Yes I have a new design. About a week ago I asked UBD to make me a much sleeker and faster loading design that was almost 100% CSS and gave them a ton of specs.
I had many goals with this new design.
1) Full proper HD Videos – we built this awesome video system which allows us to use full HD 16:9 videos and with my old design I had to scrunch them into a 400px wide column. That sucked.
2) Website am going to start doing weekly website reviews.
3) Streamline across the network. This design will work for the gallery and other pages on this site. I will also be bringing back the classifieds soon.
4) Advertising. Its a MUCH better layout for advertising and we have seen clicks on advertisers go up dramatically since implementation. Yes you always see a spike when you implement a new design so we will measure this over the long haul.
5) Website Reviews- After dabbling with the first website review we got a FLOOD of emails (400+) requesting we review there website. We also recieved request from about a dozen different companies wanting to sponsor the ShoeMoney Website Reviews. So we are going to make this a weekly feature (probably on Wednesdays) starting next week.
6) Readability. The statistics so far on the new design on how much time people spend reading articles is up an enormous amount in the short time. Again we will measure these stats overtime.
So the big change has been made. The look and feel will keep the same but there will be many subtle changes. Expect a lot of changes in the sidebar as we monitor user activity and follow what people like and what they don’t like.
I am extremely happy with the new design. I think Unique Blog Designs hit it out of the park with the specs I gave them. Its exactly what I wanted.
So I would love to hear your feedback. Too plain? Not Jazzy enough for you? Please don’t hold back 
April 30, 2009 at 6:41 am
I am a great fan of UBD. It is one of the best success stories in the country.
April 26, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Hey Darren
What did you pay UBD for this job?
Regards,
Ryan
April 25, 2009 at 1:29 am
yeah, cool
but sometimes the loading of this blog still slow.
maybe my connection
April 19, 2009 at 6:22 am
I like this design. Can I request an update post on how the stats are going after a few weeks? Cheers
April 19, 2009 at 6:23 am
Also what the change was in advertising layout and how it affected would be really interesting! Cheers
April 4, 2009 at 2:24 pm
yes its better then the other…giving cool effects to eyes. good
April 4, 2009 at 1:29 pm
I’ll be honest, I love the new design way more than the one before. It looks a lot more simple and appealing.
April 2, 2009 at 9:51 am
I’ll be honest: this layout is way better than the other one. It looks more professional & loads much faster. I wouldn’t really listen to those complaining about it being too plain/bland. I’d rather go to a blog like this than one that is so jazzed up that it takes forever to load and makes your browser crash.
April 2, 2009 at 1:38 am
looks are good but the template style remains the same like right hand side menu and message at left. someone needs to really think and work hard to change the way blogs looks.
April 1, 2009 at 12:09 am
Nice, a lot fresher however i would of went a darker blue for the background (left & right sides) so your content area stood out. Plus done a much better nav setup.
I wouldn’t say UBD hit it out of the park, more like made it to third base.
March 31, 2009 at 11:37 am
Hi,
This my first visit to shoemoney and obviously I can’t compare the actual and previous design. In other hand I pay more attention to the technical stuff than the look&feel stuff.
Just one idea: Are you considerind change the right ads bar in order to let it show-up every time one scroll-down the mai page?
Best Regards.
March 31, 2009 at 9:32 am
I love the new design looks alot cleaner and fresher.
March 30, 2009 at 3:12 pm
I love the new design, sleek and slender. Did I read correctly that you’re seeing better numbers on your ads? Well that my friend is what we in sales like to call a ” Win – Win Scenario”
March 30, 2009 at 6:02 am
welcome….good progres and better for your visitor
March 30, 2009 at 3:59 am
Cheers !
March 30, 2009 at 3:58 am
you have my support, nice look !
March 29, 2009 at 9:11 pm
I like the new design better. It’s definitely more readable (less eye strain). You sometimes post long articles, so it makes sense to use sort of soft colors.
March 29, 2009 at 8:02 am
Nice TechCrunch Replica;)
March 28, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Looks great. Loads faster.
March 28, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Looks boring.
Not cool for a cool guy in the webworld. It’s more something mainstream for… hmmm… let’s say a dentist or a clinic selling vitamins.
The design haven’t got an ‘edge’ for a guy that got an ‘edge’ online.
