So, who noticed it instantly without reading this thread?
All the credit goes to one of our recent additions to the staff team - KizzBG, who now leads TL.net's new graphics department <3 KizzBG
On a related note - Live2Win finally decided to join the staff a couple of days ago, since there was no news post about this, I might as well mention it here. Welcome Live2Win <3
I was making a new thread about it (but refreshed before submitting to make sure nobody else did - and you did). I don't like it right now, but I may once I get used to it. The fonts and gradients strain my eyes a little bit, so it's harder to read for me.
On March 29 2007 11:28 Metal[x] wrote: what new look? o.O -_-;;
Hey metal, quit TL before you get 900 posts. This means you have two posts to make a smart, witty, or sharp comeback at me before NEVER POSTING AGAIN! MUAHAAHAHAHA
Metal[x]: Why don't you bring that shat talk to the court so I can own you in Bball instead of owning you with zeals and scouts pvt? OOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH~~~ kakaka
I thought to myself... something seems different here, but I don't know what.
And then I saw this thread and figured it out from some of the posts here. Now I can't remember exactly how it used to look to make a comparison, but it currently looks good so no complaints here.
I don't like the & thing in "Sports & Games" it looks really weird. The color change on the button's background could be less dramatic, this way it looks like 80% blue and the 20% white if you look from further or don't focus on seeing it.
On March 29 2007 11:47 Gandalf wrote: Hahaha yeah I noticed it right away, then looked for a thread about it.
Very pretty.
Same with me. I love the new tab fonts, but the shading looks incomplete. I guess its where the inner lining doesn't fad at all it makes it look incomplete.
Keep up the good work though. It shows a lot of promise :D
On March 29 2007 11:56 LastWish wrote: I don't like the & thing in "Sports & Games" it looks really weird. The color change on the button's background could be less dramatic, this way it looks like 80% blue and the 20% white if you look from further or don't focus on seeing it.
But I guess i'm just too demanding on it.
I agree on this one actually. the '&' sign looks goofy.
It makes it look like the sides of the boxes are missing
If there are font changes I don't see them and I'm not curious enough to change my settings, since i have my browser forcing all sites to display text as 12 pt times new roman
I noticed and thought I had just fucked up my font sizing in firefox or something. In fact aside from the top bars being a little different im not sure what else changed.
Can we change the font of the thread title when browsing said thread? the top bar News|Forum|VOD is bland, like someone else said too. But the thread title should be more cool.
very nice! i like it a lot, but just pointing it out if you are looking for flaws: the left side doesn't align properly - directly under the news button on the top row, and the news botton on the left.
On March 29 2007 15:18 intrigue wrote: very nice! i like it a lot, but just pointing it out if you are looking for flaws: the left side doesn't align properly - directly under the news button on the top row, and the news botton on the left.
Can you post a screenshot please, and what browser are you using? Thant's how I see it:
On March 29 2007 12:22 lil.sis wrote: i dont like it
too used to the old style. also i am a fan of minimalist web design.
personal preferences notwithstanding thank you for the hard work
agreed. things should be kept simple like they were. the silver fading stuff doesn't really add anything and constantly attracts my attention as it looks misplaced. the new fonts look odd too, especially at the top of the page.
I'm thinking like how gg.net has alternate templates the user can switch from time to time. Like they have a blue one, green one, and a white one. is it possible for tl as well? that could end any criticism wholeheartedly
On March 29 2007 13:51 Ghin wrote: how come there still isnt a box for featured threads?
Because it's too long and they'd have to decrease the font size for all the titles to make it fit and look right. Or they could just call it "Featured."
