The New Look Facebook Desktop

It doesn’t feel like it was all that long ago that Facebook rolled out their last redesign; maybe I’m just thinking it wasn’t that long due to the iPhone app update (P.S. still loving it). The inspiration of the new design is from their mobile apps, Facebook admits. What you get is a much cleaner-looking design as you would expect from a mobile app with the left sidebar turned into a discreet menu that pops out.

Sadly there are no new shiny toys to play with but there are some points that are worth mentioning as Facebook pushes the platform towards being more image-centric. I think the main emphasis is that everything is getting bigger…

Photos in the Newsfeed

This was the first thing I noticed. With the extra space now available, due to the left sidebar menu now tucked away, the photos in a Newsfeed have grown in width from 398 pixels to 527 pixels.

Bigger and more effective adverts

If you are using Facebook for advertising, it is worth noting the new ad size which, in my opinion, is less irritating and fits in with the overall design better than the old design. There are still six positions but the new design makes use of the extra space available with changes made to the font used and font size. I’d go as far to say that I’m more drawn to them now as they are easier on the eye.

The calls-to-action, as you can see below, are now prominent with phrases such as “Play Now”, “Use Now” and “Like this Page”.

Old adverts on the left Vs. new adverts on the right

Larger cover photos

Yep, the cover photo size has changed again. If you let out a groan, I will not hold it against you. ShortStack have done a wonderful job of taking advantage of this extra space and including a call-to-action that addresses their business objectives. The new dimensions are:

• Profile photo: 168px square
• Cover photo: 851px (w) x 316px (h)

For further information about the redesign please refer to the following two links:

• https://www.facebook.com/about/newsfeed
• https://www.facebook.com/help/411149058979649

Read more: Infographics – For a Creative and Fresh New Look