6.0.1 color theme on mac

eleamonkey · November 20, 2014

New color theme is horrible. makes it much harder to see the content which should be the focus. please change it back.

i don't think any designer or anyone who actually uses the product would agree to the change.

maslakovic · November 20, 2014

I am going to have to buy myself a pair of sun-glasses in order to work in the new version for more than 5 minutes!!!

Absolutely horrible. Instead of forcing everyone to use the new color scheme - which is not really a color scheme - its just white - how about having a darker option for people who prefer not to go blind. It may be 'modern' and 'cool' on paper and in the designers eyes - but in reality a lot of people are going to find it incredibly off-putting.

ScottLougheed · November 21, 2014

Hmmm while it has brightened up a bit, I personally do not notice my eyes having to adjust dramatically switching between evernote and, say, a browser window displaying this forum, or between Evernote and a Word document.

That being said I am not photophobic and do not have any other more serious eye condition other than some minor corrective glasses...

RKOPF · November 21, 2014

I hate the new interface colors. Really makes it hard to use Evernote. Makes it hard to see how many notes are in a notebook.

Really, grey on grey with grey text plus light grey text....

Anyway to downgrade back to the older version?

Anyway to skin evernote with user selected colors?

ScottLougheed · November 21, 2014

I hate the new interface colors. Really makes it hard to use Evernote. Makes it hard to see how many notes are in a notebook.

Really, grey on grey with grey text plus light grey text....

Anyway to downgrade back to the older version?
Anyway to skin evernote with user selected colors?

No way to skin.

Downgrade by finding an archived version of 5.7.2 on the 'net, or restoring from a hard drive backup (you have one right?)

JMichaelTX · November 21, 2014

Hmmm while it has brightened up a bit, I personally do not notice my eyes having to adjust dramatically switching between evernote and, say, a browser window displaying this forum, or between Evernote and a Word document.

That being said I am not photophobic and do not have any other more serious eye condition other than some minor corrective glasses...

Young eyes!

MDGold · November 21, 2014

Really? Who honestly thought grey on grey was a great idea? I'm sure someone read a study someplace, but come on folks! Colors help people differentiate. The beauty of Evernote's system is that it allows you to differentiate (topics, sub-topics, etc.) Why would you want to mess with that design formula. Fix this, we're all begging.

JuanOfDC · November 21, 2014

I would like to reiterate the previous commenters' concerns! This White White White is so very difficult to use! Had I known I was going to lose the nice blacks and greens of the previous version I NEVER would have upgraded. And why not give the users the choice to use the older interface colors?

This is a very unappealing update. For the next update, provide users the choice, PLEASE!!!

Radioguy · November 21, 2014

I would very much like the old color scheme back, I use this every day for several hours a day and this will make it impossible. I will have to cancel my subscription if a fix is not found soon. This is just bad.

MolliB · November 21, 2014

...

Anyway to downgrade back to the older version?
...
No way to skin.
Downgrade by finding an archived version of 5.7.2 on the 'net, or restoring from a hard drive backup (you have one right?)

I'd love to downgrade! But will that work since the new version "migrated" our notes? Will they migrate back? I don't want to make a crappy situation even worse.

cerberus · November 21, 2014

Would love to have the option of a couple of themes including the old look as I have to agree that the new look does not have enough differentiation. I do like the resizable tables - something I have been wanting.

eneff · November 21, 2014

Can we get a dark-mode theme at least?

The new 6.0.1 bright color scheme is painful for my eyes.

Michael_Costa · November 21, 2014

I got excited when the notes said it was a new Yosemite like theme but it's too bright for me.

It just needs a few darker offsets to distinguish the sections a little.

ugg · November 21, 2014

I came across this forum to find out how to revert to the old version. I see I'm not the only one who is really upset by the new color scheme. Please do some focus groups before doing something like this, or if you did use a focus group, fire them.

ScottLougheed · November 21, 2014

...

Anyway to downgrade back to the older version?
...
No way to skin.
Downgrade by finding an archived version of 5.7.2 on the 'net, or restoring from a hard drive backup (you have one right?)

I'd love to downgrade! But will that work since the new version "migrated" our notes? Will they migrate back? I don't want to make a crappy situation even worse.

Properly reinstalling means removing your local copy of the Evernote databse. Since you've removed your local copy, it will just pull your contents down from the server after you downgrade. The fact that your local databse had been migrated is irrelevant because you've deleted that version of the database.

mhedstrom · November 21, 2014

Came here to say all of this. The new color scheme is HORRIBLE. Please fire your UI person. I miss the contrast between my notebooks, my notes, and the full note I have selected, now the backgrounds are all white. At least put in a way to skin this or fix the colors.

jHaa · November 21, 2014

First time poster. I upgraded and my workflow got totally messed up. I have to turn down the brightness on my screen every time I am going to look at Evernote for my eyes not to hurt. That is going to get very tiresome very quickly and I will have to migrate somewhere else soon if something is not done.

jHaa · November 21, 2014

Hmmm while it has brightened up a bit, I personally do not notice my eyes having to adjust dramatically switching between evernote and, say, a browser window displaying this forum, or between Evernote and a Word document.

That being said I am not photophobic and do not have any other more serious eye condition other than some minor corrective glasses...

I can understand this point of view. However as someone who spends a lot of his days coding and writing in text editors with optimized color schemes such as e.g. the solarized theme I have to say that quickly switching between that and looking at the new mac app is not comfortable. It wasn't great before either, a dark mode would be really helpful, but now it is terrible.

Edit: Some corrections

ScottLougheed · November 21, 2014

Hmmm while it has brightened up a bit, I personally do not notice my eyes having to adjust dramatically switching between evernote and, say, a browser window displaying this forum, or between Evernote and a Word document.

That being said I am not photophobic and do not have any other more serious eye condition other than some minor corrective glasses...

I can understand this point of view. However as someone who spends a lot of his days coding and writing in text editors with optimized color schemes such as e.g. the solarized theme I have to say that quickly switching between that and looking at the new mac app is not comfortable. It wasn't great before either, a dark mode would be really helpful, but now it is terrible.

Edit: Some corrections

Ah, yes, I can see where you are coming from, which is the opposite environment from me. For you, it's probably a lot like walking into a building on a sunny day! For me, I spend my day staring at white backgrounds with black text, so the adjustment to Evernote (which is essentially a whitish background with blackish text) is negligible.

Some options for the interface might be the most effective way to accommodate these different scenarios. Though Evernote has not been forthcoming with options like this in the past...

TwinPique · November 22, 2014

I'm another first time poster, and it takes a lot to get me to post on any forum. I love Evernote after using it now for nearly a year, but I'm disappointed that the Mac colour scheme for 6.0.1 is a huge step backwards; too bright and not enough contrast.

Please, Evernote team, give us an option to select a colour scheme that looks more like the previous version.

Patrick M · November 22, 2014

Essentially a first time poster. The new theme is killing my eyes. I really need the darker theme. I have been using Evernote every day for more than a year. Please add a darker themed option like the iPhone version. Please.

Patrick M.

EarlyBrew · November 22, 2014

My first time posting as well. I too am not happy with the UI changes - I wish I had thought to check these posts first. Do we know whether the Evernote support team responds to these posts?

Kaissa · November 22, 2014

I am also a first time poster. Evernote is my favorite (non-audio/music related) piece of software and have been promoting it to everyone I know. This is the only time I feel compelled to complain about an update and I'm saddened to have to do so. I used to prefer to work on Evernote on my MacBook instead of my PC because of how much better the Mac version looked compared to the uncolored Windows design. I like minimalistic styles but a little bit of color is actually good for the eyes, brain and mood. This design looks flat, uninteresting, boring. Not only it is all white and grey, there's not even enough contrast. Why "fix" something that didn't need fixing? At least give us the option of themes (like with Clearly), so we can choose the one that is more suitable for us.

philosopherdog · November 22, 2014

I personally didn't like the old interface much either. The black sidebar was too much of a contract with the rest of it, but the new interface could use more contrast. I agree with that. My problem is that the new version is buggy, which is the usual story with EN releases. I find just way too many bugs for production code, esp considering the size of the user base. Releases should be way more careful. Maybe a little less agile and more getting it right before releasing would be a good idea. This release junk often is not working for me.