08:38 Ilvy is it me or did design change 08:38 SonuvBob just you 08:38 USSR-BEYONDER its norway 08:38 Ilvy lol no 08:38 SonuvBob teamliquid.no 08:38 USSR-BEYONDER because you almost border Finland 08:38 Ilvy the General, Broodwar, Tourneys 08:38 USSR-BEYONDER and Finlands prime minister looks like Robin Williams 08:39 Cpt_Obvious MBC game shows boxer game 08:39 vGl-RaGe wtf ilvy 08:39 Cpt_Obvious can the day get any BETTER? 08:39 vGl-RaGe theres nothing 08:39 vGl-RaGe changed 08:39 Carnac_ ilvy has some weird female imagination 08:39 Ilvy hum 08:39 Carnac_ thats all 08:39 vGl-RaGe you taking drugs? 08:39 USSR-BEYONDER that week of the month?
On March 29 2007 15:18 intrigue wrote: very nice! i like it a lot, but just pointing it out if you are looking for flaws: the left side doesn't align properly - directly under the news button on the top row, and the news botton on the left.
Can you post a screenshot please, and what browser are you using? Thant's how I see it:
hm? maybe it's just my eyes, but what i see in my firefox is the picture you posted... the top is a bit more to the left. has it always been like that? my bad if not.
also i'm starting to realize that though the buttons look neater and centered now, the fonts are a bit too bold and too big. it's just too intense. i still like the fading though as it kind of melds my attention to the center text.
I don't like it either. I appreciate the effort but blech. There's no transition between the blue-metal gradient and the blue borders. I don't like the bold links at the top, nor the oversized Trebuchet font on the forum titles. If you want to have a change you should do something like add a smooth white-to-deep blue gradient to replace this white background.
Also if you're going to update the titles of each forum you should correct the spelling. Brood War is two words! =]
On March 29 2007 15:46 Ilvy wrote: 08:38 Ilvy is it me or did design change 08:38 SonuvBob just you 08:38 USSR-BEYONDER its norway 08:38 Ilvy lol no 08:38 SonuvBob teamliquid.no 08:38 USSR-BEYONDER because you almost border Finland 08:38 Ilvy the General, Broodwar, Tourneys 08:38 USSR-BEYONDER and Finlands prime minister looks like Robin Williams 08:39 Cpt_Obvious MBC game shows boxer game 08:39 vGl-RaGe wtf ilvy 08:39 Cpt_Obvious can the day get any BETTER? 08:39 vGl-RaGe theres nothing 08:39 vGl-RaGe changed 08:39 Carnac_ ilvy has some weird female imagination 08:39 Ilvy hum 08:39 Carnac_ thats all 08:39 vGl-RaGe you taking drugs? 08:39 USSR-BEYONDER that week of the month?
On March 29 2007 16:01 Excalibur_Z wrote: I don't like it either. I appreciate the effort but blech. There's no transition between the blue-metal gradient and the blue borders. I don't like the bold links at the top, nor the oversized Trebuchet font on the forum titles. If you want to have a change you should do something like add a smooth white-to-deep blue gradient to replace this white background.
Also if you're going to update the titles of each forum you should correct the spelling. Brood War is two words! =]
I was going to make a post like this, but since you made it first, I'm just quoting it.
The font SUCKS, search harder and get a decent font for tl.net, the buttons (Block title images) used to look better with the old style, and adding that gradient thing isn't cute nor efficient.
I think it needs to be worked a whole lot more until we get the same feeling we did for like 4 years with the old images and so on.
you guys just dont realize how inconsistent the old style was..., different font sizes on the buttons, different placement (height wise) of the font...
If anyone wants to display the old layout (with the bold text though, didn't have any time to figure out how to unbold it), I created a simple greasemonkey script to change the image urls as you load the page. + Show Spoiler +
On March 29 2007 17:38 Carnac wrote: in a week or two you wont even notive the change anymore anyway, just like i dont notice the change of ggnet's layout a couple of weeks back
yea when i first saw the layout a week ago or smth, it really looked weird. But as time passed, it's grown on me
Is there anyway to change it back lol I liked the old look better the new look looks like i got a LARGE smudge on the screen tryed cleaning moniter for 10 minutes.
