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The newly refreshed Royal Blue design includes updated link colors. Previously it looked like this

It was incredibly obvious and clear to the user which had and hadn't been clicked yet. Now it looks like this

Everything blends together so much that I can't tell what has and hasn't been clicked at a glance. Moon Dark doesn't have this issue, but I'd prefer to use Royal Blue as it otherwise looks nicer.

For now I've restored the previous link behavior by copying the old .theme_dark CSS variables from a cached browser session into the custom CSS. Provided below in case anyone else is similarly struggling:
.theme_dark_conditional {
--cheatsh_background:#22242f;
--cheatsh_ef186:#d7d787;
--cheatsh_ef15:#FDF6E3;
--cheatsh_ef148:#afd700;
--cheatsh_ef81:#5fd7ff;
--color-scheme:dark;
--background-color:#262837;
--background-color-dim_3:rgba(38, 40, 55, 0.3);
--background-color_opac:rgba(38, 40, 55, 0);
--page-text-color:#e5e5e5;
--beta-tag-bg:#4835bc;
--beta-tag-text:#f2f0e7;
--beta-tag-inside-corners:#9debfe;
--login_page_bg:#171820;
--login_page_divider_strap:#42435c;
--kagi-sky:#42435c;
--kagi-sky-b:#13131e;
--login_page_input_bg:#161820;
--kagi-accent:#1d1f29;
--kagi-graphite-s:#535353;
--kagi-graphite-ia:#ffb319;
--kagi-graphite-ia-color:#191919;
--color-primary:rgb(229, 229, 229);
--color-secondary:rgb(25, 25, 25);
--color-primary-dim_1:rgba(229, 229, 229, 0.1);
--color-primary-dim_2:rgba(229, 229, 229, 0.2);
--color-primary-dim_25:rgba(229, 229, 229, 0.25);
--color-primary-dim_3:rgba(229, 229, 229, 0.3);
--color-primary-dim_3_solid:#434551;
--color-primary-dim_4:rgba(229, 229, 229, 0.4);
--color-primary-dim_5:rgba(229, 229, 229, 0.5);
--color-primary-dim_6:rgba(229, 229, 229, 0.6);
--color-primary-dim_7:rgba(229, 229, 229, 0.7);
--color-primary-dim_8:rgba(229, 229, 229, 0.8);
--color-primary-dim_9:rgba(229, 229, 229, 0.9);
--color-primary-g:rgb(229, 229, 229);
--color-primary-dim-g_2:rgba(229, 229, 229, 0.2);
--color-primary-dim-g_6:rgba(229, 229, 229, 0.6);
--color-primary-dim-g_8:rgba(229, 229, 229, 0.8);
--color-secondary-dim_1:rgba(25, 25, 25, 0.1);
--color-secondary-dim_2:rgba(25, 25, 25, 0.2);
--color-secondary-dim_4:rgba(25, 25, 25, 0.4);
--color-secondary-dim_5:rgba(25, 25, 25, 0.5);
--color-secondary-dim_6:rgba(25, 25, 25, 0.6);
--color-secondary-dim_7:rgba(25, 25, 25, 0.7);
--color-secondary-dim_8:rgba(25, 25, 25, 0.8);
--color-secondary-dim_9:rgba(25, 25, 25, 0.9);
--color-search-input-opac:rgba(38, 40, 55, 0);
--color_link:#9debfe;
--color-primary_hover:#9debfe;
--color-primary_visited:#deb6f1;
--input-bg:#161820;
--resultsummary-highlight:#9debfe;
--resultsummary-highlight_text:var(--color-secondary);
--bangs_tag_bg:var(--color-primary);
--doggo-color-1:#e5e5e5;
--doggo-bg-color:#383b50;
--landing-page-clouds-opacity:0.8;
--quick-search-bg:#ffffff;
--quick-search-icon:#4835bc;
--tabs-round-bg:#1d1f29;
--tabs-round-active-bg:rgba(66, 70, 103, 0.25);
--color_cat_buttons:var(--color-primary-dim_7);
--color_cat_buttons_active:var(--color-secondary);
--color_cat_buttons_bg:var(--color-primary);
--color_cat_buttons_border:var(--color-primary-dim_2);
--color_cat_buttons_border_hover:var(--color-primary-dim_5);
--header-bg:#1f1d2c;
--header-bg-opac:rgba(31, 29, 44, 0);
--app-logo:#191919;
--app-logo-bg:#ffb319;
--footer-bg:#151515;
--control-center-dd-bg:#161820;
--control-center-dd-bg_hover:#161820;
--control-center-dd-list:#161820;
--control-center-dd-list-bg_hover:#1d1f29;
--control-center-bg:#1f1d2c;
--control-center-dd-border:#43465b;
--filter-dd-bg:#161820;
--cc-filters-active-bg:#404040;
--k-tooltip-bg:var(--color-primary);
