User blog comment:Sannse/Your First Look at the New Wikia/@comment-8072-20100820040241/@comment-8-20100820174247

The difference here is that the navigation is above the article, which we believe will work better. Design ideals and norms have changed in the two years or more since we created Monaco. We aren't ignoring history, but we are adding in the learning, conversations, tests and compromises that come from the three years of work since creating Quartz.

For your last question, that's certainly a consideration. But more importantly, a consistent look-and-feel will also help new and existing users as they move around Wikia.