Title: mp6 – Make WordPress Core --- # Tag Archives: mp6 [ ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/melchoyce/) [Mel Choyce-Dwan](https://profiles.wordpress.org/melchoyce/) 7:43 pm _on_ October 23, 2013 Tags: [3.8 ( 31 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/3-8/), [core plugins ( 17 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/core-plugins/), [feature plugins ( 122 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/feature-plugins/), mp6, [proposal ( 39 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/proposal/)    # 󠀁[MP6 — 3.8 Proposal](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2013/10/23/mp6-3-8-proposal/)󠁿 The WordPress adminadmin (and super admin) has not had a major visual overhaul since 2.7, and its age is starting to show. In a rapidly changing web environment where users are starting to expect good design, we need to make sure that our aesthetics match — better yet, exceed — their high expectations. MP6 is a movement towards modernity. It is an exploration into the infinite possibilities that exist for improvement within our existing framework. It is a tenderly crafted visual update to the admin that we all know and love. [MP6 is the future](https://wordpress.org/plugins/mp6/). #### 󠀁[󠀁[Screenshots [](https://make.wordpress.org/core/files/2013/10/Screen-Shot-2013-10-22-at-8.43.52-PM.png) Dashboard [](https://make.wordpress.org/core/files/2013/10/Screen-Shot-2013-10-22-at-8.44.14-PM.png) CustomizerCustomizer Tool built into WordPress core that hooks into most modern themes. You can use it to preview and modify many of your site’s appearance settings. [](https://make.wordpress.org/core/files/2013/10/Screen-Shot-2013-10-22-at-8.44.38-PM.png) Add New Post [](https://make.wordpress.org/core/files/2013/10/Screen-Shot-2013-10-22-at-8.44.58-PM.png) Plugins [](https://make.wordpress.org/core/files/2013/10/Screen-Shot-2013-10-22-at-8.46.22-PM.png) Light color scheme [](https://make.wordpress.org/core/files/2013/10/Screen-Shot-2013-10-23-at-5.06.35-PM.png) Alternate color scheme: Seaweed [](https://make.wordpress.org/core/files/2013/10/Screen-Shot-2013-10-22-at-9.42.00-PM.png) Alternate color scheme: Midnight [](https://make.wordpress.org/core/files/2013/10/Screen-Shot-2013-10-22-at-9.42.13-PM.png) Alternate color scheme: Pixel [](https://make.wordpress.org/core/files/2013/10/Screen-Shot-2013-10-23-at-5.04.40-PM.png) Alternate color scheme: blue [](https://make.wordpress.org/core/files/2013/10/Screen-Shot-2013-10-23-at-5.04.59-PM.png) Alternate color scheme: Ectoplasm ## 󠀁[󠀁[What problems are we trying to solve? The current wp-admin has: * An outdated visual appearance. * Outdated technology. * Low contrast. * Suboptimal readability. We’ve solved these problems with the following: #### 󠀁[󠀁[Modern aesthetics * Open Sans — a font as free as we are. * Cleaner styles — goodbye decoration, hello simplicity. Affordances still welcome. * Let it breathe — increased spacing between elements, which allow for better overall hierarchy and whitespace to guide the eye. #### 󠀁[󠀁[Improved contrast and readibility * Higher contrast dark default color scheme — great for eyes of all ages. * Lower contrast light default color scheme — helpful for those with dyslexia and sensitivity to light. * Refined typography — larger font sizes, crafted with better readability in mind. #### 󠀁[󠀁[Future-forward **Inherently HiDPI** * Vector icons — beautiful and crisp at any resolution. * CSSCSS Cascading Style Sheets. effects instead of images — cleaner, faster, and more flexible. **Responsive** * [Over 50% of American adults own smartphones](http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57588043/) * [20% of people worldwide own a smartphone](http://www.businessinsider.com/smartphone-and-tablet-penetration-2013-10). * [1/17 people worldwide own a tablet](http://www.businessinsider.com/smartphone-and-tablet-penetration-2013-10). ## 󠀁[󠀁[Why MP6? * It all started with icons. [Creating new, flat, vector icons for wp-admin](https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/23333) was the breath of fresh air that revealed a stale admin. * [Flattening wp-admin to match our new new icons](https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/23415) revealed an inherent lack of constrast with our current styles that required us to step back and re-evaluate how to improve and modernize wp-admin. * Since its inception, MP6 has gone through multiple stylistic iterations before landing on our “final” MP6 styles. ## 󠀁[󠀁[Results While we haven’t explicitly user tested this new skin, it’s been running on WordPress. comWordPress.com An online implementation of WordPress code that lets you immediately access a new WordPress environment to publish your content. WordPress.com is a private company owned by Automattic that hosts the largest multisite in the world. This is arguably the best place to start blogging if you have never touched WordPress before. [https://wordpress.com/](https://wordpress.com/) for months with minimal issues. The same old WordPress admin functionality is still there, just with a fresh coat of paint. [#3-8](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/3-8/), [#core-plugins](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/core-plugins/), [#feature-plugins](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/feature-plugins/), [#mp6](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/mp6/), [#proposal](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/proposal/)