Tcellguy · November 22, 2014

I would like to see an option for different color themes. I'm not a huge fan of the blue color in Yosemite/iOS and really liked the old green theme of Evernote. i would be great to have light/dark/green theme options like the menu screen on the iOS app.

marlacparker · November 22, 2014

I regret upgrading, and I won't upgrade on my other computers until I hear this is fixed!

I googled "evernote 6 all white?" and landed here.

It is awful. Please at least let us do some customization!

Since the way to do arbitrary html on notes is through the back door, and this is documented, I wonder if there is a similar back door that we could hack to change the background of the primary views, also?

helix_ · November 23, 2014

I am downloading OneNote to see if there is a way to get a dark mode there. There is absolutely no way to work for long periods of time in a white-on-grey-on-white theme.

SWIVIT · November 23, 2014

Well, I'll add my two cents along with everyone else that this was a poor design/ui color scheme. Blocks of text, next to blocks of text, next to headers, next to scrollbars, minimal left col-main content separation, and no good contrast or stark differentiation.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GIVE US A PREFERENCES SETTING TO USE THE OLD, DARK UI COLORS. That or give us themes, and/or allow us to customize our workspace.

And for the employee in another thread who said something about having experts look at things and say it was great... ugh, really? Your experts are us. A/B testing ever come to mind? Opinionated as we are, we're power users and we're quite passionate about things like this since we choose what software we want to use and we choose yours. As professionals, we have methods and strategies to work with and navigate all of the information in front of us on a daily basis, and you just forced us to have to deal with this sad color scheme that ultimately messes with all of those things. Not fair.

Hope you really listen to our feedback and provide us with some workspace color theme options.

lykoz · November 23, 2014

There are a few mistakes with the new look...

However I like the fact that they have integrated the look with yosemite..

I wish more apps would do this.

Well done to them.

NightStalker · November 23, 2014

I guess it's all down to personal taste in regard to Yosemite, but personally, I hate Yosemite. The whole translucency thing has me baffled - why the hell would I want to see THROUGH something I'm working on? And why should I have to change my background to stop it from bleeding through? Yes - i tried Yosemite. I also turned translucency off. I still hated it (especially what they've done to the Mail app, and those dreadful WiFi problems, not fixed in the latest update). So I reverted to Mavericks (I'd upgraded on one non-critical iMac to have a play), using Time Machine. All went well, and now I will not be upgrading to Yosemite at all.

Just why Evernote slavishly follows Apple in terms of design etc in regard to Yosemite, but they stubbornly refuse to follow the Mac standard and give us a configurable toolbar (Windows version has it), is a mystery to me.

They know better. We will take what we're given. Even though the UI stinks.

As has been suggested by many on various threads, if Evernote gave us all the options to change the appearance, theme, configure the toolbar, etc etc - then ALL of these complaints would simply disappear, and we could then concentrate on matters of function, such as notes disappearing, notes being uneditable, notes losing their titles and becoming "Untitled" - etc!

I'm getting tired of complaining about stuff that they've changed, and even more irritatingly, stuff that they either remove or hide for no reason, when it used to work perfectly. I have personally been responsible for several dozen Premium accounts on my recommendation since I became one of the very first Evernote users, but currently, I'm advising people NOT to use Evernote, and to go with OneNote instead. It ain't quite there yet, but Microsoft are rapidly catching up.

But then, Evernote are probably just as tired of reading my complaints anyway, so that must balance out, I guess

JMichaelTX · November 23, 2014

Microsoft brought out translucency years ago when dragging windows. This makes sense to me -- when I'm moving a window I'd like to know what it is that I'm dragging, and what I'm putting it on top of.

But honestly, IF I am working in a particular app, WHY would I ever care about what is behind that app?

Adding translucency does ONLY one thing: make the app/window I'm working in HARDER to read? Why would anyone ever want that?

OK, here's what really gets me. Evernote continually states that they want to provide a simpler, cleaner environment to work in, to provide fewer distractions.

Well, doesn't making the Evernote app window translucent create more distractions????

chegoyo · November 23, 2014

What on earth have you done!

WHY CHANGING a color scheme that worked for such an awful blinding light background. What kind of developers you have in your team?

I am going back to previous version. There is no way, not in a hundred years that I will ever be able to use your new light color theme on a my Mac.

And, since I am, not able to reinstalled the old version, I will start immediately looking for alternative to Evernote.

F***!

What a way to upset my weekend!

JAC

chegoyo · November 23, 2014

Essentially a first time poster. The new theme is killing my eyes. I really need the darker theme. I have been using Evernote every day for more than a year. Please add a darker themed option like the iPhone version. Please.

Patrick M.

It is like so white blinding it is like if one is skying up in the high mountains. I refuse to wear sun protective glasses indoors and in my own work studio. New 6.0.1, NO THANKS !

JMichaelTX · November 23, 2014

What on earth have you done!

WHY CHANGING a color scheme that worked for such an awful blinding light background. What kind of developers you have in your team?

I am going back to previous version. There is no way, not in a hundred years that I will ever be able to use your new light color theme on a my Mac.

And, since I am, not able to reinstalled the old version, I will start immediately looking for alternative to Evernote.

F***!

What a way to upset my weekend!

JAC

If you want to go all the way back before this last big complete rewrite (5.6, 5.7, 6) of Evernote to Ver 5.5.2, see these instructions by Evernote employee Jackolicious:

See: https://discussion.e...e-4#entry304615

chegoyo · November 23, 2014

I hate the new interface colors. Really makes it hard to use Evernote. Makes it hard to see how many notes are in a notebook.

Really, grey on grey with grey text plus light grey text....

Anyway to downgrade back to the older version?
Anyway to skin evernote with user selected colors?

Yes, It can be done. After struggling a bit I managed to downgrade. First, I sent the new awful, white blinding 6.0.1 application to trash and deleted it. Then (I had the driver of the old version in my hard disk) I reinstalled it, but my old app refused to work, and showed a message instructing me download the newer awful disgusting 6.0.1 version. So i did a search for Evernote (while searching just to make sure I will capture all Evernote files in my Mac on Finder I used System files (are included). I proceeded to trash any file with the name Evernote. Then run the application driver for the old version. It asked me for my username and password and it is now synchronizing all my notes. and I have back my grey&dark background. And I am feeling a bit better. If you do not have the older version (I mean the .dmg file) in your hard disk you can download the 5.7.2 build form here http://evernote.en.uptodown.com/mac/download

chegoyo · November 23, 2014

What on earth have you done!

WHY CHANGING a color scheme that worked for such an awful blinding light background. What kind of developers you have in your team?

I am going back to previous version. There is no way, not in a hundred years that I will ever be able to use your new light color theme on a my Mac.

And, since I am, not able to reinstalled the old version, I will start immediately looking for alternative to Evernote.

F***!

What a way to upset my weekend!

JAC

If you want to go all the way back before this last big complete rewrite (5.6, 5.7, 6) of Evernote to Ver 5.5.2, see these instructions by Evernote employee Jackolicious:
See: https://discussion.e...e-4#entry304615

Thank you! I already managed to restore my old version. Luckily, I had in a folder the .dmg file for the older version.

Noophlogic · November 23, 2014

Ditto!

Rob Parker · November 23, 2014

I posted to agree that the new colour scheme is uncomfortable to read.

Please address our concerns ... many of us are paying customers.

pancrazio · November 23, 2014

Ugly. First time I saw this I immediately thought something went wrong and Evernote was not loading its colors. But looking at the settings there is no way I can add something to this skeleton look. Grey fonts on gray background is what I tell my students to avoid! How is it so difficult to give us 10 different looks-and-feels like any other software. Plus I liked the "moleskine-style" notebook we had before. I understand companies have to change things to make them look newre and refreshed but it would be nice to have options, at least for paying users.

Uniltirantokx · November 23, 2014

Obviously none of your Evernote developers know anything about sensation and perception psychology; i.e., how the mind—including the retina and optic nerves—acquire and perceive colors. The new version lacks sufficient contrast and color necessary to trigger a response in the occipital cortex. That's why so many are complaining that they can't see or stand to look at the interface for very long.

Then we have the issue that 48% or more of the male population suffers from one form of color deficiency—color blindness. (And before some smartass jumps in with "Well, that's why the gray-on-gray should work for everybody...", be advised that a color deficiency rarely results in a complete inability to see color; it usually just makes it difficult for someone to differentiate between colors without additional contrast. The percentage of those with a total inability to see color is less than 1% of those so afflicted.) These folks need the contrast and color tones that the UI no longer has.

