As you’ve probably noticed already, The Urban Muse got a makeover this week. Thanks to all of my readers who have left nice comments about the new design. Those of you who are viewing this in a reader may want to come check it out.
Basically, I wanted a design that would still be friendly and fun, but also a little more professional (Amanda’s comment nailed that one). I also didn’t want to alienate the increasing number of male readers who’ve chimed in with comments. I’ve known for a while that the transition from my blog to my website or vice versa is a little jarring and I wanted to create a more consistent brand across platforms. Thus, it was time to retire the avatar and exchange it for something a bit more grown-up.
Huge thank you to Heather at Goofy Girl Designs for making the transition so smooth!
I love the new look, but I thought the old one was nice as well. Very nice French manicure. ; )
Yes, the male readers probably appreciate this design a bit more. I think it’s your fresh point of view, your kindness, and your ambition, that keeps bringing us all back–regardless of the blog’s theme.
I do like the smooth transition from the website to the blog, though. I’m sure mine is a shocker for sure–from coffee cup to paved road! Ha!
*smiles*
Michele
The new look is awesome (though I did like the old look, too). It’s also user friendly, which is so important these days. Very nice flow between the website and the blog, and I think the guys who chime in will love the picture on the front page. So there’s something for everyone!
One other change that I forgot to mention is that I made sure that header was shorter to show more content in the first frame (or “above the fold” as they say).
I hope that this makes the blog useful and also focuses more on content. Because, as Michele points out, that’s reason most people read the blog.
Yeah, I did notice the shorter header, Susan, but forgot to mention it in my previous comment. On Blogger, my header was a lot larger. When I moved to WordPress, Heather shortened it considerably for me. I’m sure some would argue my header is still too large, but I think it was a good compromise to make it as short as it is now.
Gotta love Goofy Girl Designs, eh?!