for it has far too many letters.
posted by moz at 12:27 AM on December 2, 2001

When do we get cite and acronym buttons?!
posted by gleemax at 12:30 AM on December 2, 2001

Gleemax: Whee. I actually do use those tags. I think there's even a DFN or two on my site somewhere.

Matt: Actually I remember not using the keystroke shortcuts for some reason. I think they'd always kick me to the top of the text box or something. Highly annoying. Doesn't seem to happen anymore, though. Oh, well. I'm also too lazy to change my habits *grin*

KV: Changing colors and tables generally does make up a large part of changing a site, no? It was a very nice design, and understated, which is becoming a rare thing. Some people chose to express their appreciation of something about the site, as I recall was similarly done about your own site recently. I do not, however, recall you making a snarky comment in that thread, telling them it was a glorified LiveJournal or somesuch.
I'll join everyone else in simply not responding to your ridiculous "fancy guestbook" characterization of MeFi. What's with the pissy attitude?
I'm going to fly off and be Stavros' sidekick now.
posted by Su at 1:37 AM on December 2, 2001

actually, the thread featuring my site was a spoof. it was mocking this glorification of "understated design". I can imagine you all in some art gallery, staring at the wall on which paintings haven't yet been hung, saying, "wow.... it's a masterpiece...."
posted by kv at 3:36 AM on December 2, 2001

I can imagine you all in some art gallery [...]

Are any of us naked?
posted by walrus at 4:34 AM on December 2, 2001

Whee. I actually do use those tags. I think there's even a DFN or two on my site somewhere.

Hey, I'm not down on the markup. FYI: I had to view source to get past your splash page with Opera 6.
posted by gleemax at 8:45 AM on December 2, 2001

rusty, what's really lame is that the mozilla team can't fix a text selection bug that makes it impossible to modify selected text on the fly when it is within a textarea. It's sad they've known about it for some time and haven't rectified the situation (thus robbing mozilla/netscape users of increased functionality within web applications)

My dream of dreams is to have a browser that will embed a real text editor in textarea fields. Until that day, I don't care what they do with their homebrew kludgy version. Dammit, I want to be typing into nedit right now!

(also rusty, you don't have to use p tags here, it isn't kuro5hin, just hit return to make a new line :)

Also annoying, although I realize that's my problem, not yours. HTML control freak, that's me. :-)
posted by rusty at 9:20 AM on December 2, 2001

Walrus: If any of us were naked, then I guess there'd at least be something to look at. Apparently KV got a blank screen from MeFi last night. I dunno. I've lost interest in the topic.
posted by Su at 12:10 PM on December 2, 2001