And finally there's the population over 50 with simply older eyes. They need more contrast, regardless of the presence of any color deficiency. This version takes that away.

Oh, and did the developers consult with legal? More than one software vendor has been successfully sued under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for not providing user interfaces that take care to consider those with color and perception disabilities.

I dropped Evernote for Windows (and Windows entirely) when version 5.0 came out on that platform with a UI that followed Microsofts crappy, low contrast, gray-on-gray scheme. Fortunately I found that Evernote on the Mac suffered from no such design error, and it was useable. Today I discovered that I have been screwed once more by idiots who program but know nothing about user interfaces and how they are perceived by the mind.

I've been a premium user for three years, but I am not going to go backwards to an earlier version. I'm going to drop Evernote like a hot, rotten, potato unless and until this POS you call an improvement is replaced by something we can actually see and use.

mwlodarski · November 23, 2014

I was pretty sure my MacBook Air's screen broke after the update.

This new version looks like Windows to me - rectangles and little contrast.

If you want to unify colours, make it all look like the iPad version.

Michael_Costa · November 23, 2014

Ironically, the App Store is promoting Evernote front and center at the moment, and the screen shots show more contrast in the sidebar section than I'm seeing here on 10.8.5.

I agree the very dark background of the sidebar in 5.xx could be improved upon but clearly the message loud and clear is that this is too much. Some of the reaction is bordering on the hysterical though! It's not an absolute train wreck - it's just taken the new aesthetic a little too far. They're reading this, they're getting it. All these threats to walk away - I mean it's $47 per year (here in Australia). No one's been murdered!

In fact, my sub just rolled over a few days ago. I'm a premium user not because I need to be, because I was happy on free, but I have so much invested in Evernote and rely on it so much, I wanted to support the development. I also love using it and want to be happy doing so. I'm sure the message is being heard and we'll hear something soon.

Rob Parker · November 23, 2014

I posted this on the other thread, but thought I would repeat it here since I feel strongly about this.

Posted Yesterday, 10:46 PM

I am a premium user, like many here.

I am downgrading because this interface is much too bright for me.

I am not a luddite that arbitrarily criticises change, but in this case I believe there is good reason to ask the developers to reconsider the current scheme, or at least open up the colour scheme to tailored tweaking. I simply must register my concern about the direction Evernote is taking with this new look, I would rather have an easy to use, high contrast, darker theme than a 'fashion of the moment' look that makes me think I am at a ski-field or antarctica without sunglasses during a sunny day.

Please, please, please listen. As a solicitor that has instructed my paralegals to use this software for our office, I find myself at work here on a Sunday uninstalling 6.0 on several computers.

Please take it from me, as someone that (used to?) stare at Evernote for HOURS every day, upon day, this colour scheme is not easy on the eyes for many of us. Please add a dark colour scheme. Or open up the colour scheme for modification.

Please do not lose touch with many of your paying and unpaying customers. This is a legitimate response that is forcing me to revert a version, and consider alternatives.

Update: Again - I feel quite strongly against this update. A lot of us pay to use Evernote and we use it like a mechanic uses a wrench. It is practical, useful, time-saving, money-making tool that we use to carefully collect, organise and marshall prodigious amounts of information and documents that would otherwise fill (in my case, a legal) office with mountains of paper.

I am not whipping out Evernote on my Macbook Air in a trendy San Francisco underground juice cafe to show a bearded client how beautiful and 'of the moment' my workflow software is, in the hope that I get my start-up funded because I am being judged by a wheatgrass drinking electric car driving guardian startup angel on how congruent my software is with the latest Apple design fashion directed from on high ... I mean, really! No disrespect to professional UI designers or whomever appreciates the new Yosemite design code (I personally don't), but at least, at least, please open up the possibility of opening the app for people that stare at a screen most hours of the day and appreciate easy to read, legible, stylish, moddable readable size and contrasting fonts, to keep using this software professionally and comfortably. Version 6 looks fashionable, but it is not practical for me, or I have found, for my team. The text is small, the pure white background is glaring, grey text on white is hard to read, it is tricky to differentiate between the different zones ... where do I end? I have had to go back to 5.7.3.

My hope is that the developers integrate a more legible, eye-friendly, update in the future.

I understand the post above is calling for balance with respect to many of the responses here, and I have re-read my own post, and laughed at myself for perhaps sounding like the town grump writing into the local paper but what can I say? $47 (yes, here in Australia) is not to be scoffed at and I really feel quite passionately when something I use, appreciate, and pay to support, is so dramatically changed from a UI standpoint that subtly and adversely affects my own comprehension of the various zones, text, and information that I am trying to perceive and organise, and I find that I am not the only one that feels this way.

There is nothing wrong with complaining when needed.

Happy to PM or be put in touch with one of the developers to itemise specific readability problems with the latest iteration.

I hope this forum was set up to form a community of users and allow communication between users and developers, and users and users. In a friendly, frank, tone, this is my emotional and logical response to the latest update.

f4780y · November 23, 2014

In the interests of a little balance, as a Premium user since 2010 with dozens of notebooks and thousands of notes, I personally welcome the update and am perfectly comfortable with the new colour scheme.

LB01571 · November 23, 2014

I'm adding my voice, and hopefully Evernote will update this thread when a fix is issued. Medium gray on light gray on white is a jarring change. Was this even tested on a newbie user? How would anyone who didn't have experience with the older design know how to find their way around the new interface? What is clickable? There is no differentiation between the three panes. It's very hard to skim quickly. (And now it doesn't match the web version, which is much easier to skim). Although a premium user, I was lukewarm on the product before. Now, I am actively looking for alternatives. You need to offer us interface options. As a designer, if I submitted this interface as a "design", I'd be laughed out of the conference room. There is a point at which un-design goes too far. You found that point. If I designed this for higher-ed on the web, it would likewise be rejected because it does not pass accessibility standards for contrast, for the visually impaired.

What is the average age of the Evernote user? Does the average Evernote user need glasses? I'd imagine as a business- and productivity-oriented product, this is not primarily a 20-something audience, so please design for a broader range of eyes.

Tcellguy · November 23, 2014

I'm a little surprised to see the lack of different themes. I suppose it does take a lot of work to design a new theme/skin and understand that Evernote has to develop for numerous different devices and form factors. However, so many apps have different color themes that I don't think that this is such a stretch. The Amazon Kindle app, Reeder, and many others have different color themes. Even Winamp had different themes. The counter argument I see is that only a small fraction of users have difficulty with grey on white or other bright, low contrast displays. However even Apple eventually added accessibility features to iOS to allow bolding of text, darkening of colors, and changing of white balance given the initial eye strain and visibility issues that were described in response to iOS7.

gkm1425 · November 23, 2014

Just upgraded to 6.0.1 and the new color scheme stinks! It is very difficult to read the light grey text on the bright white background. At least give us an option to change the format to something more like the old format. It wasn't broken. Don't fix it!

lihe8811 · November 23, 2014

It is difficult to see distinguish notebooks from ALL WHITE background. I like the design on iOS but this version on OS X Yosemite is disaster for me.

lykoz · November 24, 2014

I agree that Evernote may have become too 'white'...

The general look and feel is awesome I believe and similar to most of apple's apps....

For example it looks similar to apple mail... Which is cool...

I wouldn't like to see them revert to what they had before... I think having my apps blend and 'communicate' with look and feel on Yosemite is really Awesome!

But they can definitely do some work on their contrast and fine tweaking of the implementation of the Yosemite look.

Grateful_user · November 24, 2014

I signed in just to chime in here. The color scheme is really really hard to work with and decreases the overall usability of the application, particularly for those of us with mild vision problems. The color contrast before was very warm and I actually liked working in the application. Now I don't like it. Since I am paying for the premium service, it would be very nice to have a choice of color schemes to choose from for both the background desktop and the notebooks and stacks themselves. At a very minimum, please at least go back to the old color scheme or make that an option.

MrPicasso · November 24, 2014

The "new" color scheme is just ugly. As soon as the Evernote update finished loading I thought something was wrong with my monitor. Really?! Gray on gray?

Please provide some color choices or revert to the previous version color settings.

