Chess.com Site Redesign - Coming Soon!

FINALLY!!! This site has need an updating when I joined it three years ago. While I love the features offered and the openness and availability of management, I was never impressed with the layout and look of the site. Can't wait to see it up and running! 

What I didn't like about the new screenshot is the all-white look with no alternating colours to make 1) boxes 2) list items (the forum sections) more easily seperated.

in the current design, we have white and beige for every other line in the forum page (General Chess Discussion is white, Chess Openings is beige, so on), and a beige window background for most recent posts.

It's quicker to distinguish everything with mildly alternating colours. And white is a tiresome colour for the eye when you look at it for a long time. For example I work on gray page backgrounds in my word processors, as I have positively realized I can work much shorter non-stop with white backgrounds. Of course, this is a relatively less popular forum page in the site. The forum threads themselves and probably the "new unread" page will be used much more frequently, so maybe they are more eye friendly. (For instance, in the current design, what I have typed right now is above a beige background and it's easy to read. I would prefer even slightly a darker beige tone.)

I liked the softer corners of windows (alerts) and button (post new forum topic) and boxes (search).

I liked the lighter green of the menu bar.

Having the site motto Play & Learn & Share in the bar is a nice idea, but I hope the "more" button won't be overwhelming in content.

I also like the new facebook-like small icons for messages and friend requests (I guess?), however, if that is in fact for friend requests, it seems a little unnecessary for such a precious spot. Maybe "tracked activity," or "new comment" or more importantly, a sand clock showing the time to move for the most urgent game would be better use of space.

just my 2 sents :)

Oh, I forgot to add: I think having a "Help" item in the green menu bar would be nice, I think lots of people don't look below the white main frame to see the Help & Support link.

 You see the forums as white, and beige, and I have blue, and light blue. So it just depends on how we design our home page. Maybe the new format will too. Hopefuly.

Yes, but a great majority of users will stay with the default design. They always do.

I hope more people than staff get to post things.  ;)

Sure! After the redesign, basic members will be able to post once per day (but only on their birthday).

Premium members, however, will be able to post twice as often, with an option to post once more on the birthday of their favorite celebrity grandmaster: The GM will be selected from a new drop-list in Account Settings. (No take-backs.)

Might I suggest an 911 type option where in an emergency situation people can post even if they've used up their quota?

... let me be the first to start complaining about the CHANGE! cos soon there will be little or no CHANGE in my pocket! How much do we have to pay for these CHANGES!