[Debate] Pre-Made Skins

[, CORA]

Jan 11, 2012 9:05:34 GMT -8 Fenix said:

However, Forums should only ever be judged on 2 things: -
- Content.
- What the forum has to offer the member.

While this may be true, I think some people do care about the way a site's layout looks, and considers a good/bad skin as a reason to join or not. It's not shallow to place judgment this way, or at least in my opinion, because if a forum I wanted to join looked very disorganized and was hard to read, I wouldn't exactly want to spend a lot of my time there. Of course, that might just be me.

---

I saw a few comments saying how using a pre-made skin isn't good as it takes away the originality of the board, makes it too generic and other stuff like that. While I agree, I think there's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting your forum to look nice. Maybe you're bad at designing, maybe you can't edit or code, and maybe the easiest way for you to fix that is by using a skin that someone else created. I don't see why that's bad. As long as you put some thought into it and didn't just snag the first layout available, you're doing just fine, in my book.

So, I'm not against it, but I guess I'm not quite for it, either? They have pros and cons. I personally don't use them and prefer to create my own skins, and, even if they don't come out the way I wanted them to, I get a certain satisfaction from knowing I at least made an effort. I know not everyone feels this way (like how some people get a rush from exercise while others don't? Bad example, but the best I can come up with), which sucks when you work really hard and just can't get it right. I suppose using a pre-made right from the beginning will save you the trouble.

[?Britt?]

I do have to agree that pre-made skins do take away from the originality of the board. I know that when I first started using Proboards I used one pre-made skin. I only got a few members before I realized why that was. I was advertising and saw the same layout on six other sites. Needless to say I taught myself how to make graphics, use codes, and make a completely new skin extremely fast.

I will say that it also gets confusing for people advertising when they see the same skin ten different times because you start to wonder if you’re double posting on sites or not.

I understand that not everyone can make skins and that’s fine…but I’m just not a huge fan of pre-made skins. Now if someone uses a pre-made skin as a template and makes it their own…that’s different. However I definitely think that in order to build a successful site one needs to have their own ideas and skin incorporated into their site.

[drakenheart26]

eh, I personally enjoy making the skins myself. it seems like it's just more original, becuase I have been to sites before where I've seen the skin on six other sites. also on the plus side if you create skins or have a graphics mod then it gives it more of a personal touch; the skin was made especially for that board.

I do understand that not everyone knows how to make skins, but I do reccomend that they either someone who can make skins for them, or that they learn themselves.

it's more of a matter of opinion though.

[azl]

I'd really like to see someplace that has some premium skins for sale. Most other major software packages have this, WordPress, Zen Cart, etc. Given the popularity of ProBoards, I think not having a commercial skin resource is a major shortcoming.

I'm generally more concerned about my business rather than reinventing the wheel.

John

[Himms]

Question!

Is it wrong to use a pre-made skin that one likes (design wise) and just change the colours to suit the site the one has taken the skin for?

[kathy025]

I'm pro pre-made skin. The graphic designers have been very generous sharing their works of art. Shame if they will not be put to good use.

For general/all-around forums, a nice template and a good color scheme would suffice, nothing wrong with that. It boils down to the content, not the looks.

For hardcore coding and design boards, then customization rather contributes greatly to the reputation of the forum. So if I'm a guest and I see a forum proclaiming to be a coding/graphics board but is using someone's premade template, my first impression of the forum is one of doubt.

[Former Member]

Jun 6, 2012 3:25:49 GMT -8 Himms said:

Question!

Is it wrong to use a pre-made skin that one likes (design wise) and just change the colours to suit the site the one has taken the skin for?

No its not,what is it they say?Different strokes for different folks.If there is special coding though I would still give credit somewhere on the board.Like if you have side boxes place the credit there.

I found out some people should use premade skins cause some lack in the eye/color coordinating of it.This has kept me from joining many a board.

[kathy025]

Try Mustard Yellow background with Hot Pink text... Yep I remember one of those...

[ladysaint]

I would use one temporarily as i just started a forum today and it seems im not able to add a custom logo nor a custom BG. I have been reading and doing what directions say,to no avail.
I use tiny pic (directlink) and still nothing shows up. SO i basically have a default generic forum. I tried to creaet a skin but when i switch to it it doesnt show.
Yes I am new to all this.Been a few yrs since I last had a forum.

[LILITH]

Anyone else notice this thread is like 6 years old?

I personally love designing forums but my muse for actually using them (roleplayer) has gone down exponentially. I couldn't tell you why. Just has. So now I float around and offer other people my services if it seems as though they need help making a unique look for their forum. I never redistribute specific skins made and often times I follow whatever admin asked me to do it. They'll tell me what colors to use, images, etc. So I'd like to offer up another question,

Would you accept help in creating a forum from a stranger? Even if it was just coding help?

[the infection____]

Do you recommend them, or not?