LB01571 · November 24, 2014

At minimum, perhaps Evernote could provide indication in the Notebook pane of which notebook is active. And if they insist on keeping it low contrast by default, a high-contrast toggle (as Apple has learned to do) for anyone over age 29 would be nice.

(I notice that this forum, and the web version of Evernote, both employ more contrast and color.)

frogwell · November 24, 2014

I've also posted on the other thread but might as well added something here, too. I have really big issue with the lack of contrast in background colors among different function zones. I also hate the new icons/buttons for their lack of legibility. And for the new scheme to be called "Yosemite style", I think it's a giant fail because the real Yosemite style is so much better (and is actually usable). I posted some annotated screenshots to illustrate my points here: https://discussion.evernote.com/topic/76662-evernote-for-mac-v60-and-v601/?p=326037

lykoz · November 24, 2014

Hi guys.

Can someone who dislikes the new look reply to this post...

I can get its too white... They could of blended the feel a bit more... I mean a bit more contrast, similar to mail, and the apple apps... i'm not arguing that...

However is this a generic Yosemite disapproval? Or just prevalent to Evernote?

I mean Evernote is now just like most apple apps.... Do you guys also have a problem with apple's new look and feel?

Personally I love it.

thank you

Katereyn · November 24, 2014

I wholeheartedly agree that the new colour scheme is dreadful. Until some reasonable contrast is restored, I will not be recommending Evernote again, and as of now, I'm looking for an alternative. This is ridiculous. Please Evernote, sort this quickly!

MrTT · November 24, 2014

The "new" color scheme is just ugly. As soon as the Evernote update finished loading I thought something was wrong with my monitor. Really?! Gray on gray?
Please provide some color choices or revert to the previous version color settings.

Yeah me too. When first launching the new version I thought for sure that something must have gone wrong and it had reverted to some kind of "default colorless theme". So I went here last night to check and found a ton of posts about what apparently is a new UI made on purpose. Very disappointing. At least from now on, it can only get better, so I'm looking forward to version 7.

frogwell · November 24, 2014

Hi guys.

Can someone who dislikes the new look reply to this post...

I can get its too white... They could of blended the feel a bit more... I mean a bit more contrast, similar to mail, and the apple apps... i'm not arguing that...

However is this a generic Yosemite disapproval? Or just prevalent to Evernote?
I mean Evernote is now just like most apple apps.... Do you guys also have a problem with apple's new look and feel?

Personally I love it.

thank you

As you pointed out, the Apple apps have more contrast. And I strongly disagree that this new Evernote look is "just like most Apple apps." (Aren't you contradicting yourself? You just said that the Apple apps have more contrast.) Simply put, I think the new look is a poor attempt at immitating the Yosemite style. They tried to go for the gray-scale color theme, the minimalistic icon design and all that trendy style, but they failed to produce something that's on par with the Apple products regarding legibility and usability.

For color schemes, it has been repeatedly pointed out, it's hard to find an Apple app that's as pale, blended and indifferentiable as Evernote v6. And for menus and icons, Apple apps are vastly superior because their icons/buttons/menus are actually designed to be user-friendly: size, linewidth, background color, actions (hover/clicked/selected/active, etc.) But Evernote v6? Most of their buttons/icons/menus are tiny, consisted of extremely thin lines, small fonts, and low-contrast colors. Take the text editing tools for example, the Bold/Italics/Underline buttons are so tiny and light they are hardly legible. When they are clicked/selcted/activated, the only indication is their line color changes from light gray to pale blue, which is hardly comfortable. And that's obviously NOT the norm for text editors, Yosemite or not.

I made another post on the other thread comparing Everntoe with Apple apps (iTunes & Pages), I'll just post a few links to screenshots here:

Evernote vs iTunes icons/buttons comparison (left: Evernote; right: iTunes): https://www.evernote.com/shard/s68/sh/2d17bf45-fa11-4f8e-8b9b-4f54abf6bf60/4f89676648e70c8b/res/13560a5e-839c-498c-8ead-3e5f7f618dfa/Screen%20Shot%202014-11-24%20at%2012.38.54%20AM.png?resizeSmall&width=832α=

Evernote vs iTunes side menu comparison: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s68/sh/2d17bf45-fa11-4f8e-8b9b-4f54abf6bf60/4f89676648e70c8b/res/691a3736-c18a-48c0-8537-34bc97e7b9e6/Screen%20Shot%202014-11-24%20at%2012.36.24%20AM.png?resizeSmall&width=832α=

Pages: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s68/sh/2d17bf45-fa11-4f8e-8b9b-4f54abf6bf60/4f89676648e70c8b/res/c3fe539e-5112-4ec6-9073-03ffcaaa6d3b/F0D3CC91-ADD7-4946-88EE-26233000397D.png?resizeSmall&width=832

And an annotated screenshot of the full Evernote interface (Macbook Pro Retina 15'') with comments: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s68/sh/d706b2b3-e355-484f-b40c-232a74684e0c/dc35dad7b4f781e9/res/34240170-e6fa-4439-9a96-18a5b18cad9d/skitch.jpg

Metrodon · November 24, 2014

Your screenshots do a great job of emphasising and reinforcing many people's complaints.

lykoz · November 24, 2014

Hi guys.

Can someone who dislikes the new look reply to this post...

I can get its too white... They could of blended the feel a bit more... I mean a bit more contrast, similar to mail, and the apple apps... i'm not arguing that...

However is this a generic Yosemite disapproval? Or just prevalent to Evernote?
I mean Evernote is now just like most apple apps.... Do you guys also have a problem with apple's new look and feel?

Personally I love it.

thank you

As you pointed out, the Apple apps have more contrast. And I strongly disagree that this new Evernote look is "just like most Apple apps." (Aren't you contradicting yourself? You just said that the Apple apps have more contrast.) Simply put, I think the new look is a poor attempt at immitating the Yosemite style. They tried to go for the gray-scale color theme, the minimalistic icon design and all that trendy style, but they failed to produce something that's on par with the Apple products regarding legibility and usability.

For color schemes, it has been repeatedly pointed out, it's hard to find an Apple app that's as pale, blended and indifferentiable as Evernote v6. And for menus and icons, Apple apps are vastly superior because their icons/buttons/menus are actually designed to be user-friendly: size, linewidth, background color, actions (hover/clicked/selected/active, etc.) But Evernote v6? Most of their buttons/icons/menus are tiny, consisted of extremely thin lines, small fonts, and low-contrast colors. Take the text editing tools for example, the Bold/Italics/Underline buttons are so tiny and light they are hardly legible. When they are clicked/selcted/activated, the only indication is their line color changes from light gray to pale blue, which is hardly comfortable. And that's obviously NOT the norm for text editors, Yosemite or not.

I made another post on the other thread comparing Everntoe with Apple apps (iTunes & Pages), I'll just post a few links to screenshots here:

Evernote vs iTunes icons/buttons comparison (left: Evernote; right: iTunes): https://www.evernote.com/shard/s68/sh/2d17bf45-fa11-4f8e-8b9b-4f54abf6bf60/4f89676648e70c8b/res/13560a5e-839c-498c-8ead-3e5f7f618dfa/Screen%20Shot%202014-11-24%20at%2012.38.54%20AM.png?resizeSmall&width=832α=
Evernote vs iTunes side menu comparison: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s68/sh/2d17bf45-fa11-4f8e-8b9b-4f54abf6bf60/4f89676648e70c8b/res/691a3736-c18a-48c0-8537-34bc97e7b9e6/Screen%20Shot%202014-11-24%20at%2012.36.24%20AM.png?resizeSmall&width=832α=
Pages: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s68/sh/2d17bf45-fa11-4f8e-8b9b-4f54abf6bf60/4f89676648e70c8b/res/c3fe539e-5112-4ec6-9073-03ffcaaa6d3b/F0D3CC91-ADD7-4946-88EE-26233000397D.png?resizeSmall&width=832

Thanks for the in-depth reply...

I am however not contradicting myself. I think you didnt read my post very clearly.

I agree that the the new Evernote design is lacking some contrast.... And that it needs work,,

I clearly said that in my post...

My point was the general direction of Evernote integrating into Yosemite is a good one...

A lot of posters want the old look back completely....

I was simply trying to ascertain what it is the users ACTUALLY want?

The Yosemite look done properly - Or Reverting back to the old look...