Here's the gradient I mentioned before. Maybe add some graphical hoo-hah or something to subtly enhance the effect. I'm at work so my image software access is pretty limited. Anyway:
On March 29 2007 15:18 intrigue wrote: very nice! i like it a lot, but just pointing it out if you are looking for flaws: the left side doesn't align properly - directly under the news button on the top row, and the news botton on the left.
Can you post a screenshot please, and what browser are you using? Thant's how I see it:
hm? maybe it's just my eyes, but what i see in my firefox is the picture you posted... the top is a bit more to the left. has it always been like that? my bad if not.
also i'm starting to realize that though the buttons look neater and centered now, the fonts are a bit too bold and too big. it's just too intense. i still like the fading though as it kind of melds my attention to the center text.
It's always been offset a bit. I still have a browser with the old tl open and it's like that.
I think we should all just accept it. Obviously this wasn't some whim where KizzBG got up and said "lawlz im going to change all the buttonz!!!"....Im sure it was analyzed and picked at already in that magical land of admin forum.
On March 29 2007 21:36 Coagulation wrote: looks terrible.. But whatever.
terrible? Want to give a reason why? I think you are confusing terrible and different. I cannot fathom how anybody could think is is "terrible" to have buttons that all match in size and design.
I didn't like the fading buttons at first, but not they're alright. What bothers me more is the bolded font though, just somehow doesn't feel right (yet). Rpf makes a good point about the banner.
Overall, nice job though. I like that it isn't a drastic change.
the fonts are fine, just feels weird clicking the bars because of the fading and the <X structure making it appear insubstantial. maybe fade the leftside too so the shape would preserve more integrity. either way it is an improvement.
I dislike the gradient too, and I think more than just because it's different.
The gradient fades to white towards the borders, except the borders are blue--there's no continuity there. Also, having any kind of graphical effect draws attention. Considering that there aren't really any other effects on the web page and this particular gradient covers a huge color spectrum, this draws even more attention than you'd expect for a gradient. In this case, the whiteness on the edge sticks out, so the color difference is drawing attention to the edge of the box and away from the actual text.
I'm excited that there are such improvement projects going on, but this particular result isn't convincing me personally. It's not like it looks bad, though.
Oh. I know what it is. The things inside the borders, like "Replays", etc. aren't matching the borders in terms of the gradient, and even in direction. Horiz. vs. Vert. Or at least that's what's cathing my attention. Sorry I don't have tie to sift through the posts, but who instigated the change? Great initiative.
Wow, can't believe so many people dont like it, maybe its just the change they dislike. I think the font is fine, and I think the fading makes the menus look much better...
On March 29 2007 23:32 Gandalf wrote: Wow, can't believe so many people dont like it, maybe its just the change they dislike. I think the font is fine, and I think the fading makes the menus look much better...
Probably the case. The new look has grown on me XD
The fading would be more palatable if it applied to the entire right border, even the vertical parts. As of now, its kind of out of place and lacks continuity, like Myrmidon said.
the font changes are nice, and using the space better in the forum topic preview boxes helps alot! great work!
i think the fade though takes away from it. the sharp angle of the fade and then the blue boundary coming back to meet it looks a little strange, and it draws some attention to a part of the screen that shouldn't be attention grabbing.
oh... just noticed myrmidon said it better about the gradients
I dont really liked the tabs on the left side. It fades too pale on the right edge, makes the lines less defined than before T_T If there's an extra dark line running on the outer peremeter of the highlighted edge it'll help to bring out the form.
On March 29 2007 21:36 Coagulation wrote: looks terrible.. But whatever.
terrible? Want to give a reason why? I think you are confusing terrible and different. I cannot fathom how anybody could think is is \"terrible\" to have buttons that all match in size and design.
