If you log into AdSense today and create a new ad unit you’ll be given the choice of creating ad units with rounded corners.
You’ll now have three choices:
Square
Slightly Rounded
Very Rounded
Access the different options through the ‘Setup Tab’ of AdSense but keep in mind that if you have a blended approach to creating ads (your borders being the same color as the background of the ad and your blog) that having square or rounded corners doesn’t matter in the slightest as you don’t see them.
PS: see full sized versions of the new AdSense ad unit styling options here.
I just wish they’d let you change fonts! I hate Arial…
Also, is it me, or is the text WAY too close to the corner when it’s rounded? It looks jumbled. Adsense ads are so ugly…
Does it really matter that much?
Rounded corners? HOORAY! Oh… wait… I have white borders on a white background. Oh well.
And yeah, I’m with Andrew K–the whole dang internet uses Verdana, so what’s up with the Arial? At least it’s not Comic Sans MS.
The borders are always too close to the ad text… I imagine that’s why most smart publishers don’t use the borders (notice Darren hasn’t used them)
I just downloaded the rounded corners. I think it does make a nice difference. Agree with earlier comment, we need to change fonts.
There is no “prettying up” adsense.
Now if only Yahoo would get with the program. They don’t even have the link boxes.
Can’t they change the fonts or the colors? They’re completely heinous.
I guess for those who don’t blend, it offers a softer look.
Ultimately it’s going to matter little to publishers.
I feel, if they can give more customization option for the look and feel of the ad, it can go well with the web site design. The link unit ad links are by default comes with underlined format. It does not suit with my site design.
is it okey for google, to apply CSS styles to the ad? or is it opposite to the Google Adsense policy?
I like the look of the rounder corners and anytime Google gives us a little more control over how the ads look is a good thing in my opinion. Liek everyone else I’d like to see more options in the choice of font and the size of the font. At least it’s good to see Google experimenting with the ads a little. In the end I’d guess all most of us care about is that they work well enough to provide some revenue.
I want AdSense in all wingdings!
On a slightly more serious note, I do with they would give us more customization options. It would be really nice to have ads that mesh a bit better with the overall style of my blog.
Gal
This is not actually such a great feature.
You could of added rounded corners even without their new option, by placing the ads in a DIV and making that div’s background a transparent PNG with borders.
This is something nice to have. I work a lot on the design of the pages and found the google ads to be sometimes too ugly. This new styling is something good, we can integrate them better and not ruin a good layout anymore. I expect more changes in the future, looks like competition is indeed something good, makes them all work to improve services :D