Visual Appeal: Clutter or Lackluster?

[Enchant]

When I am reviewing a forum , I find that appearence is important. I have always promoted the idea of thinking outside the box and making a forum thematic to your topics. I beleive that visual appeal is a compelling tool when running a forum. That being said, when is too much visual enough?

I have come across some forums that have very beautiful graphics, but oh soo many of them. To the point that it looks cluttered. I have seen it throughout the forum and sometimes its all in the infoboxes. Not only can it be overwhelming, but can slow your loading time, especially for us sad dial up users.Do you think it is worth it? Then I have seen some forums, that hardly have have any graphics and look a bit incomplete, using the idea that content is more important. It is rare that I come across a forum that has the minimum of graphics and remain unique but enough to have it appealing.

What are your thoughts on graphics being on a forum and when is it too much or too little?

[kelendria]

I personally look at colours rather than how many codes or graphics they have.
If a forum looks great but takes ages to load, I'm more likely to log off.
While nice skins are important, I find activity & regular updates are more important.
I have seen skins with horrible colours & have admittedly been turned off, so it is important, but there are other factors to consider.

[Magic Mist]

I'd probably stick to the saying "less is more" however, the best choice would be that perfect balance of overdoing something and leaving it completely plain.

I'm really not a fan of templates (unless one runs a futuristic or sci-fi board), otherwise they all look like Star Wars universe and don't reflect the theme of the board. On the other hand a lot of templates are pretty neat and not cluttered.

I won't elaborate too much on what I like and what I dislike since I don't want to write a novel, but clutter is never good. Some people seem to have this perception that the more codes you cram onto the board the better. No way!

I've noticed the tendency to use chat boxes, affiliate tables, top links, moon phases, link to grandmother's shoe shop, all that on one forum. In my personal opinion there should always be a balance. Yes, codes are nice but pick a few that a really needed. For example - why does one need a chat box on a forum? A message board is a message board, it's not a chat room, so why try and turn it into one? Some of the codes can be easily omitted and the information that is crammed into the forum headers and footers could perfectly be pretended on a separate topic or a board.

Now onto the lack of codes. Usually the lack of coding means less customization of the message board and I believe that in many cases puts people off. E.g. if I want to join a forum about ghosts, I wouldn't be impressed by a default skin or a template which looks good but has nothing to do with the subject.

To sum this up, I believe people should have a clear idea of what they want the forum to look like and I believe none of them initially intend to overload the board with lots of tables and codes. They might not always get things perfect right away, but practice makes perfect.

[SwordGrunt]

The thing I most look on forums are graphics, along with the forum's content (posts), of course (a graphically perfect forum with tons of bad words isn't good ). I've seen lots of forums with colors that will eventually make someone blind.


Forums with completely different or too bright colors definitely will not attract people. If they don't like colors they have to look at, then they won't at all like the forum, right?


Of course, that's all just my opinion.

[HoudiniDerek]

I am one of the people that prefers a forum to be neat and tidy and not overwhelmed with graphics/codes/etc. I admit that sometimes those can add to a forum, but overall, it is usually the admin who benefits from it. They like to show off their work and a forum is a good place for it. While most people admire the talent of the creator, I think most people join forums because they prefer the content over anything else.

Do people really join (and stay active in) forums because of the cool graphics if they are not interested in the topic at hand? While there might be some, I would say that most people do not. To me, that is why a tidier forum is better for all involved.

[Magic Mist]

Nov 11, 2007 14:40:21 GMT -8 HoudiniDerek said:

While most people admire the talent of the creator, I think most people join forums because they prefer the content over anything else.

That is obvious, but if you had two boards with almost identical content. One of them is customized to reflect the mood of what the forum is about, the other - very basic. Would you chose the simple one? I don't think so. Customising forum is not about showing off, it's about making it look welcoming and inspiring. Imo anyway.

Do people really join (and stay active in) forums because of the cool graphics if they are not interested in the topic at hand?

First of all, why would anyone join a forum which is focused on something the person is not interested in? I doubt there are people who join the forum because it looks good and not care about the theme.

[HoudiniDerek]

Nov 11, 2007 15:19:45 GMT -8 Magic Mist said:

Nov 11, 2007 14:40:21 GMT -8 HoudiniDerek said:

While most people admire the talent of the creator, I think most people join forums because they prefer the content over anything else.