But whatever, you are just another leech.
i didn\'t think i needed to repeat what 90% of people already pointed out.
the gradient runs into a solid line. Gradient is supposed to represent a flow of light. this looks inconsistent with the embossed shine inside the fills. on top of that it runs into the dark blue stroke and stops abruptly. The gradient is a Grey over Grey with no stroke and is poorly defined in contrast to the rest of the dark blue strokes on top of Grey. Its a strain on the eyes and leaves an unpleasant incomplete feeling.
all the bars are cut with gradient except these top 2. inconsistent with the flow of light.
This is just a ridiculous looking \"&\" character.
the shine in the center of the bars goes all the way across while the new gradient in the stroke is only at one end. Does not make sense. its distracting.. hard on the eyes. visually unpleasant.
On March 29 2007 21:36 Coagulation wrote: looks terrible.. But whatever.
terrible? Want to give a reason why? I think you are confusing terrible and different. I cannot fathom how anybody could think is is \"terrible\" to have buttons that all match in size and design.
But whatever, you are just another leech.
i didn\'t think i needed to repeat what 90% of people already pointed out.
the gradient runs into a solid line. Gradient is supposed to represent a flow of light. this looks inconsistent with the embossed shine inside the fills. on top of that it runs into the dark blue stroke and stops abruptly. The gradient is a Grey over Grey with no stroke and is poorly defined in contrast to the rest of the dark blue strokes on top of Grey. Its a strain on the eyes and leaves an unpleasant incomplete feeling.
all the bars are cut with gradient except these top 2. inconsistent with the flow of light.
This is just a ridiculous looking \"&\" character.
the shine in the center of the bars goes all the way across while the new gradient in the stroke is only at one end. Does not make sense. its distracting.. hard on the eyes. visually unpleasant.
define leech
Totally correct. Listen to this guy! The gradient doesn't make any sense within the context of TL! It's just tacked on for no good reason.
Doesn't seem like anyone has noticed the font change for the top bar yet, but I do think that was a good choice.
I think a lot of people are bashing as a reaction to change. Especially those without an explanation (Though a few did provide a good explanation for their dislike, Coagulation for example). I for one like that there finally *is* change and that it's not massive. Obviously not everything is going to be perfect the first time.
I like the idea of employing a subtle yet noticeable gradients on the side buttons, but it needs to be consistent with the rest of the site. Also the gradients itself could do with a little work, but the idea is sound. The new font and its consistency (the old lack of consistency always annoyed me a tiny bit) is good, though the font in the top bar.. needs help .
Keep up the nice work and don't be disheartened by some of the negative feedback
EDIT: Oh and making the side buttons have a gradient doesn't drastically change tl.net so that all of a sudden it's lost it's minimalist style.
And excalibur_z's idea has a lot of potential, it can look cool (I'd use a lighter shade of blue myself though), is easy enough to do, acts as a visual notifier of how much longer you have to scroll down (without looking at scroll bar) and emphasises the 'panels' of the page. You could add some kind of graphic to it but you'd have to be smart in how you did it if you wanted to keep the minimalist style.
On March 29 2007 21:36 Coagulation wrote: looks terrible.. But whatever.
terrible? Want to give a reason why? I think you are confusing terrible and different. I cannot fathom how anybody could think is is \"terrible\" to have buttons that all match in size and design.
But whatever, you are just another leech.
i didn\'t think i needed to repeat what 90% of people already pointed out.
the gradient runs into a solid line. Gradient is supposed to represent a flow of light. this looks inconsistent with the embossed shine inside the fills. on top of that it runs into the dark blue stroke and stops abruptly. The gradient is a Grey over Grey with no stroke and is poorly defined in contrast to the rest of the dark blue strokes on top of Grey. Its a strain on the eyes and leaves an unpleasant incomplete feeling.
all the bars are cut with gradient except these top 2. inconsistent with the flow of light.
