Every once in a while the moment arrives for a complete visual redesign of this website! A total makeover, if you prefer. Reasons are many; trends change, web-design advances… but most importantly -I get tired working in the same surrounding and need something to boost myself in order to continue updating this blog with same enthusiasm!
Up-till now, visual design of Mighty Optical Illusions was done by myself. Obviously, it didn’t take very long before I’ve reached my limits. For a control-freak and detail-obsessed person I am, admitting this wasn’t the easy part. Yet it helped tremendously in freeing myself and in finding the right person to do it. It was about time to outsource design to a professional!
Before I introduce the proposed idea, and go live with our new identity, there are still some minor details to be polished. Still, I’d REALLY appreciate to hear your thoughts and suggestions! So here it goes – below you may find the early mockup of our new appearance. What do you make of it? Be sure to open the template in full size before you make up your mind. I still haven’t decided should we keep the grayish header bar (reserved for advertisement), as well as the current logo suggestion? How about the general feel? What would you add/change? Looking forward to hear your opinion! …Oh, almost forgot to mention the illusion above – it appears there is one continuous black and white spiral, while in fact there are many concentric circles inside!
It really does look like a spiral. Nice!
Cool illusion! I think the current template you have is great as well and I don’t think it needs to be changed. That is just my opinion though.
I like the Layout of the New Template, But will you be only supporting the Apple Hardware, Why not Android too? Not all of the Viewers/members have iProducts!
I agree with Kainoa. I have an android phone and love it! I think Im going to stay with my android. I think alot of things need to be a bit more android friendly as well as other products. :) GREAT ILLUSION BY THE WAY!
Get rid of the grey bar. It serves no purpose but to take up room.
I think that’s just covering the top of the browser to hide top-secret info.
I think the new design is nice. One thing I would change is only have one “Widgets” link. There’s no need for it to be in the top navigation and also in the row immediately below. Also, in the comments box, don’t require an email address–this discourages paranoid people from commenting. Ideally, don’t require anything except for the message.
I like the blue spiral background very much. The logo has almost a 50’s, old comic book look – is that deliberate? If so you nailed it! You dont have a frame across the bottom which is a bit disconcerting. I dont know if it would fit with your research approach, but a highly visible invitation to share favourite illusions could be good for your workload? I’ve often thought there might be non-professional people out there creating illusions who would love to have their work published and celebrated. Whatever the format, I love your website – its fun and interesting. Thanks for providing me with a moment of lightness each day.
I like the new format, but the illusory sample reminds me how tired I am of 3D chalk drawings.
I like this new design better. It’s more eye-catching.
love the new layout.
I searched your site and you don’t seem to have the queen of op art Bridgit Riley’s work.
I like the new template. I’m a minimalist, and I like the current site as it doesn’t have a lot of clutter and huge animations to download. However, the new layout looks classy and simple.
I agree with Mike; the new site is classy. Is it an improvement? It’s a matter of taste but I think the fact that the main focus of the site, the optical illusion, is given more screen space is definitely a plus.
I like the new layout but i do think you should get rid of the grey bar at the top. I love the optical illusion it is amazing, it has to be one of my favorites yet!
But yes great improvement :) xx
the basic from what I see is the same. Just the background area has changed.. a little. I see a few menu items are now up on the background area, other than that….what changed?
Unless I’ve been on a different view than most… the basis of the blog is still in the upper left. The title still same. Even the right hand side layout is identical.
again only difference I see is that the top menu bar has been moved to appear it is part of the background image AND the back ground image.
Great website BTW.
An additional bit of info.. I’m view the website on FIREFOX on my desktop. Maybe the changes are more for others and not Firefox users.
Very cool spiral illusion!
The “classy” look, as someone said, is definitely pleasant to the eye. Looking forward to it! However the bar at the top is a bit strange. Anyway, keep the good work man, your blog is just awesome, the best in this category I think. I don’t miss a post!
I like the new template, it’s crisper looking. I am having trouble with the illusion today as the ad is covering it and I can get it leave…I even played it and it would not uncover except for the second it takes to recover it…..good luck with the change.
Beautiful illusion.
The template is good, though I thing the logo, if it could be an illusion in it self would be better?
Also, the Widgets option is redundant,
Once it is in the main Bar,
Once just below it, with the rss feed, etc.