March 28, 2009 at 4:09 am
Looks really great!
March 27, 2009 at 10:21 pm
A little plain, but to be honest I hadn’t noticed it for a while since I usually just read the feed. I think it was a smart choice though, things are loading a fair bit faster now. I’d be curious to see a split test between designs that a plainer and use mostly CSS compared to more elaborate designs and see which one has higher page views, time on site etc…
March 27, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Not bad looking, but could have easily been done with the Thesis theme, or any other basic theme like that. I still want to use UBD for a theme, but I would have them put a little more into it. This is just too basic.
April 2, 2009 at 9:48 am
Sometimes simplicity is best.
March 27, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Loving the new look. Looks organized compared to the older version.
March 27, 2009 at 5:17 pm
doesn’t look shoemoney’ish anymore.
But sometimes you have test new thing.
I hope you will back something more professional…
March 27, 2009 at 4:26 pm
I like the design… Fast loading, and just simple… No need for alot of images, etc…
March 27, 2009 at 3:49 pm
A LOT cleaner feel, but now it looks like your blog is purely plastered with text…
-Mike
March 27, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Yes, the site is very clean and I’m sure since you have a ton of comments all the time you could even use more of the sidebar.
Love the jQuery stuff, if that’s what is being using for the List – Commentors – Hot Posts box.
March 27, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Wow, nice! I agree it could have a little more contrast but overall it’s a great improvement on your old site design.
I think your designer should get a bonus!! haha ;oP
Whoa, going to submit this…. I think you need darker comment buttons, I want to click the facebook connect button.
March 27, 2009 at 10:57 am
Jeremy,
Hey your blog just went on a DIET!
I like the new design, you are lean and mean and ready for the financial turnaround my friend.
Respectfully,
Nicholas Chase
http://www.twitter.com/nachase
http://donotreadthisblogunless.blogspot.com/
March 27, 2009 at 10:14 am
I liked the blue background color from before other than that no major complaints so far. Unlike the new facebook look 8^(
March 27, 2009 at 7:55 am
Like the cleaner content look, but I would probably try a little darker background color… the page is too washed out… Maybe put the old blue background back…
March 27, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Yeah the popup is a bit annoying…
March 28, 2009 at 4:10 am
I agree and more and more blogs have them now, as they say the money’s is in the list!
March 27, 2009 at 4:14 am
Noticed it yesterday. Looks nice and clean.
Shame about the ‘Are you getting the newsletter’ message popping up. =(
March 27, 2009 at 3:57 am
I like your new design, it’s plain and simple. I like the simplicity in design
March 27, 2009 at 1:49 am
Too plain design for Rockstar Shoe blog , as i said earlier the blue one was pretty awesome.
March 26, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Too plainnnnn
March 26, 2009 at 7:51 pm
you’re new design rocks!!!!! this is very clean and cool for the eyes of the reader and visitors
March 26, 2009 at 7:42 pm
It’s cleaner, but looks washed out. Needs some “shoe-blue”.
UBD does nice work. They quoted me $1,600 for something kinda like this. Really nothing you can’t do with a template and some editing software.
March 26, 2009 at 7:11 pm
It’s nice and clean, yes, and certainly loads alot faster.
As someone else sort of mentioned earlier, where is the Shoemoney colour scheme? I was quite fond of that in your face bright blue. It made me feel warm and fuzzy inside…
Otherwise, a nice picture of yourself is missing. I think it needs to be personalised more maybe?
Overall, it’s a really nice design, props to UBD.
March 26, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Hey Shoe, love the new design. The other day i was looking at the link at the bottom of the site to see where you got the old theme from so that i can get one for my new blog.
I’ll see how my blog will do before i can get something done custom.
March 26, 2009 at 5:01 pm
I think, like many others, that it is way too plain… Too 90s…
Somewhere in between mordern (web2.0 sites) and old (like berkshire hathaway site 
)
Lacking your darker blue that we all see on the logo… White blends too much with light blue… light blue is a horrable pick… I like layout and footer a lot more though… Submit comment button is not getting my attention at all either… sorry, I’d give it only 2 out of 5, but its your site, and if you like it, then who cares
March 26, 2009 at 4:16 pm
It is very nice and clean design. Bravo good job. Thanks Greg Ellison
March 26, 2009 at 4:08 pm
The new look is much better. Much much cleaner and I like the white. The blue was tired…..faster loading…new design……a win win….