--k-tooltip-text:var(--color-secondary);
--dd-hover-bg:#1d1f29;
--dd-list-input-bg:#24262e;
--not-found-bubble-bg:var(--color-secondary);
--app-sidebar-bg:#1f1d2c;
--app-sidebar-item-border:rgba(229, 229, 229, 0.1);
--app-sidebar-link:var(--color-primary-dim_5);
--app-sidebar-nav-item-bg_hover:#ffb319;
--app-sidebar-nav-item-link_hover:var(--app-sidebar-bg);
--app-sidebar-nav-item-icon_hover:var(--color-primary);
--app-sidebar-lense-link:var(--color-primary-dim_5);
--app-sidebar-lense-link_hover:#ffffff;
--ranked-box-overlay-bg:rgba(18, 18, 18, 0.9);
--ranked-box-wrapper-bg:#262837;
--ranked-box-connection-secure:#60aa55;
--ranked-box-connection-insecure:#fd6820;
--ranked-box-icon-normal-bg:var(--ranked-box-wrapper-bg);
--ranked-box-tracker-no-info:#7d7d7d;
--ranked-box-toggle-switch-ch1-text:var(--color-primary);
--ranked-box-toggle-switch-ch3-svg-bg:var(--color-secondary);
--ranked-box-settings-btn-bg:var(--ranked-box-wrapper-bg);
--rank-icon-shard-color:#a1a1a1;
--rank_icon_boosted:#ffb319;
--site_info_bg:#262837;
--site_info_bottom_bg:#1f1d2c;
--site_info_grad_normal_1:#1992d6;
--site_info_grad_normal_2:#08f784;
--site_info_grad_trackers_1:#6415a2;
--site_info_grad_trackers_2:#007cff;
--site_info_grad_trackers_danger_1:#f76c08;
--site_info_grad_trackers_danger_2:#9f1414;
--btn-group-bg:#1f1d2c;
--result-item-title-border:rgba(229, 229, 229, 0.5);
--result-item-title-border_hover:rgba(68, 77, 165, 0.5);
--result-rank-icon-stroke_promoted:var(--background-color);
--k-tooltip-tracker_bg:#333;
--result-item-highlight:#9debfe;
--search-result-content-text:var(--color-primary-dim_6);
--search-result-group-item-link:var(--color-primary-dim_9);
--search-result-url-link:var(--color-primary-dim_9);
--search-result-title:#ffffff;
--search-result-date-bg:rgba(66, 70, 103, 0.25);
--search-result-date-new-bg:#424667;
--search-result-date-new:#e5e5e5;
--inline-header-title:#ffffff;
--inline-widget-bg:#212433;
--inline-header-border:rgba(229, 229, 229, 0.5);
--inline-domain-tag-bg:rgba(66, 70, 103, 0.25);
--related-item-bg:#1d1f29;
--username-button-bg:var(--inline-widget-bg);
--ranked-tabs-border:var(--color-primary-dim_2);
--video-item-bg:#191919;
--auto-sugg-bg_hover:rgba(229, 229, 229, 0.05);
--provider-breakdown_server:#075067;
--provider-breakdown_client:#9b6400;
--provider-breakdown_speed1:#6f6d22;
--provider-breakdown_speed2:#ab5a5a;
--provider-breakdown_speed3:#812503;
--widget-progress_bar:#e5e5e5;
--translate-fc_icon:#777676;
--rating-star_background:#666666;
--wiki-title:#ffffff;
--wiki-content-links:#ffffff;
--toggle-switch-knob-bg:#262837;
--m_sri_gap_color:#1f1d2c;
--image_brightness:85%;
--onboarding_theme_options_dark_visibility:flex;
--onboarding_theme_options_light_visibility:none;
--onb_theme_light_preview_box:none;
--onb_theme_calm_blue_preview_box:none;
--onb_theme_royal_blue_preview_box:block;
--onb_theme_moon_dark_preview_box:none;
--billing-svg-bg-premium_1:var(--inline-widget-bg);
--result_favicon_pos_theme_light:none;
--result_favicon_pos_theme_calm_blue:none;
--result_favicon_pos_theme_royal_blue:block;
--result_favicon_pos_theme_dark:none;
--result_url_style_theme_light:none;
--result_url_style_theme_calm_blue:none;
--result_url_style_theme_royal_blue:block;
--result_url_style_theme_dark:none;
--maps-highlight:#161820;
--code-bg:#282c34;
--code-border:#4d4d4d;
--code-k:#e06c75;
--code-s:#e5c07b;
--code-cm-c1:#fd6820;
--code-n:#61afef;
--code-p:#e06c75;
--plan-free-bg:#363748;
--plan-standard-bg:#363a50;
--plan-team-bg:#4b5a7e;
--onb_plan_switch_bg:#6481b3;
--kids_cloud_stars_fill:unset;
--kids_landing_bg_grad:#121212;
--ai_chat_buble_a_bg:#16171c;
--ai_chat_buble_q_bg:#1d1f29;
--ai_chat_buble_dd_a_bg:#191a21
}

