(Heavily Opinionated) Nothing about the recent visual update is a positive.

This new design update looks like an April Fool's joke that got packed up into the wrong folder and sent off to the wrong department.

▪︎ Reaction icons were made smaller and more difficult for dark mode users to see embedded below messages.

▪︎ Ping colors were made much harder to immediately identify despite clashing far more with their dark mode background color. I'm not sure how this was made to be further out of place and be harder to see at the same time but somehow that was accomplished.

▪︎ The new font is not only more squatty and harder to read, but its Disney-esque compact curvy look is woefully out of place in the otherwise minimal and modern, cozy layout of dark Discord.

▪︎ You did not make a "new blurple", you discovered the existing color of indigo, and all of it's oversaturated elements that again serve to clash with the otherwise easy-on-the-eyes aspects of Discord's updates prior to recent that made it so welcoming. 

I wouldn't describe myself as someone particularly adverse to change, though all people are to an extent. I was comfortable with the way things were before, sure, but I'm not blind to the fact that one's brand has to grow and adapt and change to stay desirable and relevant. Such is the nature of online business and perception. I'm also aware that plenty of this is a matter of opinion and preference. I have yet to see one person swinging the other way in favor of this update, however. 

I myself am a bit biased, sure. My girlfriend deals with some eyesight issues while she's currently unable to get properly treated and fitted for proper lenses, etc. She's already complained of a lessened ability to immediately identify things such as user pings and message reactions. I don't personally deal with such things, but it does irritate me to know others have been experiencing the same issues over the same changes.