Personally I would like to see the Yosemite look of Evernote stay and Improved for visibility, function and design

RAS67 · November 24, 2014

Please fire your UI team immediately.

I am stunned that your CEO and BOD could look at this new interface and say "yeah, this is it, we got it right". Do they use the product?

As a Premium customer, I demand that for the $$ I pay you monthly, you give me the option to skin the UI like version 5.0.

Why would you force me use this horrible looking interface. I'm in the process of researching other alternatives include MS One Note.

Very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, disappointing.

DanishDuckling · November 24, 2014

I would really love to see af color similar to the one in the iOS version. And perhaps the options for premium that you see there, as well. I do find the new design slick and all being a Yosemite fan so far but my first thought when opening with 6.0 was: Where is the green?

Charles Jenkins · November 24, 2014

I agree. The previous version of Evernote for Mac was beautiful. With Yosemite, Apple changed to a new design that they will refine over time, but right now it's too ugly to slavishly copy the way the new Evernote has done. Areas of the screen aren't differentiated well, everything looks drab, and the thin-line monochrome icons for buttons and things are just ugly (as are Apple's button icons on iOS and Yosemite).

dwryu72 · November 24, 2014

New white screen really hurts my eyes when I use it at night.

I think most Evernote users are the type of people who spend a LOT of time staring at their computer, working at night, etc.

My eyes are fine but I do find them strained at time because I use the computer a lot and Evernote's new color scheme is really not helpful.

I LOVE EVERNOTE.. and I'd even PAY for some type of 3rd party app that you allow to sell themes.

Please.. whatever you do, just add a dark option or something (like with Presentation mode). Or allow 3rd party apps to sell themes. But make it right. It's really painful to look at and I too am dimming my screen and squinting to use.

I'd rather not waste time looking for a fix when I could be doing my work and then doing other things....

scb · November 24, 2014

Don't like it: I have trouble telling the difference between Evernote and Finder windows.

changenow · November 24, 2014

I am a big fan of evernote and a premium user for years now.

But honestly - the new theme destroys fluent workflow. It's hard to spot, where one thing begins and the other ends.

Don't go with the Yosemite style. Please give us some contrast back.

Or skins. Or at least an option for the old design!

Thanks a lot,

André

mwebber · November 24, 2014

If anyone has a decent monitor, sharp and bright, the new Evernote will burn a hole in your retinas. It's ridiculous. Try using this on a large iMac at night and you'll get complaints from the neighbors who are trying to sleep.

We've come such a long way since the '80s getting our monitors to perform millions of colors and levels of shades, etc. only to now have goofy designers at Evernote to take us back to 2 bit color and no ability to customize it. I have 6 computers at my office and home running Evernote and I won't update any of the others because nobody wants to work on the hostile surface of the sun.

If you work with Adobe products most of your work day which have a subtle grey interface that can be adjusted (leaving mostly your work area the central focus - smart), try switching back and forth from Photoshop or After Effects to Evernote and prepare for the "Evernote Flash Bang" typically reserved to stunning bad guys on drug raids. All that's missing is a deafening noise every time you switch to Evernote and your momentary sensory impairment experience will be complete.

Going back to the previous interface color would be a start, but if you feel you must update something (that wasn't broken) purely for the sake of something to do, then give us customization which should be a piece of cake. Stop guessing because you've just guessed wrong. Plus, people work in lots of different environments, times of day, systems, and personal preferences so just add the ability to customize the Notebooks column, the notes column and the notes window separately.

Until then... I wear my sunglasses at night.

ScottLougheed · November 24, 2014

I have a Macbook Pro with Retina display (which I would argue is a "decent monitor, sharp and bright") and I don't find it to be quite the retina-burning experience you, and many others describe. I spend most of my day staring at apps that are largely comprised of black text on white backgrounds (Evernote is one of these apps), so perhaps I am accustomed to it as a "workplace hazard"...

JayCee2013 · November 24, 2014

Please - I implore you – offer us the option for "classic" [i.e. the previous theme] view.

I'm starting to experience Photokeratitis - yes, snow-blindness!

SaaS_User · November 24, 2014

Just reverted to 5.7.2 http://bit.ly/113zBGA. Crisis averted. I'll upgrade when they fix this new color scheme and work out the bugs.

stuball · November 24, 2014

Hmmm while it has brightened up a bit, I personally do not notice my eyes having to adjust dramatically switching between evernote and, say, a browser window displaying this forum, or between Evernote and a Word document.

That being said I am not photophobic and do not have any other more serious eye condition other than some minor corrective glasses...

Young eyes!

No problem here either and much prefer the new side band

The Needful · November 24, 2014

I'm sorry Evernote, but I am leaving you. We have been together for a long time, but I just don't like your new look. I know I shouldn't be superficial and make judgements based on appearances, but in this case it literally hurts my eyes to look at you.

Perhaps I will check back in awhile if I'm still available and you've had a makeover, but for now we are on a break.

TN

babellebumskin · November 24, 2014

I'm no power user, but I immediately noticed the the new design for Evernote for Mac desktop was a disappointment.

Far to subtle use of grey/white to define your information/nav zones, which makes useability suffer and a strain on your eyes after extended use. If they want to persist with this, at least provide a night mode to ease the eyestrain at night.

When did grey and blue become part of the Evernote visual identity? This is a very corporate colour scheme and now looks disturbingly like Microsoft Outlook that I have on my Mac (!)

Unless Evernote are is looking to change their visual identity completely, people who use it associate their VI with grey and GREEN, the grey elephant on green, not blue (I think we've had enough of grey/blue color schemes haven't we?).

FYI I have uninstalled vs 6 and installed vs 5.7.2 without any issues - I found the download here - http://evernote.findmysoft.com/mac/download/#

federicobonetti · November 25, 2014

Agree new color Theme is horrible, please go back to more contrasted color Theme.

frogwell · November 25, 2014

Hi guys.

Can someone who dislikes the new look reply to this post...

I can get its too white... They could of blended the feel a bit more... I mean a bit more contrast, similar to mail, and the apple apps... i'm not arguing that...

However is this a generic Yosemite disapproval? Or just prevalent to Evernote?
I mean Evernote is now just like most apple apps.... Do you guys also have a problem with apple's new look and feel?

Personally I love it.

thank you

As you pointed out, the Apple apps have more contrast. And I strongly disagree that this new Evernote look is "just like most Apple apps." (Aren't you contradicting yourself? You just said that the Apple apps have more contrast.) Simply put, I think the new look is a poor attempt at immitating the Yosemite style. They tried to go for the gray-scale color theme, the minimalistic icon design and all that trendy style, but they failed to produce something that's on par with the Apple products regarding legibility and usability.

For color schemes, it has been repeatedly pointed out, it's hard to find an Apple app that's as pale, blended and indifferentiable as Evernote v6. And for menus and icons, Apple apps are vastly superior because their icons/buttons/menus are actually designed to be user-friendly: size, linewidth, background color, actions (hover/clicked/selected/active, etc.) But Evernote v6? Most of their buttons/icons/menus are tiny, consisted of extremely thin lines, small fonts, and low-contrast colors. Take the text editing tools for example, the Bold/Italics/Underline buttons are so tiny and light they are hardly legible. When they are clicked/selcted/activated, the only indication is their line color changes from light gray to pale blue, which is hardly comfortable. And that's obviously NOT the norm for text editors, Yosemite or not.

I made another post on the other thread comparing Everntoe with Apple apps (iTunes & Pages), I'll just post a few links to screenshots here:

Evernote vs iTunes icons/buttons comparison (left: Evernote; right: iTunes): https://www.evernote.com/shard/s68/sh/2d17bf45-fa11-4f8e-8b9b-4f54abf6bf60/4f89676648e70c8b/res/13560a5e-839c-498c-8ead-3e5f7f618dfa/Screen%20Shot%202014-11-24%20at%2012.38.54%20AM.png?resizeSmall&width=832α=
Evernote vs iTunes side menu comparison: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s68/sh/2d17bf45-fa11-4f8e-8b9b-4f54abf6bf60/4f89676648e70c8b/res/691a3736-c18a-48c0-8537-34bc97e7b9e6/Screen%20Shot%202014-11-24%20at%2012.36.24%20AM.png?resizeSmall&width=832α=
Pages: https://www.evernote.com/shard/s68/sh/2d17bf45-fa11-4f8e-8b9b-4f54abf6bf60/4f89676648e70c8b/res/c3fe539e-5112-4ec6-9073-03ffcaaa6d3b/F0D3CC91-ADD7-4946-88EE-26233000397D.png?resizeSmall&width=832

Thanks for the in-depth reply...

