I will leave it up to you, the reader: Do you prefer this new design or the old design? The black of the old design allows the photos to stand out a bit more but the white of this new design makes the text easier to read.
Place your vote in the comments section of this post and on Friday I will either polish this new design or go back to the black!
And for those of you who have already forgotten what the old design looked like, here it is:
I like your new design of your website. best mp
Posted by: michael pfister | March 18, 2009 at 08:26
I like the new design too.
Posted by: JonathanY | March 18, 2009 at 08:57
New design, definitely :)
Posted by: Andy | March 18, 2009 at 09:30
New design! white is cleaner and more professional.
Posted by: fabiano busdraghi | March 18, 2009 at 09:38
+1 for white
Posted by: Ben | March 18, 2009 at 09:57
Because of your photos I didn't really notice much of the design ;)
Anyway I would use the white one and consider some changes.
- Work on typography - it's very important aspect of clean grid design, I think that Neue Helvetica or Univers would help.
- There is some space left in 1024px resoultion, I would make the content (center) column wider, so the photos could be bigger.
- Consider using only one (wider) column, move some column text to "read more", it's a little mess right now ;) And like above, that would make some additional space for the content.
- Black lines don't work well with the white design, light gray or none at all are the way to go.
- Flickr box.
Huh, I forgot, you are probably making those changes from Refugee Camp... If you need any help/assistance with your blog/websites design, feel free to contact me =)
Keep good work coming!
Posted by: jarek | March 18, 2009 at 10:41
New design is better. Makes it easier to read the text.
Posted by: John Santiago | March 18, 2009 at 13:05
White is far better - the black messed with my eyes too much.
Posted by: Kevin | March 18, 2009 at 13:44
If it was not for this post I would not have know there was a new design, I always come from the RSS.
Give a try moving out the text on the sides, making some pages of testimonials or links.
Posted by: paurullan | March 18, 2009 at 14:22
I like the old way better-it caught my eye. But whatever one you choose will be great. Your blog is amazing.
Posted by: alana | March 18, 2009 at 16:07
Keep the new one.
Posted by: Sev | March 18, 2009 at 16:49
Thank you all for your feedback, the final decision will come on Friday, but I can already tell what direction we are heading in. If we do go with the white, as it appears we will, I will be doing some polishing work on it and taking all of your comments and suggestions into consideration. That being said:
This blog is hosted by Typepad and thus is not very flixible. The photo size is as large as it can get already, although those of you who sign up by email know that I actually use images that are double the size of those on these pages (a good reason to sign up for the free email feed.) There are also only a handful of font choices and this seemed to be the most readable, but I will give them a second look.
Cheers!
zoriah
Posted by: Zoriah | March 18, 2009 at 18:10
Hi!
I didn't notice the new design since I read you from a rss reader but I prefer always the black with photography. The pics look better. Apart from that, I think that a two column design (the content and another one) could be more attractive...
The best!
Posted by: Mikel | March 18, 2009 at 18:34
new design is great. The color images really pop.
Posted by: Jack Nugent | March 18, 2009 at 19:00
I like the new design color scheme. The photos do pop and it's not so difficult to read. I opted for a dark blog myself.
Posted by: Helen Bascom | March 18, 2009 at 19:08
How about trying grey or dark grey?
Ed
Posted by: Account Deleted | March 18, 2009 at 19:17
I preffer the new one ;D
Posted by: Mamen Portillo | March 18, 2009 at 19:21
I was hoping that you have the "Pro Plan" at typepad.com that gives you an ability for "Total design customization" (so you can control css, html & js).
If you would like to see an example, let me know.
Posted by: jarek | March 18, 2009 at 19:26
I definitely prefer white...pictures pop out more..for me at least. Thanks!
Posted by: Roxy | March 18, 2009 at 19:33
keep the new one!
Posted by: thor | March 18, 2009 at 20:09
The white is easier for me to read. Photos will pop either way. Maybe with a good thick border on each photo.
Posted by: betsy | March 18, 2009 at 20:44
My vote goes with black, I'm afraid. I have a distinct bias towards dark backgrounds, especially when showing monochrome images but maybe that's just me.
Posted by: Dave Wilson | March 18, 2009 at 20:45
I like yellow.
Posted by: Beyonce | March 18, 2009 at 21:33
Put me down for the white design!
Posted by: Sarah | March 18, 2009 at 22:25
White with photographs framed by a black border, which you seem to do anyway.
Cheers,
Michael
Posted by: Michael Weinhardt | March 18, 2009 at 22:51
New design preferred - text much clearer
Posted by: VTSA | March 18, 2009 at 23:20
The new design looks great - the white does make the text easier to read, the photos standout as well.
The only other comment is a two column layout might look better - with the blog sitting in a wider column so your eye focuses on it when you first hit the site.
