For anyone who isn’t happy with the new site, maybe click on the “WEBSITE MIGRATION” text, which offers up this little tidbit of info ( sorry, don’t mean to sound aggressive :)):
"The Blender website now has a fresh new updated looks! Thanks to a couple of devoted volunteers we now have a totally new back-end with the most important pages migrated already (special thanks to Francesco and Pablo!).We now will work during the next many weeks on doing the final migration and to establish a new enthusiastic web content team – especially people who know how to write and construct pages to present Blender and our projects to the outside world.
For as now – forgive us when you find the many mistakes or missing links here. Check this mailing list if you want to be involved and help with the site: http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-webcontent "
two of the header images (especially the one used for “complete VFX”) are way too large.
the header image does not scale very well at all on a maximized 2560x1440 screen.
here and there the contrast seems almost too subtle. I work on a hardware calibrated screen, and the subtle greys are almost imperceptible in places, making it hard to differentiate between areas. The download page donation box, for example. Or the title box for “how do I install BLender”. The grey border needs slightly stronger contrast (in my opinion).
the features page could benefit from some better overall spacing, visual structuring, and alignment. The previous design worked better.
the wordpress admin interface can be (too) easily accessed through the standard www.blender.org/wp-admin link. Not that great an idea in terms of security, and every bot on the net will find it. Also, the “helpful” comments in that login screen are still turned on.
I entered “Ton” as a user name, and Wordpress informed me that the password for that username is incorrect. Hence, I now only need to figure out the password, and Wordpress told me that user name exists.
Please do not be that obvious - this is just a matter of time until someone hacks into the backend.
Otherwise, I really like the new face of Blender.org. Much more inviting and professional looking! The navigational structure also got improved quite a bit. Cheers!
when you realize that one came to visit for info on software, news, maybe new gallery images, proper feature list, wiki, tutorials, dev & tech achievements, so on… this page sucks big (compared to previous)
big images are for gallery, header is called a header for a reason (it’s not a whole page),
writings over images are disrupting & confusing (mainly for movie arts)
too bright (monitors are not made of paper) wish for a darker theme (at least an option - my eyes hurt with bright themes, even worse at night… this forum theme is nice, but would prefer also other options (orange, red, blue, cyan, green, magenta… on light, medium or dark grey)
i just lost interest… to much clicking & moving around
ehhh disappointment…
… thankfully relieved by this forum
Sorry, but I also agree. We seem to be in the minority, and I don’t want to be overly critical, but
the new site is WAY TOO BRIGHT…somehow it just doesn’t seem right for Blender.org :no:
There is too much text, the banner is too big, the Blender logo is tiny!
The layout is not logical & user friendly.
Needs a “Home” link on each page.
Text links need to have better contrast vs content.
Would like to see real buttons with a nice gradient & rollover effect instead of just text for the all of the main navigation links, e.g. Features, Download, About, etc…the tall font seems strange.
You may miss the links for “What’s New” & “Older Version”.
Personally, I would like to see a darker warmer color scheme, e.g. http://blendtuts.com/
Highly recommend the great little book, “Don’t Make Me Think!” by Steve Krug…a classic on website useability.
I’m disappointed, but if the majority likes it, fine.
ps- I will submit my critique to the bf-webcontent board.
I hope not, because why would anyone be alarmed?
Blender and 3dsmax are both advanced 3d software packages, both websites follow modern webdesign trends. no wonder at first glance they look alike.
and really? aside from the clean look, light colors and a big header image/gallery. they are very different.
Bug when downloading new version, after clicking download you are presented with options (which is great), except the store link takes you to: http://www.blender.org/store rather than http://www.blender3d.org/e-shop/ which is what the top menu navigates to.
I never liked the old dark design at all. The text left after-images on my retina.
The BlenderTuts website’s colour scheme is pretty bad (one of the worst I’ve seen), and makes it very hard to understand the visual hierarchy and skim/read the pages. Hurts my eyes after a while.
I often got lost in the old website - the new navigational structure makes more sense. So far I was able to find everything I looked for within 10 seconds. With the old website, although I had browsed it numerous times, I still occasionally lost my way.
I do agree some of the contrast is too subtle here and there. The features page is the weakest page in my opinion. Breadcrumbs would have been nice.
My main concern would be the security of this new wordpress-based website, though. The overall website structure and design itself has improved a lot.
All of those people who are complaining about the brightness of the theme need to step back and realize that is nothing more than a personal preference. Facebook is brighter, Google (you know, the worlds most accessed and user-friendly site… ever) is brighter, youtube, etc
For those of you complaining about image sizes and scrolling please read this: http://uxmyths.com/post/654047943/myth-people-dont-scroll (there is a wealth of studies and information about how users have no issues scrolling - google it if you don’t believe me). Also, you should note how resolution and pixel density in monitors are continuously increasing. The concern about header/image sizes are not a real issue either, it is personal preference again. The large images look fresh and show case work that truly sells the software - this is a key feature of the new design and one of the reasons that the layout looks so clean.
So fresh and so clean clean.
I think the new site looks awesome, there are a couple of hiccups that will be fixed and a few changes to be made, but overall it is a MASSIVE improvement.
Please don’t let this be another stupid UX discussion disaster. Appreciate the work and beauty.
The similarities of the 2 sites was a shock to me actually…the banner, the panels in the middle, the columns of
small text links…yeah, there are differences, but it looks to me like they used Autodesk as a template.
I was taken aback by the look of Blender.org, but was horrified when I saw how similar it is to Autodesk’s. :eek::eek::eek:
I think most Blender users (correct me if I’m wrong) are “hobbyists”, not pro’s.
A sterile blindingly white site like Autodesk’s and now Blender.org are a turn-off for me.
And to make Blender.org look like Autodesk is saddening to me. I would think Blender Foundation would
want to distance itsself from Autodesk, not emulate it.
re: Blendtuts.com …I like the warmth of it…goes with Oliver’s personality. It’s a refreshing change from
the white sites, or grays. I have no problem with it or it’s navigation. Lots of great tutorials.
I’ll sig link newbies to latest page and hope they click the Release Notes twirly + in left nav bar now I guess. Too bad. Release note history is a must-read for new users, IMO. The release notes home page needs fixed up with proper linking.
The site looks great, a huge improvement over the old version. Easy to navigate and I expect it will go over well with new users looking for a way to get into blender.
It is amusing: the new Blender site looks like a serious and professional corporate site (excellent first impact for users of applications like 3DStudio or Maya) and then we all know Blender foundation utter indifference about potential converts.
So what kind of site do you think Blender should have then?
A simple Sourceforge site (like this one) perhaps since it’s not professional enough to warrant the current design and give a clear indication it’s a simple hobbyist app. without much of a future.
Or perhaps Ton and co. are so unprofessional and uncaring when it comes to the treatment of the userbase that we should copy one of the designs shown here. (I say we copy the designs of Ling’s Cars and Arngren.net, it will send professionals and all users screaming for the exits before they have a chance to suffer disappointment and crushed dreams ;))
It’s like a more fun version of those Autodesk sites. But everything is free! Bwahaha 
