diff --git a/beamercolorthemeut.sty b/beamercolorthemeut.sty
index 38866a3..96afa41 100644
--- a/beamercolorthemeut.sty
+++ b/beamercolorthemeut.sty
@@ -73,8 +73,10 @@
 \setbeamercolor{theorem line middle}{fg=utorange}
 \setbeamercolor{theorem line bottom}{fg=utorange}
 
-\setbeamercolor{message}{fg=white, bg=utred}
-\setbeamercolor{message symbol}{fg=utgold}
+\setbeamercolor{message}{fg=utred, bg=utgold}
+\setbeamercolor{message symbol}{fg=utblack}
+\setbeamercolor{message line top}{fg=}
+\setbeamercolor{message line bottom}{fg=}
 
 \setbeamercolor{section in toc}{parent={normal text}}
 \setbeamercolor{subsection in toc}{parent={normal text}}
diff --git a/beamerthemelines.sty b/beamerthemelines.sty
index c811e0f..bbc4c77 100644
--- a/beamerthemelines.sty
+++ b/beamerthemelines.sty
@@ -345,22 +345,22 @@
   \IfStrEq{\insertblocktitle}{}{}{%    % IfStrEq does not work for theorems!
     \ifbeamercolorempty[fg]{block line#1 top}{}{%
       \nointerlineskip
-      \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\columnwidth,ht=#2]{block line#1 top}
-        \rule{\columnwidth}{#2}
+      \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\linewidth,ht=#2]{block line#1 top}
+        \rule{\linewidth}{#2}
       \end{beamercolorbox}
       \nointerlineskip%
     }
-    \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\columnwidth,ht=2.4ex,dp=0.9ex,leftskip=2mm,rightskip=2mm]{block title#1}
+    \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\linewidth,ht=2.4ex,dp=0.9ex,leftskip=2mm,rightskip=2mm]{block title#1}
       \strut\insertblocktitle
     \end{beamercolorbox}}
   \nointerlineskip
   \ifbeamercolorempty[fg]{block line#1 middle}{}{%
-    \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\columnwidth,ht=#3]{block line#1 middle}
-      \rule{\columnwidth}{#3}
+    \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\linewidth,ht=#3]{block line#1 middle}
+      \rule{\linewidth}{#3}
     \end{beamercolorbox}
     \nointerlineskip}%
   \usebeamerfont{block body#1}%
-  \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\columnwidth,colsep=2mm]{block body#1}
+  \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\linewidth,colsep=2mm]{block body#1}
  }
 
 \newcommand{\block@lines@end}[2]{%
@@ -368,8 +368,8 @@
   \end{beamercolorbox}%
   \ifbeamercolorempty[fg]{block line#1 bottom}{}{%
     \nointerlineskip
-    \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\columnwidth,ht=#2]{block line#1 bottom}
-      \rule{\columnwidth}{#2}
+    \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\linewidth,ht=#2]{block line#1 bottom}
+      \rule{\linewidth}{#2}
     \end{beamercolorbox}
   }%
 }
@@ -408,22 +408,22 @@
   \usebeamerfont{#1 title}%
   \ifbeamercolorempty[fg]{#1 line top}{}{%
     \nointerlineskip
-    \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\columnwidth,ht=#2]{#1 line top}
-      \rule{\columnwidth}{#2}
+    \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\linewidth,ht=#2]{#1 line top}
+      \rule{\linewidth}{#2}
     \end{beamercolorbox}
     \nointerlineskip%
   }
-  \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\columnwidth,ht=2.4ex,dp=0.9ex,leftskip=2mm,rightskip=2mm]{#1 title}
+  \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\linewidth,ht=2.4ex,dp=0.9ex,leftskip=2mm,rightskip=2mm]{#1 title}
     \strut \insertblocktitle
   \end{beamercolorbox}
   \nointerlineskip
   \ifbeamercolorempty[fg]{#1 line middle}{}{%
-    \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\columnwidth,ht=#3]{#1 line middle}
-      \rule{\columnwidth}{#3}
+    \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\linewidth,ht=#3]{#1 line middle}
+      \rule{\linewidth}{#3}
     \end{beamercolorbox}
     \nointerlineskip}%
   \usebeamerfont{#1 body}%
-  \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\columnwidth,colsep=2mm]{#1 body}
+  \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\linewidth,colsep=2mm]{#1 body}
  }
 