If you need a hand with any web stuff shoot me an email, it's what I do :)
Posted by: Kathie | March 18, 2009 at 23:53
new one! it's much easier to read
Posted by: Jessica Lin | March 19, 2009 at 01:49
LOL! I am outnumbered by far. Actually the content is what's most important - and yours is good! I also get the email feed - but honestly I liked the black better just because it fit better. But that's just me. I can see I'm outnumbered.
I hope you're doing well!
PS: I never thought of having people vote, I just changed mine.. good idea!
Posted by: Linda G. Richard | March 19, 2009 at 03:16
I prefer black. I mostly read this blog for the B&W images, and it complements them well.
I also find white text on black background easier on my eyes.
Posted by: XS | March 19, 2009 at 06:48
Hey man, this is Ben Moore, we met in Iraq. I really like your old layout. You're right, it really does make the images stand out a little. True, this IS easier to read, but you're a PHOTO journalist... Later man.
Posted by: PFC Ben Moore | March 19, 2009 at 07:04
Clearly, I'm very much in the minority, but I'll say it anyway...
I like the black much better. Printed images are better against white, but illuminated/online images are best offset against black.
And I don't know about everyone else, but I've never had the slightest trouble reading white text on a black bg.
And, for myself, a web page in black looks "clean," while a white page looks "empty." Just me, I guess.
Peace,
Matt
Posted by: Matt Fitt | March 19, 2009 at 08:12
It appears that BLACK is making a bit of comeback!! WHITE is still in the lead, but BLACK is definitely back in the race!! Maybe we should start placing bets!!
Thanks so all of you for your input, I will tally everything up on Friday midnight GMT/Zulu.
zoriah
Posted by: Zoriah | March 19, 2009 at 08:19
the white one for readability and clarity!
yes, the black is more dynamic and makes the images more punchy but, from a graphic designers point of view, white is the choice when considering your readers rather than your viewers
beautiful blog btw!
Posted by: shari bee | March 19, 2009 at 08:59
the new one is better, we can read with more facility
Posted by: Simone | March 19, 2009 at 11:03
white is good....
It's hard to read white words on the black backgrounds.
Black is better...it makes your photos more attractive, I love all of your photos!!
Posted by: sun | March 19, 2009 at 15:27
White is beautyfull :D
Posted by: RJ | March 19, 2009 at 19:07
i prefer the black background
Posted by: unxpektd | March 19, 2009 at 21:10
I go for the black,
I think it enhances the photos a lot more..
keep up the good work! :o)
Posted by: Ana Omelete | March 19, 2009 at 21:54
Dear Zoriah,
I somehow prefer the black layout though I understand the the text looks more comfortable on white.
With your photos, I do not much care about comfort.
However, is it technically possible to give the viewer an option of selecting a black or a white background?
Alternatively, can there be two columns, one for the photos and the other for text...one in black and the other in white?
Then again, the central column (with the photos and the texts) can have a white background whereas the two adjoining columns (one on left and the other on right) can be on black.
Love and wishes,
Subrata
Posted by: Subrata Ghosh | March 19, 2009 at 21:59
New Design - change is always good. White weill be refreshing for a while....You can always go back :-)
Posted by: Jeppe | March 19, 2009 at 22:46
I gotta admit that the white background makes everything easier to read, but I love the feel that the black gives the blog. The white makes the color photos pop while the black makes the b/w photos pop...hmmmmm...you were looking for votes weren't you? :) Ok, I choose white.
Posted by: Sha Clark Doan | March 20, 2009 at 01:35
white.
the text is much easier to read..
Posted by: - | March 20, 2009 at 03:17
I like the black background more than the white.
Posted by: Bidisha Das | March 20, 2009 at 14:29
keep it with the old one. the websites with black backgrounds are in my opinion easier on the eyes, and i have never had a problem reading the text. In additions black backgrounds use less energy just check out the stats about it on www.blackle.com (it's kinda like google just black not white. so it saves energy:)
_alan
Posted by: Alan | March 21, 2009 at 01:50
The white is easier on the eyes, but I think white is a bit boring, especially for a photo site. You know, if I were you, I would split your blog into two blogs. One for your writing about your life, and one for photos. You can keep your photo blog black, and make the pics pop (because they really do look better with black), and have your blog with more text in white, or at least some color with black text. Just my humble opinion. I'm obsessive about reading blogs, I'd follow both your blogs.
Posted by: Jo-Anna | March 21, 2009 at 04:02
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Sarah
http://grillsblog.com
Posted by: Sarah | March 21, 2009 at 15:03
you should keep the old black stle as before !cause the bw background is very good for your war & documentary photos !
Posted by: Nhat Le. | March 22, 2009 at 03:14