The “fancy site header” discussed in this thread is a customizable component that appears to be visible to users based on their trust level. ganncamp initially thought it was related to a theme or component, but after investigation and input from JammyDodger, it was determined that it is tied to trust levels.
ganncamp shared a screenshot of the header from a logged-in colleague, confirming it is not exclusive to anonymous users. JammyDodger suggested checking settings, but noted that the Meta site’s version is not as customizable as the theme component it was created from.
JammyDodger shared the visibility settings for the component, which can be adjusted by administrators. The header can be made visible or hidden based on various factors, including trust levels.
Initially, ganncamp was able to see the header only in a private window, but glimfeather reported being able to see it by simply clicking on the “Discourse” link in the top left corner of the screen.
We’re at the point of probably wanting more elaborate look/feel customization.
Looking at my colleague’s shared screen, I saw a fancier interface here on Meta than I remembered seeing myself. So I came to double-check. For every single header link, I get a “plain” UI. No fancy header. When I tried a private window, there it was
For me all I do is click that word Discourse in the top left corner of the first screen and the get to see the banner in the second. No private window necessary.
Ah, it must be on Trust Level then. I’ll go and re-correct the correction.
(For anyone thinking “Just check the settings you derp”, the special one on Meta is not as customisable as the theme component that’s been created from it, and I can’t see the settings on the component page )
there it was 
