Board Thread:News and Announcements/@comment-5645428-20170619083356/@comment-5645428-20170629044438

After a bit of tinkering, I believe we'll be settling for this unfolding style. After observing what appeared to be superior headers on our foreign counterparts, it became clear that the main contrast tone, #008 blue, was looking a little dark. I played around with some lighter blues, but they seemed too contrasting and didn't balance tremendously well with the other visuals on the site (having a transparent background over a patterned gradient made this hard to figure out). However, a simple solution is often the best solution, so quite simply, #008 was bumped up to #00A for a slightly lighter blue that seems to be powerfully more visually stimulating in comparison.

I for one have always been a fan of gradients when used sparingly, able to give a visual panel a lot more immersion than with just a plain colour tone. Modern design trends have frustrated me a lot, because much of the time, it results in laziness and a lack of attention to detail. MS Office 2013 is perhaps one of the best examples which made me want to gouge my eyes out. Apple's initial rollout of iOS 7 was also horribly blinding with its excessive use of white, white and more white. All in the name of 'simplicity and elegance'. Quite false. Simplicity really ends with 'peace of mind', that what you're looking at simply and easily blends well and is easily absorbed through the eyes. Fortunately, the flat design trend has gradually seen refinement that makes the overall look more palatable. Mostly. Anyway, I will be gradually phasing out the various blue header gradients. Yes, I am conforming to what others are generally indicating we should be doing, but know that I am taking due care to ensure that these visuals remain outstanding and pleasant. But the best gradient of all, the black-to-transparent right column modules, will remain! The iconic GD block design is not something that will be changing anytime soon!