March 26, 2009 at 4:02 pm
Layout looks good. Nice and clean. I would probably have gone with a blue background and white nav links at top and bottom. That would give a bit more color/contrast and cut the monotone but still have great readability.
Plus your comment submit button blends too much. Make it blue or give the pill a thicker/darker border.
March 26, 2009 at 4:02 pm
funny…simple is the new new(old?). I started thinking you needed to pimp it up with big buttons and lots of colors. Maybe the web is going to come full circle
March 26, 2009 at 3:59 pm
too plain yet cleaner and faster loading.
Good job UBD. I want this theme layout too please.
March 26, 2009 at 3:37 pm
I like the new design (v4) much better. A lot cleaner. More color contrast would be better.
v3 was too bold barbaric; not enough finesse.
Nice theme
Mike/WPThemes.com
March 26, 2009 at 3:35 pm
I like the new design, crisper and cleaner.
March 26, 2009 at 3:27 pm
I like it,
It could use a bit more contrast between the blue and white.
March 26, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Readability is a lot better. I credit the larger font to that change. Overall, I like it. The reason why TechCrunch’s design is so popular is because it works. I wouldn’t mind having a similar theme for my personal site. UBD continues to impress!
March 26, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Not really digging it, looks very sterile and lacks personality. Also, the font sizing looks too big to me, I’d go with the same font you’re using for the comments.
March 26, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Would like to see a little more color but the lay out is great.
March 26, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Too plain for me as well, though I see you have the facebook connect button to the right of the wonderful comment I am posting, which is where many blogs are heading now. I think some more color could help, but overall, still great content!
March 26, 2009 at 3:17 pm
It has taken a little while to get used to the new design and honestly, it looks pretty good. It does load faster. Its good, thumbs up!
March 26, 2009 at 3:09 pm
I like it … cleaner and easier to read … which is … actually … why I come to your site. Much better for info delivery … well done to UBD!
March 26, 2009 at 3:09 pm
UBD puts out the best blog designs hands down!
March 26, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Looks great. Clean, Fast, and to the point!
I thought the old design was kinda sluggish … but it worked …
Darin
March 26, 2009 at 3:06 pm
doesn’t look shoemoney’ish anymore. don’t like it.
and what about the rss by email form? newsletter?
March 26, 2009 at 3:01 pm
I love the design. It’s so much smoother!
With the new design I could read posts for hours.
W0rd!
March 26, 2009 at 2:57 pm
I dunno. . .looks WAY to similar to Tech Crunch
March 27, 2009 at 11:05 am
I totally agree
March 26, 2009 at 2:39 pm
I loved the blue , I ve associated Shoemoney with the blue…Blue is the Shoemoney Brand colour…thats missing
March 26, 2009 at 2:20 pm
I think it looks great. Although I do tend to agree with some previous comments that some more blue would look better and also maybe help to build the Shoe Money brand a little as well (since I tend to think of blue as one of the main Shoe Money colors).
March 26, 2009 at 2:16 pm
I love how fast the site loads, and I love how clean it is. Big fan of minimalism, and this site really shows it off well.
March 26, 2009 at 1:54 pm
+1 for Clean & Fast loading
-1 for loss of the blue
-Ricardo
March 26, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Looks great.
March 26, 2009 at 1:18 pm
I have mixed feelings about it. Its clean and organized, but somehow I think the old design had more character.
March 26, 2009 at 12:51 pm
I personally like it – as much css is the way to go for a fast loading design – thats how we have OnePoke setup right now
March 26, 2009 at 12:50 pm
I think you need to bring some more blue back into it. Its a bit too plain for me… and I feel like its lost its “Personality”.
Even if its just small accents here and there, it will make a difference.
M
March 26, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Looks like Techcrunch.
March 26, 2009 at 12:44 pm
I like the new design a lot. The overall layout very similar to my blog http://www.tourgolfblog.com and I also am a fan of the wider layout. Gives more room for photos in posts and the option for larger vid size is great too. UBD does it again!
