Looks great. Well done. True master-craftsmanship in the little details all over the place.

Thanks, Pedro. Unfortunately the site still has a number of issues in IE, but I'm to the point where I don't want to debug for IE anymore. Obviously that will affect a lot of visitors, though.

I agree with Pete...man I like it!

Congrats Clifton, the site looks fantastic. I like how you've simplified and the new colors make you look way thinner.

Your site is amazing!

WooHoo! It's live! ...and I love it! (you of all people know I don't say that lightly :)

Well done...and rare. Now, that's an accomplishment!

Wow. I could leave it at that. It's clean and simple. In just a few moments I could tour the entire site. However, I found myself going back and spending time admiring the details.

Well I do miss the old site, I really like the new one. It really looks great; clean and simple, yet distinctive and colourful. Lots of subtle touches. I really like the comment form.

One thing, is there a reason the main nav doesn't change on hover? I was hoping for some more bright colours :-)

Thanks, everyone. You're all very kind.

Les, I'll give some consideration to the hover action. It's not a bad idea. Thanks.

Hey Veerle called, she wants her site back.

Hmm... different type, different highlight colors, different layout, different content... but we both use shades of gray for our base. If that's all it takes, then I'm guilty.

Mark--
I submit that any good design will--and should--present characteristics of the great designs that [should have] informed and inspired it.
Any designer who hasn't taken a page from Polish posters, any architect who hasn't pulled lines from the great cathedrals, any musician who hasn't heard Bob Dylan is missing out--and is likely not half as good as they think they are.

We are influenced by everything we encounter...hopefully, as designers, we choose to be influenced by [and therefore, to some degree, imitate] greatness.

I will agree the new look bears similarities to Veerle's. But I think your comment was off the mark.
I'll likely recieve death threats for suggesting this, but while there's much to love about Veerle's design; the typography, the illustrations, the content, I have always found the layout a bit jumbled and crowded...something you certainly don't find here.
If anything, Clifton pulled the best aspects of any number of sites (feel free to find other examples among the creme of web design that resemble this in some respect) and amalgamated them into a clean, intriguing look and feel uniquely his.
I still say well done!

Hey Clif,
Nice website, and by the way... I'm engaged. Email me and I'd love to get you an announcement.

Re: Veerle, differences, yes. However, you've clearly taken the look and feel of her site and taken a huge bite out of it. Even down to the multi-colored skinny bar at the top of the content. *tsk tsk* shame.

I think it's clearly directly influenced by Veerle, but not a rip off or anything.

What I take issue with is being influenced by "Web 2.0-ness," ugh, gimme a break.

The only shame and *tsking* that should be passed around here is to Mark and NJ for their faux-elitist, self-righteous, nitpicky analism. It stinks like horsecrap, people, and any savvy standardista knows your type of weak-kneed prowling commenter. Expert enough to leave smarmy comments but amateur enough to never show any of their work, for fear that one of their own kind will comment vomit upon them in the same manner.

You folks are the great stumbling block for aspiring standardistas everywhere. Read Zeldman, Meyer, Holzschlag, and yes, Veerle, enough, and you will see them regularly battle against those self-important wannabe groupies who can do nothing but *tsk* and make cracks.

Fear not, Clifton. We greatly outnumber them.

I appreciate all the participation and all the perspectives regarding this design. I welcome both positive and negative feedback.

I think if an individual has an eye for detail, they will note that there are far more differences than similarities between this and Veerle's site. It's the color splashes on a gray base and the use of Tahoma that make it seem identical, but I encourage those accusing me to spend more time noting the details. You'll find many differences. I did not copy Veerle's site. I browsed the Internet, studied what I liked, then created this design in a vacuum.

Alas, the Internet is the place for unbridled expression of negative and degrading viewpoints. When you point your finger and declare that a site is poor, do you really seek some kind of virtual justice, or is it just easier and more exciting to degrade than construct and encourage?

(SaraJoy has some additional thoughts here.)

It's an obvious ripoff of rainbows and other visual things that use color. Also, I've seen stars before, so no new ground there Copernicus.

I love your site! The colors are absolutely beautiful and your background image is exquisite. Great work.

Colin Brady

Unbelievably beautiful site, Clifton! I don't see even the remotest similarities between your site and Veerle's (other than they are both completely awesome).

I think I remember some flack you got over your previous site resembling Authentic Boredom. Don't let the pin-heads get you down.

So I'm the Mark from the snarky comment above. I meant to include my URL in the original comment so everyone could take equally snarky shots back about the people I've ripped off, but somehow that didn't work out.

Let me clarify my point: I think the site looks nice. I also think Veerle looks nice. But when I show the site to two other designers and they both immediately say it looks exactly like Veerle, there might be something there. Especially when your previous site did bear an uncanny resemblance to Cameron Moll's.

There's nothing wrong with being influenced. I can point out at least one "stolen" element in nearly every single thing I have ever designed. But to claim "I did not copy Veerle's site. I browsed the Internet, studied what I liked, then created this design in a vacuum." is laughable. Own up to the fact that you were heavily influenced and then make it your own work.

Very nice site design.

I can see a slight infulence from Veerle's site and it was the first thing that poped into my head in the first 5 seconds - but there is absolutely nothing wrong with a little inspiration. An idea here, an idea there - Everyone does it. Was it not Picasso that said:

"Good designers copy, Great designers steal"

Anyway, lets not get caught up in the bickering. Nice site.

(p.s. - a little bug I found, when you hover the links from the left of the screen the content from the blog "jumps" up in Firefox.

I was over at SaraJoy's and posted a comment before coming here. I don't know what the others are talking about. This doesn't scream "Veerle" (Sorry Mr. Clifton, probably sick of hearing that) to me.

She [Veerle] would probably be offended to know that people only identify her website for having that multi-colored horizontal strip.

I like your new version Clifton. I can't seem to remember the previous though but I'm pretty sure I like this better. Not to offend you or anyone, but this whole look is quite ubiquitous so particularly indentifying it with a previously mentioned designer's website is wrong.

Ugh! I'm doing it too. T_T. Love Design, period!

Your site is very very cool !! I love it :) Respect !