Facebook scraps its trademark blue navigation bar in significant desktop redesign

Facebook has unveiled a redesign that sees the social media platform abandon the blue navigation bar that has been a key feature since its launch in favour of a “fresh, simpler” layout.

Launched late Thursday (19 March), the new simplified design places more weight on events and groups, two of the most-used features on the platform. The new look features larger fonts, a lot of white space and pared-back icon design. The new layout separates navigation and content into fewer columns, with the aim of simplifying the user experience and making the whole thing easier on the eyes.

The redesign also allows users to select ‘dark mode’, a screen glare-reduction feature that Facebook has also recently rolled out across WhatsApp. Other new additions include the ability to preview what Events, Pages, Groups and ads will look like on mobile before they are shared. Facebook also says the new site features faster page loading times.

Some users may already be able to switch to the new Facebook design via the settings menu, but for most, the new design will become default later in the year. So far reaction has been mixed, with some users praising the introduction of ‘dark mode’ on Twitter (where Facebook decided to launch the news), while others slated the new larger sidebars, with one user commenting that they’re so big that it “makes me feel like the whole web is collapsing on me.”

The redesign comes after a dramatic switch up of Messenger a few weeks ago, which made businesses less visible in the app. Many changes have been afoot at Facebook and its brands following a brand overhaul last year, which saw the company redraw its logo to differentiate between the social media platform and the parent brand.