Evenlypiece

One of the things I anticipate the most in newly released versions of anything is the appearance. Wordpress 2.5’s new admin user-interface has taken quite a big leap from the serif-font dominated versions to something I consider more contemporary or trendy in a good way of course. I’ve seen the designs from MovableType, TextPattern and Expression Engine and I had always thought a few versions back why it felt something was lacking in the WP’s admin panel design. Maybe it was the way I looked at the serif fonts, typography as a whole or the color combinations… I don’t know. But now having been served with a fresh look, it’s possible that Wordpress will attract a whole new bunch of users - those who prefer design over features. I think we can’t deny that there are people out there who choose CMS/Blog tool based on what they see. Actually, I used to get motivation to blog from the look and feel of the blog tool I was using. Only after I had tried and explored various Wordpress features was I able to stick around and disregard my issues with the design.

HappyCog has done an excellent job in maintaining the Wordpress feel in the design while offering a different look. There isn’t any change in the color scheme but the shades of blue and gray seem to blend harmoniously to give an eye-pleasing and a not-too-contrasting effect. One thing I noticed rather immediately about the design was the fonts used. As Wordpress used to have serif fonts as the most prominent in the interface, now there are only, hmm… Let me see… only a couple of them I can see now. I think, though, that the moment they remove all the serif fonts, Wordpress might lose that vibe in the design that makes it Wordpress.