cssvault - inspiring creativity

I've said it once, I'll say it again. I'm speechless. But seriously, I absolutely love the colors in this design. We've got one part Stop Design, One part Seriocomic, and One giant healping of mezzoblue. The redesign really worked out for him.

Kyle (http://www.warpspire.com/)

(I am sure Cameron had more constructive things to say, but not this time) -- Scrivs

Cameron Adams

Tiny, non-resizable text? Navigation that breaks normal cursor behaviour and seems to inherit its ALT description from the 'mezzoblue' brand link? Colours seemingly "inspired" by JustWatchTheSky? I like it less than the previous redesign, and I didn't like that much at all.

Matthew Pennell (http://www.thewatchmakerproject.com/)

It just looks like an inspiration of several different sites. Albeit better than his last "design" he could have been original in this creation.

Chris Gwynne (http://www.chrisgwynne.com/)

Yes, I probably did have some more constructive things to say. :o] The navigation is definitely tighter on this re-design than his last one. The drop-down menus always seemed a bit messy on the previous version. But I just can't get round the colours. They're mezzoblue's trademark, I know, but that orange is pretty startling. Makes me squint.

Cameron Adams (http://www.themaninblue.com)

This is much better than the previous design in my opinion. I'm glad he changed it... I was starting to visit less often because some of my confidence was shaken... but it's been restored now :)

Josh S (http://www.fireandknowledge.org)

There is a very subtle touch I missed when first visiting the redesign. Look at a subpage where the top navigation changes to show where you are. The background has some slight movement. Really nice touch...

Brad Daily (http://bradleyboy.com/blog)

I agree with you Paul, I like this design a lot more. I linked him up on my linklog too just to show support :)

Mike (http://www.businesslogs.com/)

(This is the 2nd time Scrivs has had to delete my comment because it had no meat at all. Next time I will simply email Shea and say "Great") -- Scrivs

laurent

It can't be a positive thing when you completely redesign your own site twice in under three months. I like the icon graphics more than anything. The site title/branding is too subtle and inconspicuous but an improvement on the previous design. Also I'm not convinced about the 705px fixed-width layout, although this seems to be a trend lately, so it's just a personal preference for wider liquid layouts that make better use of the browser size.

coda (http://coda.co.za)

I think and like most people that Dave is great designer. His new site is nice, but I don't think it's up to par. Hey like he said he needs time to himself, but his last site was not only a great design, but was also loaded with all the css techniques out there which was appropriate for his status.

Dan (http://www.danleroux.com)

Whoa there, Lucius. You coulda been a bit softer... I too feel unsatisfied with the the designs of Stopdesign, SimpleBits, and mezzoblue, but they all somewhat have an excuse. Most of them have done/seen/been involved in so many designs in the course of their careers that they've learned "too much," much like our brains get "cramped" when we age and gain knowledge. They've seen so much that inspiration is hard to come by, and any redesign that's radically different would affect their "status." Simplebits = classic. Stopdesign = "what was he thinking?". mezzoblue = great, but not the best. zeldman = "HUH?!" No website is perfect, but I'd say Justwatchthesky fits my bill.

Hans (http://sidulus.textdrive.com)

I've been misunderstood, my comment was not a personal attack - I went out of my way to state that dave has a good blog and has done wonders with raising the awareness and acceptance of CSS. That being said, I really don't care for his design work. I know design is a personal matter, but when a guru designs a site you expect a lot (think of Eric Jordan and 2Advanced). Sometimes the site is really impressive and cutting edge, or at least just good solid design. Mezzoblue's newest incarnation is neither. The colours are a poor choice, contrast is bad on an lcd unless you're perfectly positioned (looks a bit better on crt), the fonts are blurred and illegible for the navigation (use stronger anti-aliasing or better yet a pixel font if you're going to use a graphic) and the navigation itself is confusing and not usable. It's a good site for a blogger, a poor site for a "designer", and an awful site for a guru (with that label comes extremely high expectations). Like matthew, cameron, and coda above I'm let down and don't feel it's worthy of some of the other sites alongside it in the Vault. If that's hostile, then so be it - but there are other sites here much more deserving of my jealousy.

Lucius

You said he has a "reputation he doesn't deserve", his designs in the garden were "lame", and that his site is a "joke." Sorry dude, sounds personal. Obviously you aren't a fan of his work, but these sweeping critical statements expressed as fact rather than opinion are equally classless and useless. But at least he got props as a blogger....lol

bec

I think that in a world where bland colors and generic designs have become a standard this is almost brave. I dont necessarily like the colors, but they are different enough to get my attention. Its edgy yet clean, and I have to say I like it. I think the animated wave over the navigation was a nice touch, and it is nice and subtle.

Zach (http://www.flawlesslight.com)

i like layout

find job (http://www.bokrin.com)

very good, looks very nice for eye

crusader extreme (http://www.crusaderextreme.com)