iDB 3.0: redesigned to be lighter, wider, and responsive

After going close to seven years without a major redesign, we are excited to announce that iDB finally got a well-deserved makeover. Regular readers will feel right at home, while potential new readers will find a site that looks more inviting and easier on the eye. Let me walk you through some of the design decisions.

Different yet familiar

The first thing you will notice is that this design is very similar to the old one. The Home page layout is virtually the same, with a header, some featured posts, the list of most recent published posts, and a sidebar.

We decided to stick to that layout because it is a proven one, and one that web users are familiar with. Furthermore, because iDB has so much content, we felt like the sidebar would remain a great way for readers to discover that content, at least on desktop.

Despite being familiar, you will likely appreciate the fact that this design gives more room to breathe to the content. The overall theme is lighter and wider than it used to be, with more white space, which in turn makes the content easier to read, and just more pleasant to look at.

You will undoubtedly notice that the content area is now wider, the font is slightly larger, and line spacing has been increased. This makes reading iDB articles a much nicer experience, whether you are on desktop, tablet, or mobile.

Same experience across devices

This new design is also responsive, which means you get the same experience across all devices. Whether you’re using an iPhone, an iPad, or a PC, the site will automatically adjust to your screen size to provide the best possible experience, while conserving the same design.

This is a nice departure from our previous set up which offered a specific view for mobile users. It worked, but it wasn’t very pretty, and didn’t really fit the overall look of the actual site.

Ads are still a thing

Unfortunately, the US government is still not subsidizing our work at iDB and we must find different ways for Andrew, Anthony, Cody, Christian, Jim, Joaquim, Steffen, and myself to make money.

We’ve always used advertising to generate revenue and we will keep doing this, at least until a better way to make money comes along. That means that there are still ads on iDB, as many as before, and pretty much in the same spots too.

We understand you don’t like ads. Trust me, we hate them too, but ads are what allows us to keep the lights on. If you’re reading this, I’ll ask you to consider whitelisting iDB in your ad blocker. This is one of the best ways to support the site.

We’re 95% there

What you see right now is pretty much what it’s going to look like for the foreseeable future. But there are still some things to tweak and adjust in order for us to provide the most optimal experience across all devices.

So in the next few weeks, we will be making slight adjustments. If something is broken or doesn’t work as you’d expect, please feel free to email webmaster@idownloadblog.com. I can’t guarantee we will reply to your email, however I can guarantee we will read it and take it into consideration.

Thank you

The iDB team joins me to thank each one of you for the continuing support you have provided us over the years. As iDB is about to enter its tenth year of existence, we’re well aware that none of that would be possible without you. We might not always agree and see eye to eye on everything, but we do respect you and are infinitely thankful for what you allow us to do everyday.