I have moved these posts to Suggestions and Feedback to give a more detailed answer.
The main reason for the change was to increase the visibility of
Site Leaders (as if Moderator/Administrator above an avatar wasn't enough) for members who may be seeking help. With a username that stands out a little more in key areas of the site, it certainly makes it easier to see if there's someone online that you can Private Message about a problem. In any case, it's a trial, and has been running since Tuesday so we've been waiting for someone to notice and say something. As
QF WP mentions, the full affect of this change is seen in the
Currently Active User list, on the bottom of the
Discussion Board, where Site Leaders now stand out a bit more.
As I'm sure the question will arise, colour choice was tricky. The colour we have right now is a complementary colour (directly opposing the standard colour on a colour wheel). We also looked at triadic colours, analogous colours and colour shades.
I would love to know your thoughts.