 \newcommand{\theorem@lines@end}[2]{%
@@ -431,8 +431,8 @@
   \end{beamercolorbox}%
   \ifbeamercolorempty[fg]{#1 line bottom}{}{%
     \nointerlineskip
-    \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\columnwidth,ht=#2]{#1 line bottom}
-      \rule{\columnwidth}{#2}
+    \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\linewidth,ht=#2]{#1 line bottom}
+      \rule{\linewidth}{#2}
     \end{beamercolorbox}
   }%
 }
@@ -459,18 +459,29 @@
 %%%%% new message box command:
 
 \defbeamertemplate{message symbol}{default}{}
-\defbeamertemplate{message symbol}{circle}{\raisebox{0.1ex}{$\bullet$}\thickspace}
-\defbeamertemplate{message symbol}{arrow}{\itemarrow\thickspace}
+\defbeamertemplate{message symbol}{circle}{\raisebox{0.1ex}{$\bullet$}}
+\defbeamertemplate{message symbol}{arrow}{\itemarrow}
 
 \setbeamertemplate{message symbol}[circle]
 
+\newcommand{\message@box@body}{
+  \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\linewidth,colsep=1mm,leftskip=1mm,rightskip=1mm]{message}
+    \setbox0=\hbox{\usebeamertemplate{message symbol}\unskip}%
+    \ifdim\wd0=0pt%
+      \strut\insertmessage
+    \else
+      \usebeamercolor[fg]{message symbol}
+      \parbox[t][][t]{1.8ex}{\usebeamertemplate{message symbol}}%
+      \usebeamercolor[fg]{message}
+      \parbox[t][][t]{\dimexpr\hsize-3.5ex\relax}{\raggedright\insertmessage}
+    \fi
+  \end{beamercolorbox}
+}
+
 \defbeamertemplate{message}{default}{%
   \par\vskip\medskipamount%
   \usebeamerfont{message}%
-  \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\columnwidth,ht=2.4ex,dp=0.9ex,leftskip=2mm,rightskip=2mm]{message}
-    {\usebeamercolor[fg]{message symbol}\usebeamertemplate{message symbol}}%
-    \strut\insertmessage
-  \end{beamercolorbox}
+  \message@box@body
 }
 
 \defbeamertemplate{message}{lines}[2]{%
@@ -478,18 +489,15 @@
   \usebeamerfont{message}%
   \ifbeamercolorempty[fg]{message line top}{}{%
     \nointerlineskip
-    \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\columnwidth,ht=#1]{message line top}
-      \rule{\columnwidth}{#1}
+    \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\linewidth,ht=#1]{message line top}
+      \rule{\linewidth}{#1}
     \end{beamercolorbox}
     \nointerlineskip}%
-  \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\columnwidth,ht=2.4ex,dp=0.9ex,leftskip=2mm,rightskip=2mm]{message}
-    {\usebeamercolor[fg]{message symbol}\usebeamertemplate{message symbol}}%
-    \strut\insertmessage
-  \end{beamercolorbox}
+  \message@box@body
   \ifbeamercolorempty[fg]{message line bottom}{}{%
     \nointerlineskip%
-    \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\columnwidth,ht=#2]{message line bottom}
-      \rule{\columnwidth}{#2}
+    \begin{beamercolorbox}[wd=\linewidth,ht=#2]{message line bottom}
+      \rule{\linewidth}{#2}
     \end{beamercolorbox}}%
   \medskip
 }
diff --git a/beamerthemeut.sty b/beamerthemeut.sty
index 4fda49b..e2660f6 100644
--- a/beamerthemeut.sty
+++ b/beamerthemeut.sty
@@ -68,12 +68,13 @@
 \setbeamertemplate{title page institute and}[line] % default, space, comma, line
 
 \setbeamertemplate{message symbol}[arrow]          % default, circle, arrow
-\setbeamertemplate{message}[lines]{0.5pt}{0.5pt}   % default, lines
+\setbeamertemplate{message}[lines]{0.5pt}{0.5pt}       % default, lines
 
 \setbeamertemplate{section name separator}[text][2pt] % space, text
 \setbeamertemplate{subsection name separator}[text][2pt] % space, text
 
 \setbeamerfont{footline}{size=\tiny}
+\setbeamerfont{message}{size=\normalsize}
 
 \usecolortheme{ut}