I hope people won't give up too quickly on the new site! I believe they are working on the background color, and a couple other things that a number of people have mentioned. I hope bringing back the signatures will be a change added later. With a major site change some things are rolled out a little later.
I just have to say that I am amazed sometimes at the way life works out. Just a couple days before Patrice announced the site change I came to a decision that I had to work on being more open to change. I have, in the past, complained bitterly when something changed. Then when I learned the new system and found it really was an improvement, I had to eat my words. Now words may not have many calories, but they do NOT taste very good lol.