And once individually (below the add, in Illusion of the Day)
I like the basic design – my one concern would be if the background wallpaper might detract from the illusion of the day. Especially ones where you have to sort of let your eyes unfocus a little to see it.
maybe you could have multiple colour scheme versions so maybe a green and a red one as well as the blue one and change it every now and then, but I don’t mind as long as you keep putting up illusions :D
I like the proposed template. And thanks for your wonderful site.
Looks awesome!
The new layout is really just the old layout with a new background and a facelift on the top navigation which was done quite well and professionally. I also agree that you do not need two “Widgets” link on top and if possible, you should combine the “Illusion of the Day” navigation box as a drop-down menu from the “Widget” link. You already reserved two areas on your page for ads so the grey header bar on top would be an overkill. Someone mentioned that the new logo looks like something from the ’50s and I agree! It’s a nice change.
I noticed that you did not include the bottom half of your webpage (the comments are what I’m mainly wondering about). Personally I don’t like having to scroll all the way down to comment, but then again you can call me out on just being lazy for that. ^^;
Bottom line is I like the overall feel of the new layout you are proposing, but personally I would like to see you try something crazier and see where that takes you.
Cheers to you!
Actaully, I do like the original website design better- I like the way it looked, especially the clouds at the top. Plus, blue’s my favorite color; but not the shiny-looking like you showed us with your idea about the layout. One thing I don’t mind having the new fonts for “Mighty Optical Illusions”, it’s neat. If you put that kind of fonts for this original website layout, it’ll be cool. Just a thought. :-)
Yes, the new template works for me. Larger images is good
I like the illusion. I like the new design idea. It looks very nice. I think you should make the gray bar become part of the background.
I didn’t have an opinion one way or the other at first. As Ann Landers always asid, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Now I agree with Pygormus. Having the illusion front and center really helps.
I personally think you should replace the drab orange with a light, bright green.
Whatever works is fine by me – I just appreciate the way these illusions play around with the mind. The bumph around them I ignore anyway
I too agree with Mike and Pygormus. Remember the idea of ‘KISS’?
I like the new one you have yet to decide on , it looks cool , but then again I am partial to blues
And I think the swirls are perfect for this illlusion site
Change for change sake, mmmm I don’t know. More space is definitely a plus.
Thanks for this site. I enjoy it immensely!
Regarding the new look, I like the circle and spiral elements and simple elegance. In general it looks fine to me, with one exception: I’m not fond of the new logo.
I like the dark blue behind the words – the extra contrast there draws your eye to it. But the ALL-CAPS (ick) “MIGHTY” and “ILLUSIONS” are too heavy compared to the word “OPTICAL”. Moreover, three different text sizes in a three-word logo is too many. The words neither fit within the circles behind it nor look really committed to exceeding their boundaries. They also are not quite centered over their combined edges so it is unbalanced – again, not enough to look intentional, just a little imprecise/sloppy. The grey box above it and the main text space below it cutting into the logo circles from both directions, make the logo (the site title!)look unimportant (expendable) when it really is very important. The left circle edge of the logo is precisely left aligned with the body text area below it but the right side of the menu banner does not align with the right edge of the elements below it. (I’d consider making the right side of the banner and the elements below it match up. Then I might even make the left side – the logo – kick out a bit further left to give it that much more hierarchical “oomph”.) But back to the logo –
The gradient is a really good idea you can build on. Could you modify the logo/circles to form an actual illusion – such as actually identically-sized first and third words that only appear to be different sizes or weights because of the different colors/values/contrast of the portions of the gradient behind them?
Ignore these suggestions as you wish. More than anything I want to thank you for providing this delightful site for us. Keep up the great work!
I very much like the new design. I agree, change is good. I like the foreground, the fade and spirals are a common illusion. I agree to drop the grey bar, the design it more segmented that way. Looks great!
nice new design but if you want a real full make over, try more / better. it is just a minor change.
and yes, make it available for android and for android phone. it is now used more than the iOS as you know. you reach more potential clients.
I go to the site to see the images not for the look of the site. The old site never bothered me and the proposed new look doesn’t bother me either. Bottom line is that I like what you’re doing and your site is one of the few that I can say I visit on a daily basis.
where does it start!!!!
where does it even start? O.o
I like the new design better.
It seems a more professional looking without the yackiness of overloaded ones.
SALUD!
nice one, you can’t miss it
We come to your site for the picture and your interesting words of wisdom however the new layout appears to give only a quarter of the space to these. Does the advertising have to be so intrusive??
Looks great. I love it.
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