I am however not contradicting myself. I think you didnt read my post very clearly.

I agree that the the new Evernote design is lacking some contrast.... And that it needs work,,
I clearly said that in my post...

My point was the general direction of Evernote integrating into Yosemite is a good one...
A lot of posters want the old look back completely....

I was simply trying to ascertain what it is the users ACTUALLY want?

The Yosemite look done properly - Or Reverting back to the old look...

Personally I would like to see the Yosemite look of Evernote stay and Improved for visibility, function and design

Sorry for misreading, I was focusing on the "Everntoe vs Apple apps" part and thought you said first that new Evernote is inferior to Apple apps in terms of contrast, and then said "Evernote is now just like most apple apps." And I strongly disagree with the second statement for reasons explained in my previous post: they tried, and failed; Evernote 6.0 is nowhere near Apple apps (which themselves are a bit controversial). It's not even close.

I doubt this situation could give you much insight about what the users ACTUALLY want. Currently there're two kinds of interfaces. One is the old style that everbody knows, the other is a new crappy Yosemite-wanna-be. It shouldn't be a surprise that you hear a lot of people asking for reverting to the old style. But that doesn't necessarily mean those people are against proper Yosemite style. Just look at most people's complaints, problems like "lack of contrast" "ineligibility" are NOT inherent to Yosemite style.

It's no differnt with any other software update. When you ***** up what was working before and dump something of lesser-quality at users, why would you expect people to have faith in the new direction you are going? Most people use softwares because, they find those softwares useful. They are not doing investment or education. So if an update sucks, most people won't go "well that doesn't quite work, but why don't you take a break and then try again?" More common reaction would be "WTF it was working just fine for me yesterday, and then you have to mess it up. Geez I can't use it like this how do I revert back." Granted, some users don't feel as negatively affected by the update as others, so them might have more time to appreciate the good things about the new interface. They might also have more patience to wait for upcoming improvements. But as far as style goes, it's all sort of moot at this point, as the focus here is clearly about functionality and usability.

Xiaorong Lv · November 25, 2014

I hate the new interface colors. it's too bright. I am very tired to focus.

Angela Liu · November 25, 2014

New color theme is horrible. makes it much harder to see the content which should be the focus. please change it back.

LovedSkitch · November 25, 2014

I am adding my voice to the chorus here - just upgraded to 6x and absolutely hate the new look. Regardless of what Apple has done with their generic scheme, EN chose the white/white/barely grey theme, and it's simply impossible to work in for any time. It strains the eyes, and I get a headache just looking at the side list of notes. Even Apple backtracked on an interface choice, when they had to let people turn off those awful zooming icons in a recent version of iOS. So, guys, time to give us an option here, before people start burfling!!

PLEASE roll back this look, or add the ability to customize the colors. Even just 50% darker would be a (slight) improvement. Of course, the ability to change the toolbar, and get rid of sync and chat would be great, too, but that's another thread...

HATE THE LOOK. After almost a decade with Evernote, I'm going to have to start looking elsewhere.

Squeaky Geeky · November 25, 2014

I am glad I am not the only one with this problem. I upgraded recently and the new color scheme is basically unusable for me. I looked for the settings to change it and saw nothing so of course I am thinking this can't possibly be normal so I came here and found this post. Everyone here has already articulated how bad this color scheme is and I will be following your diligent notes and suggestions to downgrade. I have been using Evernote since it came out and have praised it's execution long before other apps have tried to follow in it's footsteps.

This color scheme is counter productive and a deal breaker for me so without a way to downgrade there is no way I would continue to use this software. I would have to go elsewhere. I am sure this sounds extreme to some, but it would be an unfortunate reality for me.

Lance001 · November 25, 2014

The new color scheme (/design) is horrible. It looks like TextEdit. Evernote either needs to go back to the old color scheme or come up with something a whole lot better.

Purpleboots · November 25, 2014

I don't normally use forums, but felt that strongly about the horrid look, that I had to say something. It is very interesting how many people have signed up to this forum just to express their dislike and disappointment at the horrid UI. I started a different thread which has a couple of pages of comments now, and only one person out of all those who posted actually expressed their approval of the new colour scheme.

EN are calling it a 'fresh new look' it's not fresh - it's a complete washout! My love-affair with EN is fading quickly. I hope they are taking these comments onboard and will just take it on the chin and accept they got it wrong, and not protest and try to defend it. They have already defended their poor attempt at contrast, saying it has been approved as suitable. We are telling you it's not!!

I'm not suggesting roll back to the original style, I am suggesting to get a new team of designers to look at it with fresh eyes and identify all the improvements they can make. Something to make it look like Evernote would be nice!

zappledd · November 25, 2014

I agree with the majority of comments here. The new color scheme is bloody awful. Where has the style gone Evernote devs and designers? Are you tying to make our experience with your tool a boring & dull, high contrast misery? If so you've done a great job. I want the old version back and spend your time sorting this out before you add any more features that I don't need.

Offy · November 25, 2014

I agree with most of the discussions here. The new look and feel is terrible!

Michael_Costa · November 26, 2014

OK, I was one of the first people to post on this topic within minutes of being updated but I think we need to temper the emotive language and threats. If you're a heavy Evernote user with your whole business and personal life being managed inside it, going elsewhere is not an easy proposition. And frankly, I don't want to. I LOVE Evernote!

I've been working extensively on a massive job this last month and Evernote is managing everything for me and it's working great. The visual change definitely needs discriminating colours to offset sections but apart from that I really like the Yosemite style change. On the Snippet View the bold note names and the blue date and Notebook ID stand out nicely. It's just the sidebar that needs a gentle grey offset and not that heavy grey circa v5.x.

I've got 5.7.2 on a different machine and it looks (clear but) dated already to me.

zappledd · November 26, 2014

OK, I was one of the first people to post on this topic within minutes of being updated but I think we need to temper the emotive language and threats. If you're a heavy Evernote user with your whole business and personal life being managed inside it, going elsewhere is not an easy proposition. And frankly, I don't want to. I LOVE Evernote!

I've been working extensively on a massive job this last month and Evernote is managing everything for me and it's working great. The visual change definitely needs discriminating colours to offset sections but apart from that I really like the Yosemite style change. On the Snippet View the bold note names and the blue date and Notebook ID stand out nicely. It's just the sidebar that needs a gentle grey offset and not that heavy grey circa v5.x.

I've got 5.7.2 on a different machine and it looks (clear but) dated already to me.

You are kidding... sure -it works but you can't look at it for longer that 10 minutes at a time! I fail to see the reference to Yosemite as relevant. Did Apple remove all the colour/color from the UI? Did they decide to notch up the white intensity to the top end of the scale? Did they decide to make the icons so ineffective they might as well not have them?

Michael_Costa · November 26, 2014

OK, I was one of the first people to post on this topic within minutes of being updated but I think we need to temper the emotive language and threats. If you're a heavy Evernote user with your whole business and personal life being managed inside it, going elsewhere is not an easy proposition. And frankly, I don't want to. I LOVE Evernote!

I've been working extensively on a massive job this last month and Evernote is managing everything for me and it's working great. The visual change definitely needs discriminating colours to offset sections but apart from that I really like the Yosemite style change. On the Snippet View the bold note names and the blue date and Notebook ID stand out nicely. It's just the sidebar that needs a gentle grey offset and not that heavy grey circa v5.x.

I've got 5.7.2 on a different machine and it looks (clear but) dated already to me.
You are kidding... sure -it works but you can't look at it for longer that 10 minutes at a time! I fail to see the reference to Yosemite as relevant. Did Apple remove all the colour/color from the UI? Did they decide to notch up the white intensity to the top end of the scale? Did they decide to make the icons so ineffective they might as well not have them?

Apple's Yosemite apps looks better for sure, so the Yosemite look hasn't been as successful as hoped.

Understand that I'm not saying Evernote's right now, but I don't want it simply reverted to 5.x. Just fix what went wrong here and it's not a huge amount, but what it is is significant.

lykoz · November 26, 2014

OK, I was one of the first people to post on this topic within minutes of being updated but I think we need to temper the emotive language and threats. If you're a heavy Evernote user with your whole business and personal life being managed inside it, going elsewhere is not an easy proposition. And frankly, I don't want to. I LOVE Evernote!