That is obvious, but if you had two boards with almost identical content. One of them is customized to reflect the mood of what the forum is about, the other - very basic. Would you chose the simple one? I don't think so. Customising forum is not about showing off, it's about making it look welcoming and inspiring. Imo anyway.

What is the MOOD of the forum? You mean the mood of the admin don't you? That is the reason why too many forums go through this V2 and V3 crap three days after opening. I would choose the simple forum because too much pomp and glitter means that less and less time is being spent on content...and THAT is what I am there for. If I want a pretty show, I can watch TV for that.

Do people really join (and stay active in) forums because of the cool graphics if they are not interested in the topic at hand?

First of all, why would anyone join a forum which is focused on something the person is not interested in? I doubt there are people who join the forum because it looks good and not care about the theme.

Some people join to advertise and the like...I think that would be obvious. Look at all of the people who join here and only do it to post and such. Obviously people join for other reasons beside content.

[Magic Mist]

Nov 11, 2007 20:59:46 GMT -8 HoudiniDerek said:

[quote author=sweetner2002 board=promotion thread=195736 post=2029396
What is the MOOD of the forum? You mean the mood of the admin don't you?

The mood of the forum is somewhat that should be related to its main theme. If the board is about happy bunnies, trust me, black skin would be totally off topic. For me, the forum skin has to reflect what its about, if it doesn't - it's a job that hasn't been done properly.

too much pomp and glitter means that less and less time is being spent on content...

Absolutely don't agree with this, it takes a long time to get the layout right but even more time to s`pend time on the content. Of course, I have noticed numerous of people who post on GOAYB and say "I created the forum today. Rate it." I'm not talking about such forums here.

Some people join to advertise and the like...I think that would be obvious. Look at all of the people who join here and only do it to post and such.

See there's a difference between a regular board and a support forum where one is alowed to advertise. I've been an owner and a member of quite a few forums and to tell you the truth, I didn't see anyone coming there to advertise. Mainly because rules don't allow that.

[HoudiniDerek]

Nov 12, 2007 5:04:46 GMT -8 Magic Mist said:

Nov 11, 2007 20:59:46 GMT -8 HoudiniDerek said:

[quote author=sweetner2002 board=promotion thread=195736 post=2029396
What is the MOOD of the forum? You mean the mood of the admin don't you?

The mood of the forum is somewhat that should be related to its main theme. If the board is about happy bunnies, trust me, black skin would be totally off topic. For me, the forum skin has to reflect what its about, if it doesn't - it's a job that hasn't been done properly.

I didn't say that it shouldn't relate: I said that not all forums have to go over the top with codes and such. You can have a simple theme and a simple skin/layout. If people are choosing forums based on the frills and not the content, then they are choosing it for the wrong reasons.

As for reflecting what the forum is about: That only works for you. To others, it might not reflect that.

Absolutely don't agree with this, it takes a long time to get the layout right but even more time to s`pend time on the content. Of course, I have noticed numerous of people who post on GOAYB and say "I created the forum today. Rate it." I'm not talking about such forums here.

You have your opinions; I'll have mine.

I am not talking about spur of the moment creations either, although sometimes they do a better job because they are not so particular about the critiques they get, especially in regards to skins and such. Those that spend more and more time on the visual appeal tend to be the ones less able to take constructive criticism about I have noticed. That is why I prefer to rate the newer forums: They are trying to determine what is most important instead of having decided it before posting the forum for a rate.

Some people join to advertise and the like...I think that would be obvious. Look at all of the people who join here and only do it to post and such.

See there's a difference between a regular board and a support forum where one is alowed to advertise. I've been an owner and a member of quite a few forums and to tell you the truth, I didn't see anyone coming there to advertise. Mainly because rules don't allow that.

Is there? If you look at enough sites that are advertised or put up for rates, you see a lot of them that have affiliate and advertising sections. This means that a lot of people can and do join for the reason of advertising. And just as with all forums, just because it is a rule does not keep it from happening.

I am glad your forum does not have the trouble, but others I have been a part of or rated do have that problem...and if there was more time worrying about content rather than visual appeal and this insane drive to have thousands of members, then it might happen a lot less.