This is just a ridiculous looking \"&\" character.
the shine in the center of the bars goes all the way across while the new gradient in the stroke is only at one end. Does not make sense. its distracting.. hard on the eyes. visually unpleasant.
define leech
yay someone posts like they know about design.
gj finding the inconsistencies.
while we are here...
why are the line strokes in the border on the left side and the top much larger? While youre at adding new graphics, maybe fix the banner? its so pixelated =]
I like the shine idea if what I'm imagining it to be is what useless is talking about.
I can't get over the gradient, it keeps distracting me away from the post. Like some have mentioned, it looks like the bar is incomplete (maybe because we're too used to the old style ), so as I'm reading posts even though I KNOW the bars have been changed I keep glancing back at it to see if there's something wrong with the img file or site display or whatever. I don't really mind the font changes and all that though.
On March 29 2007 15:18 intrigue wrote: very nice! i like it a lot, but just pointing it out if you are looking for flaws: the left side doesn't align properly - directly under the news button on the top row, and the news botton on the left.
Noticed now too.
Page 5 of this topic, because of Carnac's poll the right side goes wrong and the left side looks even more terrible because... see for yourself. Used resolution : 1024x768
On March 29 2007 21:36 Coagulation wrote: looks terrible.. But whatever.
terrible? Want to give a reason why? I think you are confusing terrible and different. I cannot fathom how anybody could think is is \"terrible\" to have buttons that all match in size and design.
But whatever, you are just another leech.
the gradient runs into a solid line. Gradient is supposed to represent a flow of light. this looks inconsistent with the embossed shine inside the fills. on top of that it runs into the dark blue stroke and stops abruptly. The gradient is a Grey over Grey with no stroke and is poorly defined in contrast to the rest of the dark blue strokes on top of Grey. Its a strain on the eyes and leaves an unpleasant incomplete feeling.
all the bars are cut with gradient except these top 2. inconsistent with the flow of light.
the shine in the center of the bars goes all the way across while the new gradient in the stroke is only at one end. Does not make sense.
define leech
That's well put (besides the "anger" of having been called leech :-P). Still, i beleive this is due to the look change not completed yet... Hope so.
Look I really appreciate your work on this and it's good to know that there's fresh new stuff going on all the time, but my personal preference is that I don't like any of it. I liked the old fonts better, the font size was perfect and I liked a nice solid border around the categories. Now it's less defined, and it takes me just a split second more to be able to distinguish it from the background (it's funny how our perception works.) In all honesty, it bothers me more than I could've predicted. But please don't be offended KizzBG, I'm a big fan of yours.
On March 30 2007 05:10 Equinox_kr wrote: I'm actually pretty neutral on this issue. I liked the old one, but hey, the new one doesn't seem that bad as well.
I was wondering why I couldn't log on to TL.net around 6-8 hours ago. I asked Pressure, but HE was able to get on
TL had some ISP/routing issues I think. A lot of people couldn't connect.
I don't think it's the gradient itself, just that it looks awkward having the lighter part of the gradient right up against the dark blue (in the top circle in this pic). I like how it looks at the bottom where it transitions back (bottom circle).
That screenshot is better Kizz, but I still don't like that font. Surely there's another font that would flow better with the site. You need something that looks good as a header, is easy to read, and doesn't look overpowering. Here's something I threw together real quick, I'm sure you can find a better font:
Oh and personally, I really, really hate sans-serif fonts as headers.
I agree with Cpt Obvious...but also thats why they make these kinds of topics that way he hears what we want or think is wrong btw i think the fading should come from the outside to the inside O_o
On March 29 2007 21:36 Coagulation wrote: looks terrible.. But whatever.
terrible? Want to give a reason why? I think you are confusing terrible and different. I cannot fathom how anybody could think is is "terrible" to have buttons that all match in size and design.
But whatever, you are just another leech.
besides the facts that i took the time to point out. What makes it "terrible" is the point that you took a perfectly fine layout and destroyed it. and good job getting the boxes to match in size and design but cmon.. They should match in the first place obviously.