Feedback on the AFF website & brand refresh

[kgreenuq]

As we announced on Tuesday, AFF is getting a new website and brand identity! Later today, we'll relaunch AFF with a new logo and the website will have a new font & colours.

You can read more about the changes, and the reasons for them, here:

Australian Frequent Flyer Has a Fresh New Look & Feel

Australian Frequent Flyer (AFF) has a fresh new website and brand identity! Here's a summary of what's changed - and importantly, what's not changing.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

The changes to the forum are mainly cosmetic, and the way you navigate around the AFF forum hasn’t changed. But we have overhauled the home page, articles and related pages with a completely new design and user experience. These changes bring AFF into the modern age and should significantly improve your experience when browsing AFF.

We’re starting this thread as a place where you can leave your feedback, discuss the changes and report any bugs or issues that you come across.

It’s inevitable with any major change that there might be some teething issues. Our IT team will endeavour to fix any bugs that you report, and we appreciate your patience as we work through them.

If you prefer the old forum appearance, you do have the option of continuing browsing AFF in the old style. To do this, go the forum and scroll down to the bottom of the page. On the right-hand side of the page footer, you can click “AFF Style”:

View attachment 461705

Then, select “AFF Classic Style”:

View attachment 461706

When you’re logged in, you’ll then continue to view AFF using the old appearance.

Please note that, while the old style will continue to work for some time, it will no longer be maintained with future updates.

I assume folks have mentioned the AFF Style link is on the left-hand side of the footer (not the right).

 

[VantageXL]

It could just be my eyesight but the image you've used for the Latest Deals section looks a lot like the one I made last year for my own points website:

 

[DejaBrew]

It could just be my eyesight but the image you've used for the Latest Deals section looks a lot like the one I made last year for my own points website:

View attachment 462947

View attachment 462948

That thumbnail checks out. The actual thumbnail. Oh yeah, the image looks the same too.

 

[RooFlyer]

This.

Really? Notwithstanding the reactions we seen from the site so far? Sad.

Worst case scenario? Sure.

The way I see it though is that the forum is largely community run so I’m happy to offer some input/assistance as a member who benefits from that community. I don’t have the same level of flying knowledge as many others and can’t always help out so much there, but this sort of stuff is well and truly in my wheelhouse and is one way I can contribute and “give back”.

Excellent job.

 

[admin]

It could just be my eyesight but the image you've used for the Latest Deals section looks a lot like the one I made last year for my own points website:

Thank you very much for flagging this @VantageXL . Our sincere apologies, this looks like an oversight by our external designer. We have already removed this image from the website and replaced it with a different one.

 

[AFF_Founder]

Question for the founders. Was the colouring of the old logo Virign (Blue)* and red for QANTAS or was that purely coincidental?

*although technically Virgin has a purple corp colour also!

AFF actually predates Virgin (and Virgin Blue)! The AFF blue in the logo was very similar to the Ansett blue

 

[SYD]

AFF actually predates Virgin (and Virgin Blue)! The AFF blue in the logo was very similar to the Ansett blue

Ah, yes of course! I try an block AN from my memory and my lost points…although I still have a Diamond card…

 

[AuSammy]

Ah, yes of course! I try an block AN from my memory and my lost points…although I still have a Diamond card…

AN

That was an airline that treated me like a king and repaid loyalty (until it vanished).

 

[admin]

A lot of the feedback so far has been about the purple - too much, too bright etc. For what it's worth, I don't personally hate the new branding and theme, but I don't love it either. I've lived with the new theme since launch and have been trying to just let it all sink in and reserve judgement until I'd had some time to "acclimate". But something has been bugging me and I've struggled to put my finger on it... until now. This is clearly a subjective opinion, but here goes...

I think the problem is that the overt use of vivid purple in the site theme doesn't gel with the new logo. Let's consider the old theme and logo for a moment -:

View attachment 462814
As highlighted above, the (let's just call it) "AFF blue" in the logo is carried into the text component of the logo, and is also carried over to the menu bar. Whilst not always the same shade, blue is carried over as a consistent theme for the rest of the forum page, creating a consistent theme that's tied in with the AFF logo -:

View attachment 462815
When we look at the new logo, the purple is there, but it is a significantly less prominent colour in the overall logo design -:

View attachment 462817
As highlighted above, it's basically just the bottom-left corner of the logo. Sure, the colour has been carried into the menu bar, but as that purple forms such an inconspicuous part of the overall logo design, its subsequent prominent use throughout the rest of the forum theme seems incongruous and inconsistent with the updated logo/brand -:

View attachment 462819
Now in saying all of that, I recognise that this vivid purple has been made a core colour of the refreshed AFF brand identity and you can't just ignore it with the new forum theme. This leads me to a second observation that you might consider as more of a "suggestion" to balance the new branding whilst appeasing those who find the overt use of purple in the new forum theme a little too much for their taste....

Looking at the "Classic" AFF theme, there is consistent use of the linear gradient blue/white in the header blocks for each forum section -:

View attachment 462820
This same colouring flows through to the various sub-sections -:

View attachment 462821
By contrast, the "New" AFF theme uses vivid purple for the header blocks of each forum section -:

View attachment 462822
However this seems to transition into a linear gradient styling for the various sub-sections (which is much easier on the eye) -:

View attachment 462823
Now, if we were to apply the same sort of consistent colour styling to the main forum page, we'd get something like this -:

View attachment 462824
I suspect something like the above example might offer a way to still incorporate/hero the vivid purple from the updated branding, whilst being more consistent in terms of the theme colouring - especially when compared to the "Classic" theme - and also dialing back the excessive use of vivid purple that other members have found to be overly jarring.

Just my 2c worth, but hope it's helpful

Once again, thank you @DejaBrew!

Don't at all disagree with the points you've made, and very much appreciate your expert feedback. At the very least, we'll have a chat about it

 

[pauldab]

Thank you very much for flagging this @VantageXL . Our sincere apologies, this looks like an oversight by our external designer. We have already removed this image from the website and replaced it with a different one.

A "designer" finding some image in google image search and using it without appropriation or consideration to the original copyright holder. A tale as old as time.

Just hope this isn't an isolated occurrence.

 

[flyguy77]

Just hope this isn't an isolated occurrence.

See logo and comparisons with Finnair....

 

[MelMel]

Someone please hire @DejaBrew for the next refresh

 

[Seat0B]

Worst case scenario? Sure.

The way I see it though is that the forum is largely community run so I’m happy to offer some input/assistance as a member who benefits from that community. I don’t have the same level of flying knowledge as many others and can’t always help out so much there, but this sort of stuff is well and truly in my wheelhouse and is one way I can contribute and “give back”.

I for one am learning A LOT from your posts, @DejaBrew and appreciating your expertise and ability to explain what are to me "gut feelings". That thing about the colour gradient on the blue (classic) v purple (new) header blocks is exactly on the money, for example.

 

[RooFlyer]

Someone please hire @DejaBrew for the next refresh

Or maybe a retainer?