I'm using Firefox Developer Edition 125.0b9 on Windows 10. The behavior is exactly the same on Brave so I don't believe this is browser-specific.

    These link styles were bad enough that I created this account just to comment on this thread. Link styling is pretty important to me, I don't know why but it just is. I understand the need to have some sort of brand identity, but these new link colours are barely distinguishable at a glance and that's not good. Since visited links are more likely to be the ones someone is looking for, this change ismaking it harder to find the right search result. This is pretty bad for a search engine, whose purpose (especially once the advertising incentive is removed) is to make sure the user can find the right place to go.

    The standard on the web is that textual links are underlined, with unvisited links being blue blue, visited links purple, and active links red (Kagi doesn't implement active styles and this makes me sad). This is consistent across browsers and has been since the 90s. Many modern websites will have the links use the default text colour, but keep the underline to indicate they're links. In fact, this is what the previous design did. Now the only indicator that search result titles are links is the colour, except the colour is saying "you've visited me already" when I clearly haven't clicked on every link on the page.

    Since I don't link complaining without trying to be constructive and this is in my wheelhouse, here's the CSS I cobbled together quickly just to style the main links in search. I have no idea how much of the rest of this site this breaks, so beware if you decide to copy/paste. It also adds in :active styles because active styles are cool 😎

    .theme_dark {
      --search-result-title: #8ab4f8;
      --result-item-title-border: #8ab4f8;
      --search-result-title-hover: #739cde;
      --result-item-title-border_hover: #739cde;
      --primary-visited: #c3a1ea;
    }
    
    .__sri-title .__sri_title_link,
    .__srgi-title a,
    .__sri-title .__sri_title_link:hover,
    .__srgi-title a:hover {
      border-bottom-color: currentcolor; /* This has the side effect of bringing back the border by default */
    }
    
    .__sri-title .__sri_title_link:visited:hover,
    .__srgi-title a:visited:hover {
      color: var(--primary-visited);
    }
    
    .__sri-title .__sri_title_link:active,
    .__srgi-title a:active {
      color: #f09795;
    }

      Yeah, I really don't like the new link colors either. Every page now looks like I've already visited it and it's super confusing as to know which one I've already checked out and which one I haven't. I don't know if the slightly lighter purple means I have already visited the site, or if it's the other way around. Pls fix.

      beepboop

      Thank you so much! I hate the new colors, I actually thought that my browser had a bug that was styling all links as purple / visited.

        Every time I search I'm surprised that I've already seen those results. Then I realise it's the new link color. Going to have to patch it up with Stylish, this is truly a pain to use. A purple tint is deeply ingrained as "visited".

        Thank you. The new colors are very confusing.

          +1

          It's so bad that I initially thought it was a bug in Kagi. pls fix

            Please roll this change back. There is absolutely no good reason to mess with what is still the de facto standard for styling visited links.

            Those of you using custom CSS to cope with the new design may find it has stopped working today. The developers changed the CSS class for the theming from .theme_dark to .theme_dark_conditional. So adjust .theme_dark { in the first line of my and s-thom's example accordingly.

            Hey all, we'll be rolling out a tweak for this today, shortly, to restore expected colors to the visited/unvisited links in this theme. Thanks for your patience!

            z64 it's not fixed in the sidebar

            the links appear as they have been clicked although they are not. that was my main gripe with the new design

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