I've been working extensively on a massive job this last month and Evernote is managing everything for me and it's working great. The visual change definitely needs discriminating colours to offset sections but apart from that I really like the Yosemite style change. On the Snippet View the bold note names and the blue date and Notebook ID stand out nicely. It's just the sidebar that needs a gentle grey offset and not that heavy grey circa v5.x.

I've got 5.7.2 on a different machine and it looks (clear but) dated already to me.
You are kidding... sure -it works but you can't look at it for longer that 10 minutes at a time! I fail to see the reference to Yosemite as relevant. Did Apple remove all the colour/color from the UI? Did they decide to notch up the white intensity to the top end of the scale? Did they decide to make the icons so ineffective they might as well not have them?

Apple's Yosemite apps looks better for sure, so the Yosemite look hasn't been as successful as hoped.
Understand that I'm not saying Evernote's right now, but I don't want it simply reverted to 5.x. Just fix what went wrong here and it's not a huge amount, but what it is is significant.

Completely Agree... Yosemite look integration is Much better....

Sure they havent got the contrast and look completely right...

But I like My MAC to blend nicely with everything...

Evernote needs to work on contrast colours, look and whatever else they need to, to get to apple standards...

However dont want a complete revert back to the old colours...

MrTT · November 26, 2014

Just upgraded Evernote on my other Mac too. I took a screenshot before and after the upgrade. Now when I compare the two, the difference is even bigger. The old one (5.x) had a nice seperation of elements with darker gray colors being used here and there. But the new one is just one big pile of WHITE on WHITE. Very disappointed in this new UI design/color.

drum365 · November 26, 2014

I know one shouldn't fill up threads with "me too" posts, but I'm another person who HATES the new look of version 6!

I also want to thank Chegoyo for his post #35 which helped me roll back to version 5.7.2 - thanks!

And I'll add that once you've wiped ver. 6 and re-installed 5.7.2, go to "Preferences > Software Update" and uncheck the box for "Automatically check for updates."

Squeaky Geeky · November 26, 2014

OK, I was one of the first people to post on this topic within minutes of being updated but I think we need to temper the emotive language and threats. If you're a heavy Evernote user with your whole business and personal life being managed inside it, going elsewhere is not an easy proposition. And frankly, I don't want to. I LOVE Evernote!

I've been working extensively on a massive job this last month and Evernote is managing everything for me and it's working great. The visual change definitely needs discriminating colours to offset sections but apart from that I really like the Yosemite style change. On the Snippet View the bold note names and the blue date and Notebook ID stand out nicely. It's just the sidebar that needs a gentle grey offset and not that heavy grey circa v5.x.

I've got 5.7.2 on a different machine and it looks (clear but) dated already to me.

I am also a first time poster and user due to this colorization issue. I hear what you are saying regarding threats and for some that may be what they are. Your right switching over to another application is not easy and I love Evernote as well. I have used it since it was released and it's one of my favorite programs. I sing it's praises all the time. That being said, when I upgraded and eventually discovered I would have to live with how it currently looks I already knew I would not be using it in it's upgraded incarnation. It was not even a conscious decision to make, I knew I needed to find an alternative. Luckily I was able to uninstall it and downgrade to a previous version.

While I was doing this downgrade I was dreading having to move over to Onenote. I could swing putting off what I needed to do for the day so I could in theory be up and running on the platform hopefully in the same day. I don't want to use Onenote but it would be the first option for me to evaluate. I would not be quitting Evernote in protest, I simply knew I was just not going to use or be productive with this new version. It was that cut and dry for me. I am sure that is not the case with others but I knew I would not be using Evernote by the next day.

Good luck everyone with your downgrade or living with the change. Hopefully the day will not come where I am forced to upgrade to a version I will not use.

lykoz · November 26, 2014

Just upgraded Evernote on my other Mac too. I took a screenshot before and after the upgrade. Now when I compare the two, the difference is even bigger. The old one (5.x) had a nice seperation of elements with darker gray colors being used here and there. But the new one is just one big pile of WHITE on WHITE. Very disappointed in this new UI design/color.

Can you post the before/after screenshots?

Would be nice to see it side by side.

Thanks

lykoz · November 26, 2014

OK, I was one of the first people to post on this topic within minutes of being updated but I think we need to temper the emotive language and threats. If you're a heavy Evernote user with your whole business and personal life being managed inside it, going elsewhere is not an easy proposition. And frankly, I don't want to. I LOVE Evernote!

I've been working extensively on a massive job this last month and Evernote is managing everything for me and it's working great. The visual change definitely needs discriminating colours to offset sections but apart from that I really like the Yosemite style change. On the Snippet View the bold note names and the blue date and Notebook ID stand out nicely. It's just the sidebar that needs a gentle grey offset and not that heavy grey circa v5.x.

I've got 5.7.2 on a different machine and it looks (clear but) dated already to me.

I am also a first time poster and user due to this colorization issue. I hear what you are saying regarding threats and for some that may be what they are. Your right switching over to another application is not easy and I love Evernote as well. I have used it since it was released and it's one of my favorite programs. I sing it's praises all the time. That being said, when I upgraded and eventually discovered I would have to live with how it currently looks I already knew I would not be using it in it's upgraded incarnation. It was not even a conscious decision to make, I knew I needed to find an alternative. Luckily I was able to uninstall it and downgrade to a previous version.

While I was doing this downgrade I was dreading having to move over to Onenote. I could swing putting off what I needed to do for the day so I could in theory be up and running on the platform hopefully in the same day. I don't want to use Onenote but it would be the first option for me to evaluate. I would not be quitting Evernote in protest, I simply knew I was just not going to use or be productive with this new version. It was that cut and dry for me. I am sure that is not the case with others but I knew I would not be using Evernote by the next day.

Good luck everyone with your downgrade or living with the change. Hopefully the day will not come where I am forced to upgrade to a version I will not use.

I started using OneNote above Evernote for its superior subfolder division...

OneNote is a great app.. I like it...

However I realised that OneNote is not an Evernote Replacement...

Evernote 'could' maybe replace OneNote... But not the other way round...

Anyways it really depends what you are using Evernote for to answer that question...

The truth however is I find use for both programs...

I really cant consider that one can completely replace or do the others Job...

Again depends on your personal needs...

But you wont find a straight up replacement for Evernote in One program... Maybe if you use several you may achieve this...

But there is no replacement for Evernote really...

Its got some very functional features that you will surely miss..

I think people are throwing a bit of a hissy fit at the moment...

The fact remains that Evernote can improve its new look contrast and visibility...

However we forget that everyone who uses a computer no matter what program, stare at black/white/grey screens all day...

Complaining is good Only way things get better... But some of the responses here, I feel are making idle threats.. They are too dependant on the functionality to throw it out completely because of the new look.

Squeaky Geeky · November 26, 2014

OK, I was one of the first people to post on this topic within minutes of being updated but I think we need to temper the emotive language and threats. If you're a heavy Evernote user with your whole business and personal life being managed inside it, going elsewhere is not an easy proposition. And frankly, I don't want to. I LOVE Evernote!

I've been working extensively on a massive job this last month and Evernote is managing everything for me and it's working great. The visual change definitely needs discriminating colours to offset sections but apart from that I really like the Yosemite style change. On the Snippet View the bold note names and the blue date and Notebook ID stand out nicely. It's just the sidebar that needs a gentle grey offset and not that heavy grey circa v5.x.

I've got 5.7.2 on a different machine and it looks (clear but) dated already to me.

I am also a first time poster and user due to this colorization issue. I hear what you are saying regarding threats and for some that may be what they are. Your right switching over to another application is not easy and I love Evernote as well. I have used it since it was released and it's one of my favorite programs. I sing it's praises all the time. That being said, when I upgraded and eventually discovered I would have to live with how it currently looks I already knew I would not be using it in it's upgraded incarnation. It was not even a conscious decision to make, I knew I needed to find an alternative. Luckily I was able to uninstall it and downgrade to a previous version.

While I was doing this downgrade I was dreading having to move over to Onenote. I could swing putting off what I needed to do for the day so I could in theory be up and running on the platform hopefully in the same day. I don't want to use Onenote but it would be the first option for me to evaluate. I would not be quitting Evernote in protest, I simply knew I was just not going to use or be productive with this new version. It was that cut and dry for me. I am sure that is not the case with others but I knew I would not be using Evernote by the next day.

