After two and a half years, Grognardia is due for a new look, if only so it looks different to me, since I spend a lot of time staring at it each day.
I'm not completely happy with the results, so there will be lots of tweaking going on over the next few days, but I think the overall look is something I can live with. I welcome comments and suggestions for improving it. However, I'm not likely to change it back to its original design or to make huge changes to what I've done here, so bear that in mind.
And, yes, I need to fix the banner.
My .02 ... tone down the borders (maybe) light grey or something that separates from the background less, so the contents draws the eye instead of the containers ...
ReplyDeleteLove the site ...
Good suggestion.
ReplyDeletewhite on black is tiring for eyes and very hard to read.
ReplyDeleteI agree with James, the white text on black background is very harsh on the eyes.
ReplyDeleteSee here for some insight
Yes, white text on black background is very hard to look at
ReplyDeletefor long.
As I have stared at it pretty often myself, the change is appreciated. Although, as others have pointed out, the previous scheme was easier on the eyes.... Perhaps something a little more subdued? Not that I won't read it regardless...
ReplyDeleteCentering the rounders template's header can be a pain in the ass if I recall correctly, let me know if you need a CSS pointer. The only complaint about the new design I have is the white on black text. Popular, but I always find it more taxing on these old eyes. Maybe you can increase the font size to compensate a bit? The three columns are nice.
ReplyDeleteI was going to say the same thing about the white on black. Every time I read "Greyhawk Grognard" I get a headache.
ReplyDeleteI'd hate to have to stop reading your blog for the same reason!
"white on black is tiring for eyes and very hard to read."
ReplyDeleteDitto.
I hate to add a "+1" to what everyone's saying, but white type on a black background is notoriously hard on the eyes, sadly.
ReplyDeleteSince this is my first post, I wanted to ask Brunomac (when he comes around to reading this entry) - just curious, did you used to hang out at Aero Hobbies as a kid? :)
Shoot! The first part of my comment got cut off. Here goes:
ReplyDelete"Long time, first time", as they say.
The new look totally threw me off - I just finished a two-month (or more!) labor of love of reading the entire blog from start to finish (including comments). Just coincidentally, I finished today with the post on psionics, and then the next time I refreshed my browser, the entire site changed!
Let me give you some of the helpful design feedback I often get on technical works.
ReplyDelete"It needs to be improved a bit in its overall goodness"
"Try making it, you know, better in ways it could use improvement"
"What about something that blinks?"
on a serious note, rather than white on black try a white on smokey grey. Similar effect, easier on the eyes.
Allow me to jump on the "white on black BAD" bandwagon. Every time I switch off a white-on-black page, my eyes takes about 5 minutes to adjust.
ReplyDeleteAs everyone else has said, white on black is brutal to read for extended periods of time.
ReplyDeleteTry reversing the colors. Black text on white background. It would also spare printer ink for the occasional person printing a post.
ReplyDeleteditto for the white on black. Gave me quite a shock after days of reading all the post up to Friday, December 18, 2009 so far and having it change on me.
ReplyDeleteJames I like the site! I don't think you have to ditch the white-over-black. It can be toned down a bit to be easier on the eyes. I use a less-bright white for text than you currently have: #cccccc.
ReplyDeleteFWIW, I have 3 blogs using one of Blogger's default templates, and I've never heard a peep about it being hard to read. :)
The serif font in the outer columns is a harsh contrast to the font in the main column.
ReplyDeleteMaybe if all headers would use serif font it would give the blog a more unified look. But that's a minor quibble.
My major quibble (a headache, really) is the white on black.
I can live with that on blogs or sites that I know I'll visit only occasionally - but you have long posts, sometimes several times per day, and I am not looking forward to that experience.
White text on black is murder on my eyes. I've been here all of 2 minutes and they're watering slightly already.
ReplyDeleteI just found something that is even more jarring:
ReplyDeleteWhen you finished reading a long post (having adjusted your eyes to the dark scheme) and click on the "17 comments" link a brilliantly white pop up window opens.
White text on a black background is really harsh on my old, tired eyes. You should change it to any color scheme that has a warm, dark color for text and a cool, light color for the background. (Color Theory 101.)
ReplyDeleteA white background is the equivilant of staring into a light bulb. Most people dont realize this. But just put up a white background and turn off the lights in the room.
ReplyDeleteIt is actually better on your eyes in the long run to look at a dark background for an extended period of time. Especially since a lot of people now spend most of their work day looking at a mostly white background now.
James, consider the health of your viewer and keep the dark background.
@Greg, the dark background isn't a problem in and of itself, but the light text is harder to distinguish against it than dark text on light. So in terms of eye strain the rule of thumb in the design and usability community is dark text on light background, or when using light text against dark, make the dark lighter than black and the text less bright than straight white.
ReplyDeleteThe white on black really doesn't bother me.
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody have a scientifically credible source for the claim that white on black causes more eyestrain (a measurable physiological reaction) than black on white?
Because it kinda sounds to me like the recently debunked claim that the amazon kindle's e-ink reduces eyestrain compared to reading on an lcd screen.
Or when people claim that they can notice the difference in fidelity between a lossless audio file and a 160kps mp3 file. (They can't).
I like the change because I hated the blue from before.
I would like to thank Greg for pointing that out. I use white text on black background for Piecemeal for that very reason, but people keep (wrongly) telling me white background would be easier on the eyes. No it wouldn't be, its a computer screen not paper.
ReplyDelete