Sneaky preview of the new MSE masthead – what do you think of m’pic?

The green masthead’s on its last legs, we’re in the process of a gradual redesign and a big element of this is the new masthead. It’s prime real estate on the site as it’s on every single page, so before we go for it, I’d love your views…

Click here to see a clearer full size version

We’ve a few tweaks to make on exactly what goes where (the forum button needs to be more prominent), yet this is the overall look we’re going for.

There’s been much debate in MSE Towers about whether the picture with folded arms means business, or is defensive – overall, while I’m not so keen, the team think it’s a winner. We wanted to try something a bit different going for a very casual picture as the site is being smartened up and losing it’s done in a bedroom style – the aim of this pic is to keep something of the informality.

We’ve even had discussions about whether the colour of my shirt is right and whether it’s ironed enough (we can deal with the first in Photoshop, though this version is un-tweaked).

So I’d love your views. Do you like the overall image of the new masthead? Does the picture convey a friendly enough image – or would a closer up picture be better? Let me know what you think (be gentle).