Good luck everyone with your downgrade or living with the change. Hopefully the day will not come where I am forced to upgrade to a version I will not use.

I started using OneNote above Evernote for its superior subfolder division...

OneNote is a great app.. I like it...

However I realised that OneNote is not an Evernote Replacement...

Evernote 'could' maybe replace OneNote... But not the other way round...

Anyways it really depends what you are using Evernote for to answer that question...

The truth however is I find use for both programs...

I really cant consider that one can completely replace or do the others Job...

Again depends on your personal needs...

But you wont find a straight up replacement for Evernote in One program... Maybe if you use several you may achieve this...

But there is no replacement for Evernote really...

Its got some very functional features that you will surely miss..

I think people are throwing a bit of a hissy fit at the moment...

The fact remains that Evernote can improve its new look contrast and visibility...

However we forget that everyone who uses a computer no matter what program, stare at black/white/grey screens all day...

Complaining is good Only way things get better... But some of the responses here, I feel are making idle threats.. They are too dependant on the functionality to throw it out completely because of the new look.

I have not used Onenote for more than a cursory review when it first came out. The only feature I really use is organizing data in notebooks that sync across all devices and platforms. Thats the only mission critical need I have for it. As it has grown and included more features I have not really played with them except for adding tags. Perhaps I should but I don't think it does anything more that I am interested in. Will take a look when I get a chance. Thanks for the response since now I am wondering how Onenote does folder subdivision. Sometimes notes are hard to find even using the tags.

Thanks for the response. Take care.

NightStalker · November 26, 2014

For those trying to downgrade, it may be worth checking out this thread - which may or may not be a problem for you:

https://discussion.evernote.com/topic/76567-sync-problem/

lykoz · November 26, 2014

I have not used Onenote for more than a cursory review when it first came out. The only feature I really use is organizing data in notebooks that sync across all devices and platforms. Thats the only mission critical need I have for it. As it has grown and included more features I have not really played with them except for adding tags. Perhaps I should but I don't think it does anything more that I am interested in. Will take a look when I get a chance. Thanks for the response since now I am wondering how Onenote does folder subdivision. Sometimes notes are hard to find even using the tags.

Thanks for the response. Take care.

OneNote is a more traditional PC subfolder Divisional Program... As you would see in Finder...

You can create Notebooks and then "tabs"... Also notes in each tab can be sorted into subheadings..

Hear is a screenshot so you can better understand...

https://www.evernote.com/l/AS7h0yPAQzdB7b1YsBKymK4txbZ78ICLHK8

It also has a search functionality like Evernote to search notes and any content within them...

It is a great program for me, In organising or making notes on 'Completed' Data...

i.e studying for an exam, with a set syllabus and material that I want organised in subheading in a fashion that I can see everything, and that I have gone through everything...

However It DOES not do most of what Evernote is great at...

For starters, it takes longer to launch (1 or 2 seconds - which is annoying for a quick note)...

It does not have evernote helper for a quick note save....

Its search capabilities do not include images...

(I often might have an image with text... Or take a picture of certain notes I wrote down on paper with my cell phone...

In Evernote Search, every image I take, is included in search results... Even hand written pictures of notes...)

Basically anything I scribble or take a picture of with evernote is quickly and easily saved... Wheather its from my android phone, or my MAC...

The fact is Evernote is so robust that it is irreplaceable... You can do so many things with it.. That its hard to mention... Every user will probably use it differently..

For example one very convenient use for me is a problem I have with Google MAPS and saving locations from my phone....

You cant save Locations in Google maps...!!! Rediculous I know.... I tried third party apps all useless...

Until I utilised evernote....

I share my google maps location via email: To my evernote specific email (Every evernote user has this, its part of the app).... This in turn sends the location

to Evernote and saves it as a Note... I add a tag: location... And I have saved google maps locations to all my points of interest...

I then open evernote - find the location - click it.. and it opens google maps automatically...

I know this sounds like an arbitrary function for most.. But it saves me a lot of frustration... And it just shows how extensive Evernote functionalities really are.

Something Google couldnt get right....

Like I said... Evernote is a lot a more than just organising Notes... Its really the ease of use of recording any information... Quickly and easily... And being able to organise, and find it later...

OneNote only really wins in recording, and summarising a pre-set... completed.. organised amount of data...

No other app does what Evernote does, especially on so many levels...

Im sure Evernote will work on its visibility for the people who are struggling...

I think the look to blend with the operating system is a step of genius... It gives me the feeling that it belongs in the ecosystem...

It dont want every program to stick out like a sore thumb...

The whole concept of Yosemite is immersion. 3rd party apps that get onboard that experience get a BIG + in my book...

Yosemite is about a look and feel that just feels right...

I might be working on something else... i.e. in safari... with Evernote in the background... I dont want Evernote as an inactive window to steal the show...

Its goto fade when I am not in it.. and be more defined when I am using it...

Thats my rant...

Please I will say again, dont get me wrong... the contrasting/visibility can get better...

But the Direction is the right one in my opinion.

lpuerto · November 27, 2014

Who is the responsible of this new look!!?? Really it is very horrible in general speaking and also very difficult to read... I really do not understand!!!! guys, do you not experiment these things in different computers and with people not involve in the design before to roll it out?

It is pretty awful to read this on it now...

Please!!!! We need a darker skin!!!

MDallimore · November 27, 2014

6.0.2 just hit my system, I have to say not a great improvement. This is a real shame for such a great product!

What does everyone else think of this latest patch?

Michael_Costa · November 27, 2014

On Mountain Lion, it's looks like the sidebar now has a slightly darker grey background to it. This is what I was asking for earlier in this thread, so happy with that.

The background of the Snippet View also appears to not be as white as the main note window.

I can clearly see three distinct sections again. I can guarantee that this won't appease everyone, but if this is as good as it's going to get, I'm OK with it. The whole thing is still very pale, but I can see what I'm doing.

MDallimore · November 27, 2014

Maybe I'm just getting old! It's just too bright for me!

helix_ · November 27, 2014

OneNote has a dark mode and seems to actually have color schemes that dont make my eyes bleed after 15 minutes. Evernote is still the better note taking app, but the colors are just unusable for long periods of time. Until this changes, I'll be switching to OneNote.

MickeyMouse · November 27, 2014

How is this?

Your forum allows color combinations yet the

evernote program doesn't.

Let me be clear.

Evernote now looks like a glorified text document.

As for what Mac Yosemite, etc does, I am not in the

Finder for hours writing notes and moving documents

around.

Considering that the admins are typing in a black text

you can read! but has their program in a very light gray,

practice what you preach for US TO READ AND WORK IN.

Crazy how successful American companies get so far

only to ***** up their business to allow the competition

to walk right in.

Hope Evernote listens to continue solidifying their

great and interested supporters.

lykoz · November 28, 2014

How is this?

Your forum allows color combinations yet the
evernote program doesn't.

Let me be clear.

Evernote now looks like a glorified text document.

As for what Mac Yosemite, etc does, I am not in the
Finder for hours writing notes and moving documents
around.

Considering that the admins are typing in a black text
you can read! but has their program in a very light gray,
practice what you preach for US TO READ AND WORK IN.

Crazy how successful American companies get so far
only to ***** up their business to allow the competition
to walk right in.

Hope Evernote listens to continue solidifying their
great and interested supporters.

Evernote is text... And most people spend hours in Excel... They spend hours in Word... Even in their webbrowser...

At the end of the day reading and creating text is a black and white affair...

Oh also YOU CAN WRITE IN COLOUR IN EVERNOTE>>>

So I dont know what you are moaning about...

What many people are missing is that the actual NOTE is taking centre stage.....

There is plenty of colour there... And everything else is in the background...

In any case the beauty of Evernote is in its minimalist approach... Quick load up times... Its about taking in notes INSTANTANEOUSLY...

It launches immediately... The notes take center stage...

And comeon... finding them is easy too...

Expediency is Key.. Simplicity is Key... Integration to the Operating System is KEY...

Standing out like a sore thumb and being independent is not what Evernote is about..

If you people spent more time creating content rather than just looking for it... You would understand.

6.0.1 color theme on mac

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