I still see the blob for the home page, the logo just for the forums.
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Thx for the reply. The figure that I’d added here was from the desktop of my laptop. I cannot follow what they put and where. There is the app, Web, forum and so on…
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Update: since the redesign I’ve attempted to use the app twice and gave up before completing a single module. It’s horrendous. I can’t easily work out what is completed and what’s yet to complete, the colours literally give me a headache. It’s such a complete misfire.
Memrise, please, you need to address this. Stop with the “you’ll get used to it” responses and listen to your very unhappy customers. You need to either fix the design or revert back to the previous version.
A month now and I haven’t touched Memrise. Will be cancelling my sub and using other resources.
Next time, hire a competent team.
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I found www.lingvist.com the other day.
So far its very nice. Easy on the eyes, and I think it’s actually a faster system than memrise. Maybe check it out if you still haven’t “adjusted” to the horrible new design yet.
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If you’re an android user, you can force the app back to a previous version and get the spaceship theme and better colours back. I don’t know how long it will remain compatible with whatever new features they’re working on but for now at least it helps. Hurray for getting rid of the blinding yellow splashscreen! Another user posted instructions in the main “New Design” thread:
In the same thread are some links to stylish browser extension skins that can make the desktop version less of an eyesore. [ETA: Just realized @kiboke posted their link to this thread as well, just scroll up a bit. Makes a big difference!]
“The logo embodies the Memrise purpose — ‘Enrich people’s minds to enrich their worlds’. Recognition is prompted by splitting the brand name over two lines in the wordmark. The dot of the i represents the individual’s mind, putting the user at the heart of the brand. It simultaneously represents the world — creating an unbreakable link between ‘enriching the mind’ and ‘enriching the world’.”
Your mind now is a dot. Everything is blobs/dots because of this i.
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Combined with the physically painful redesign with hostile colors, I’d say that if my mind is supposed to be that dot, they literally are selling me anxiety and claustrophobia.
Not exactly the emotions I’d choose to evoke for any kind of app, but whatever makes them money I guess.
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I think with the new releases they will correct some bugs and design, though keeping the sallow felling. What do you think of this colors?
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Intriguing, may I ask what this is quoted from? I don’t recall seeing it before.
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The dark background and varied colors do help. That yellow is still a bolt through my brain, but if they don’t over use it I think I could adjust.
The blobs being normal circles helps a lot. It doesn’t give me vertigo in the same way.
It still looks more like a chore than something fun and exciting, but being able to literally use it is such a step in the right direction.
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Heh. Reading the article, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a project so completely miss the mark.
Playful, bold, empathetic: I really don’t feel any of that conveyed. It’s loud, but that’s not bold. The other two: so far off the mark.
They also used the words “bright, positive, and human”: I guess the wonky shapes are then supposed to represent the human element? I guess, but it looks so sloppy that I wouldn’t say it’s human in a positive way. It’s more like an abstract representation of a pile of dirty laundry.
It is literally bright, but doesn’t feel bright in a happy way. Positive, no. It’s security yellow, it feels like it’s trying to warn people away not invite them in.
I don’t know, it’s so wrong it feels intentionally wrong.
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There’s a difference between bumble-bee yellow and more subtle yellow. Strong yellow colors should be reserved for traffic signs and traffic lights.
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Intriguing! I had to laugh bitterly when I read “The identity system is designed to project the Memrise brand values of being bold, empathetic and playful, supported through a warm and optimistic colour palette.” Wow. Just wow.
Interesting too that the moving brands people seem to have recommended the different colours for the selection screen as you showed, but the memrise people seem to have chosen and preferred the monochromatic look that so many people complained about in testing. Sigh. Tells us a lot about how much memrise is “listening” that they took a bad design to begin with and made it worse.
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My felling is that the image of the selection screen I posted is the new improved version after listening users feedback. The icon for ‘Learn vocabulary’ features a hand with FIVE fingers. Recently an user complained about the current icon of the hand portraying only four fingers picking an unknown object (a seed?? the i dot?? a blop).
Or maybe you are right since a MemRise staff had said the decision to drop color coding was because it confuses new users.
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I actually like the color scheme Memrise was using on their Instagram before April 9. It’s soothing and fun. On April 9 and afterwards, their visual identity became blinding, crowded, and sloppy. I can see that they want to use more humanizing images for the brand, but I can’t help but think that whoever pushed for this direction has bad taste.
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I’m hopeful but unfortunately that might not be the case, branding agencies [ I’m working at one ] usually post THEIR ideal proposal. What company implements is a whole different matter. I’m pretty certain that it is what Memrise was given initially. I’d love to be wrong.
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@MemriseOwen, @MemriseMatty, the screen for select studying modes will keep the current monochromatic buttons or it will change for colored buttons like the image above?
We individuals bold users would much appreciate a MemRise empathetic answer since an official position will enrich the discussion and give users peace of mind.
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Hey Lucas,
I can’t provide an official answer to that question directly. But what I can say which might be helpful, is that the overall philosophy is:
Ship - Collect data - Iterate on design.
Your feedback - along with many other data points - is part of this second phase (data bit).
Had mini chat with our head of design and he concurs with a bit more context: We are actively and carefully considering where & how we should use colour in the app. The move to reduce its use in the mode selector was a difficult one. But one that is being followed up by analysis, and future design iterations. Thank you all for engaging with us on this.
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