[Magic Mist]

Nov 12, 2007 6:05:34 GMT -8 HoudiniDerek said:

I didn't say that it shouldn't relate: I said that not all forums have to go over the top with codes and such. You can have a simple theme and a simple skin/layout. If people are choosing forums based on the frills and not the content, then they are choosing it for the wrong reasons.

Oh I definitely agree with that part, there really IS no need to go over the top with codes, just as I've mentioned in my posts above. Overloading forum with all things existant doesn't make it better.

As for reflecting what the forum is about: That only works for you. To others, it might not reflect that.

There are always general concepts which most people would relate to if it's done properly. The problem here is that not many people try hard enough and those who do are definitely in a win win situation.

You have your opinions; I'll have mine.

That's true and I respect that but since it's a discussion topic we can express them, right?

[HoudiniDerek]

Nov 12, 2007 6:22:10 GMT -8 Magic Mist said:

Nov 12, 2007 6:05:34 GMT -8 HoudiniDerek said:

I didn't say that it shouldn't relate: I said that not all forums have to go over the top with codes and such. You can have a simple theme and a simple skin/layout. If people are choosing forums based on the frills and not the content, then they are choosing it for the wrong reasons.

Oh I definitely agree with that part, there really IS no need to go over the top with codes, just as I've mentioned in my posts above. Overloading forum with all things existant doesn't make it better.


There are always general concepts which most people would relate to if it's done properly. The problem here is that not many people try hard enough and those who do are definitely in a win win situation.

You have your opinions; I'll have mine.

That's true and I respect that but since it's a discussion topic we can express them, right?

Indeed. I was just making sure that we weren't delving into a right or wrong discussion about the level of visual appeal and such.

I agree that some things are necessary when developing a forum to fit the mood, but I see it as "less is more." To me, if you have a good banner and background...then it will show the theme. A lot of people have smilies that are very focused and icons and other aspects to the forum, which are good, but sometimes I feel that too many admins of forums spend too much time on visual effects and not on the content. Of course, I feel the same way about some movies.

I am just a classicalist in the sense of forums I guess.

[Selekah]

Skins would most certainly have an effect, but the color scheme is the most important.

[OH SO COOPERNATURAL !]

I think that less is more. Graphics are always nice, but I prefer them just as your main banner. A sidebar/centerbar so people know where to go, and a nice set off of colors.

I can't stand it when there's head/base images on everything, and so many things going on at once, with a rainbow colored board. If your board isn't put together nicely, and nothing is complimenting anything at all, no one will take a second look at it. You need something to catch an eye.

And yes, Dial-Up users do have longer loading, and if their computers aren't top of the line (like mine isn't), then that makes it that much worse. And they're great just like cable/dsl/etc. They could be the one's to make or break your site, and the truth is, if you want to be successful with members you need ones who's computer is compatible with your site. If it doesn't load for them, they may get tired of waiting, and give up.

[Mulan]

It seems to me like SO many boards these days have the "plain and simple" look and subsequently have very few graphics except for a logo or something. That said, I feel like more graphics might actually be better and set your forum apart... I'm tired of going around and finding sleek and smooth forums - it's a fad, and it needs to DIE. Not that there aren't well-balanced forums (e.g. Enchant's). I think people have taken things to the other extreme. BALANCE - OR GO ALL OUT!

[Des]

I think both are extremes, and no one likes extremes, frankly. I like sites with good graphics (along with obviously having good content. It's silly to compromise content to have good graphics. A good admin knows how to balance stuff...) and I am FAR more likely to join a forum if there's a nice skin, and clear, good graphics. It shows a certain amount of effort put in the forum. But on the other hand, if it's going to take hours to load, (I have a fast connection, broadband, 100Mbps, but trust me I have still seen sites that takes hours to load on my comp) bogged down with hundreds of useless codes that have just been thrown in...well, that's not the forum for me.

What I appreciate the most is symmetry in color, nice gradients, a good banner etc. and a few normal codes. Beyond that, I usually don't like codes. They slow things down, and half the time I find them nice, but not needed. To make it really simple, in my language, you could say that:

Fast loading time = needed.
Fancy codes = not needed.

I think you can see what wins.