or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the interface.

Hear ye, hear ye: the new Twitter is upon us.  While many of the Twitter pundits are weighing in on just how “improved” the new design is, the fact is very clear: New Twitter is here to stay.  The anticipation and excitement that preceded the rollout of the new design has now given way to much wailing and gnashing of teeth — and nothing has been as infuriating as the widened body of the interface.  Our brilliantly-designed, information-rich Twitter backgrounds have been obscured by the wide columns of the updated design, leaving us frequent Twitter users confused and concerned.  How do we squeeze all that information in such a small space? How do we guarantee that a viewer will be able to see the design we’ve spent so much time on?

Worry not, tweeps.  The answers are simpler than you think.

Let’s start out with an example.  MSNBC’s Twitter account was a great instance of how a brand can present additional information in a well-branded design through a custom background — Let’s see how it looks in a pretty big browser window, 1440px wide.

As you can see (sort of), MSNBC has listed some of their “featured accounts” and a link to a Twitter subpage of their main site. Good job!  But that was the old Twitter.  Let’s look at the new interface:

Bad news.  The logo, along with almost all the information, has been obscured.  And most users won’t have their browser full-screen, so 1440px is far wider than what can be expected!  In fact, squeezing any important information into that narrow column is just asking for trouble.  MSNBC’s Twitter page has gone from the glowing beacon of branding it was to a fizzling firecracker that hardly says anything about the brand.

Now, most of the dialogue since Twitter’s re-launch has been about how to slim down your content to fit alongside the behemoth of a layout we’ve been handed.  I see more and more backgrounds designed to peek out from behind the interface, screaming “I’m still here, look at me!,” while being smothered by wide open columns and large typography.  Why fight the juggernaut, when you can simply go with the flow and let it take your brand to a beautiful new design?

I present to you my solution to the “New Twitter” woes:

I’ve redesigned Scorch Agency’s Twitter feed to work with the new interface, instead of fighting against it.

The blue bar (in Scorch Blue!) nestles right in between the new search bar and the content area.  It contains Scorch’s tagline, “fuel brand activation,” and the individual twitter handles of our outstanding team.  It’s designed to look like an extension of the already-existing interface, so that the information it presents flows right along with the rest of the page.

Then, there’s the body of the design: simply put, there’s nothing there!  A slight gradient sets off the header, but the stark white lets the content of Scorch’s stream speak for itself.  That’s what social media is all about, after all — it’s all about the message.  Why try to crowd the page with tacked-on information?  Which brings me to the last point of the new take on Twitter design: the avatar.

Your avatar is the most repetitive element on the page.  Aside from the background, it’s also the largest image, thanks to the new design.  Create a simple, dialed-in avatar that represents your brand and can stand strong on the page.  Scorch’s blue flame worked perfectly in this case; it really gets the point across without having to say too much.

And so we’ve arrived at my inspiration for this post: less is more.  Instead of trying to cram information and brand experience into the background of your Twitter page, bring it to the foreground.  Create a design that lets your social media content speak for itself, and propel it with just the right amount of branding.  The new Twitter doesn’t suck so bad after all; it’s just a horse of a different color.