March 26, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Hey shoe I love the new sidebar and comments section, but I really liked the “Shoemoney Blue” of the old design. The body and header seems a little plain. Your old design stood out but was still clean and professional.
March 26, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Good for you Shoe! Are you going to Ad:Tech San Francisco?
March 26, 2009 at 12:34 pm
I noticed a bug when i tried using the “email” link under the post…it gives 404 error message.
March 26, 2009 at 12:38 pm
http://www.shoemoney.com/contact/
try above link P-:
shoemoney change the linky
March 26, 2009 at 12:32 pm
can I have your old design for my blog P-:
March 26, 2009 at 4:03 pm
now that is a good comment
March 31, 2009 at 2:11 pm
P-:
March 26, 2009 at 12:31 pm
great new look, but there at least five blocks that don’t show anything on my Firefox 3.0. Not sure what is up with that. Not blocking anything from your site that I know of.
March 26, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Much better look. Much cleaner.
March 26, 2009 at 12:06 pm
A little on the plain side but the girls really stand out now. On the Twitter CEO girl and on the fan club girl.
March 26, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Finally (and I really do mean good by sharing my view, just because I read here often) – You have developed your own brand – but with this big banner on the top of the blog the branding is lost a bit, non-visible and not so recognisable, i think …
March 26, 2009 at 11:57 am
Although it looks a little bit spartanic, I like the design. It’s very easy to find everything. Good job UBD!
March 26, 2009 at 11:57 am
And yes, too gloomy and plain
Also – it would be better if your logo is the same size and position in the blog, the viseo section, the store – now I have the feeling that I am leaving your blog and going to affiliating website.
March 26, 2009 at 11:57 am
I think you should format the dates for the comments better. Put the date underneath the name of the user – it will fit the Gravatar better, and will seem more ‘clunky’ – It will make it easier for the eye to scan the comments. At the moment, the title for each comment is too slim and it doesn’t break the page like it should.
March 26, 2009 at 11:54 am
Too plain, it could be spiced up quite a bit more and still keep it clean and fast loading. I think the old was better, but I do like this STRUCTURE more.
March 26, 2009 at 11:54 am
The new design is great, but I personally like the old color scheme, the blue background and the layout too. It was “original” and “shoemoney”. This just my 2 cents but the new design is awesome as well.
March 26, 2009 at 11:52 am
I am stuck using IE6 at work. Yes, it is an ancient browser but many still continue to use it. The problem for me is that none of the sidebar shows up. Except for the ad at the top, all I see on the right side is a blank grey (the background color) sidebar. This is annoying as a committed reader as well could mean less money in your pocket if others are not seeing your affiliate ads and things too. Just a suggestion. I sent this same comment via twitter to you.
March 26, 2009 at 11:51 am
I can’t see you sidebar in IE6 ….
March 26, 2009 at 1:20 pm
I concur – IE6 shows nothing out to the right. Sorry, using IE6 at work…
March 26, 2009 at 11:48 am
White, a lot of white space, simple, – perfect!
Looks like I missed that website review … sounds like a great feature, hope I’ll learn something from it
March 26, 2009 at 11:47 am
Way too plain for me. But we all know from long, idiotic looking sales pages that looks aren’t always what matters.
One change I WOULD make: change the background to you “ShoeMoney Blue” and make those links at the very top white. (tools, photos, podcasts, etc..”
That should give the site a more “complete” look and not affect CSS/load time.
March 26, 2009 at 11:44 am
Hey Jeremy, I think the new design looks great, but most of all the videos because it was kind of weird to watch them on a 400px box.
As always UBD delivering top-notch solutions!
March 26, 2009 at 11:44 am
I really like the clean look! Quite a departure from the last one but I think it is more modern and works well! The comments also look great
March 26, 2009 at 11:43 am
Funny, I read your tweet about this post just as I was having my lunch and considering reading your RSS feed or checking out the site live.
My first impression is : nice!
I like the increased white space (at least on a 1920×1200 screen) and point 6 in your list is the most important one, IMHO.
I think it’s just right – enough pizazz (Jazz) while serving the primary goal: keep it readable and not tiring on the eyes and brains.
That reminds me, I won the commenter daily contest back in November and never got my t-shirt lol….
Keep up the good work, I’m a daily reader.
March 26, 2009 at 11:41 am
Love it!