I guess it depends on the person. Some people might want to use one, some won't. I think that if you have the time and the ability to make a skin, you should. Unfortunately, you lose originality and you lack the professional side. Facebook and Twitter don't look exactly the same, so your forums shouldn't either. I guess it's okay if you can't make one or to use one while waiting for one to be made, but still. I think it's a handy thing to ask people to make one for you, or request one. (Some people will even give you tips as they go, telling you what they do so you can learn as well.) So, all in all, I would not recommend one. Your forum should be original.

Also, should design and graphics boards use a pre-made skin from another forum?

Oh gosh no. Never. You are a board all about design and graphics, you should know how to make a skin or at least have some staff who can make a skin. It's what your board is all about! Nothing ruins the purpose of your board like contradicting it yourself.

[VIVE LE REPUBLIQUE]

This is bringing up an old topic, and I apologise for dragging it from the ashes

Just thought I'd give my own opinion.

I personally always make my own skins for sites I've run in the past. I was an admin on a site for a year and a half, and towards the end I also made them skins (most weren't used because I made far too many from random bursts of muse ) but the template/coding was always consistent by the Head Admin. Always stayed the same, so it wasn't too hard to make the graphics/skin colours for. For that site, I could make a skin in less than 4 hours, including side-tables.

The site I admin on now (my own site), I made from scratch from codes from this forum and Smangii. And I like the originality of it. I don't think anyone else uses the same codes as me, in the same way, that is. I know the codes I use are used everywhere, on countless forums, but not always in the same way. And the design always looks different on every site.

Pre-made skins are good in some cases though! But it does depend on what your forum is and whether or not the skin has been used a dozen times before. For some pre-made skins, you can see who's using it still as most members post a link to where they're using it. You can just click on them and see if the site is still active etc. I tend to stay away from pre-mades myself, but that's just me. I know quite a few people who don't like coding themselves, or aren't as confident in their creations and/or dislike making the skins from scratch, and stick to pre-mades.

[JD]

Dec 5, 2012 19:26:31 GMT -8 LILITH said:

Anyone else notice this thread is like 6 years old?

I personally love designing forums but my muse for actually using them (roleplayer) has gone down exponentially. I couldn't tell you why. Just has. So now I float around and offer other people my services if it seems as though they need help making a unique look for their forum. I never redistribute specific skins made and often times I follow whatever admin asked me to do it. They'll tell me what colors to use, images, etc. So I'd like to offer up another question,

Would you accept help in creating a forum from a stranger? Even if it was just coding help?

Hey guys! I saw that this topic was pretty old but people are still commenting on it so obviously people are stll engaged so I'm going to voice my opinion.

I'm strongly against pre-made skins in terms of actually using them. What I mean by that is that I think pre-made skins can be very useful for people who have never coded before so that they can see how a code works and how it's laid out. But, I don't think that they should then use that code. Or they could maybe use the bare skeletons but change all of the colours and images to their own. I think they're a useful learning tool but should never be actually used on a forum. I think that the skill of the skin and layout is one of the things that tell us how well prepared the admin is for running the forum and how dedicated they are to it. Does the forum look like it's had days spent on it? In which case that admin is probably going to stick around. Does it look like it's just had all it's images copied and pasted? Maybe the admin doesn't care that much. The appearance is the first thing I notice and if it isn't creative or inventive I'm outie.

As for whether a pre made skin should be used on a graphics forum that would be a hell no. A graphics forum is supposed to advertise your skills and the skills of your members as designers. If your own forum is not original how are your selling your own product (as it were)? Graphics design boards should definitely be original. Full stop.

I'm also interested, however, in Jade's question (quoted above). I'm the same as her in the sense that I now offer my graphics services to others as I could never run all the forums I would like to design. But I'm interested on people's opinions concerning graphics and coding help. I mean, I've designed forums whereby I've been given admin powers, done what needs to be done, and then I've left. But others get defensive and don't think it's a good idea to let strangers in to your admin area. What are other people's opinions on asking for help from outside of your forum?

[* protego admin!]

I have done both, but looking back I much prefer making my own unique one!
It makes the forum more interesting and unique to you, not that every site is using it!
Besides some of the coding in the pre made skins messes everything up that you may have got to how you finally wanted it!

Self Made all the way!

[Cazzie]

Honestly, I'd rather see a good looking, well designed pre-made skin that I can read without sunglasses on than someone with zero idea of colour co-ordination or graphic design chucking random colours together and hoping for the best.

Usability > Originality, anytime.

Not everybody is a genius designer, (in fact many people aren't even passable designers, and that's OK.), and even people who are don't always have the know-how to make their site match their vision. (I got lucky, I had a member who is excellent at both design and code and who could be trusted to make changes.)

Even if the best you can hope to do is get a pre-made skin and stick your own images in there, then great. (As long as the designer of the skin allows that in their terms!) As long as I can navigate the board and read the posts, then the layout is insignificant next to the content of the threads and the quality of the members.