06-02-2007, 03:33 PM
This tutorial/tip was oringally produced by Ryan Ashbrook. It has always helped me, and I trust will help others who wish to create their own themes.
You may think creating a theme is merely changing the colors around.
I, personally, think this is incorrect.
There are several factors I take into account when creating a theme of my own.
Remember, these are my own personal opinions, if you've done something to your themes that I am against, and you think it looks good, more power to ya!
1. What colors do I wanna use? - It is always important to always choose colors that fit each other, and are easy on the eyes. If you are running a professional site, lighter colors are the way to go, but there is such a thing as too light. Always use dark text on light backgrounds and light text on dark backgrounds. Make sure the colors do not clash. For example: Blue, Red, and Green goes very well with light or dark backgrounds, however, they do not go well with backgrounds of those colors. So, Blue + White = Good, Blue + Red = Bad.
2. How does my main website look? - If you ever see a site of mine, you will notice that the main site and the forums look exactly the same. I think this is a great practice and I highly recommended it. It makes things easier on you, so you don't have to make up two different layouts for your forums and your website.
3. Graphics? - Make sure your images fit your theme. If you have a dark theme the default MyBB images won't do you any good.
4. More graphics? - There is such a thing as too many images. If you use too many images, your site will load slower and slower. Backround Images are ok, so long as there are not static (meaning when a person scrolls down a page, the background image scrolls as well). Also, background images should not be massive in size, this could slow down your site a lot. Always keep the 56k members in mind, yes there are still some people who use Dialup Internet, like myself.
5. Templates? - It is always a good idea to change the templates around. Although, you must keep in mind that people still use 800x600 resolutions. If you put too many template mods in you're forums will get cramped and, in some cases, you'll get a horizontal scroll bar.
6. Unique? - I'm always thinking of ways to make my forums more unique then the everyone elses. I always try to balance the amount of mods I release and the mods I don't release. So I can have unique features on my forums that are only exclusive to my forums.
7. My Mods vs. Someone Elses Mods? - Who cares? If you like a mod, and can properly incorporate it into your theme, then go for it! It is, however, much cooler to have custom mods that you create yourself, but not everyone's a programmer are they?
I hope this list helps you when you create you're own themes, and always remember. Originality is the key to having a good theme.
You may think creating a theme is merely changing the colors around.
I, personally, think this is incorrect.
There are several factors I take into account when creating a theme of my own.
Remember, these are my own personal opinions, if you've done something to your themes that I am against, and you think it looks good, more power to ya!
1. What colors do I wanna use? - It is always important to always choose colors that fit each other, and are easy on the eyes. If you are running a professional site, lighter colors are the way to go, but there is such a thing as too light. Always use dark text on light backgrounds and light text on dark backgrounds. Make sure the colors do not clash. For example: Blue, Red, and Green goes very well with light or dark backgrounds, however, they do not go well with backgrounds of those colors. So, Blue + White = Good, Blue + Red = Bad.
2. How does my main website look? - If you ever see a site of mine, you will notice that the main site and the forums look exactly the same. I think this is a great practice and I highly recommended it. It makes things easier on you, so you don't have to make up two different layouts for your forums and your website.
3. Graphics? - Make sure your images fit your theme. If you have a dark theme the default MyBB images won't do you any good.
4. More graphics? - There is such a thing as too many images. If you use too many images, your site will load slower and slower. Backround Images are ok, so long as there are not static (meaning when a person scrolls down a page, the background image scrolls as well). Also, background images should not be massive in size, this could slow down your site a lot. Always keep the 56k members in mind, yes there are still some people who use Dialup Internet, like myself.
5. Templates? - It is always a good idea to change the templates around. Although, you must keep in mind that people still use 800x600 resolutions. If you put too many template mods in you're forums will get cramped and, in some cases, you'll get a horizontal scroll bar.
6. Unique? - I'm always thinking of ways to make my forums more unique then the everyone elses. I always try to balance the amount of mods I release and the mods I don't release. So I can have unique features on my forums that are only exclusive to my forums.
7. My Mods vs. Someone Elses Mods? - Who cares? If you like a mod, and can properly incorporate it into your theme, then go for it! It is, however, much cooler to have custom mods that you create yourself, but not everyone's a programmer are they?
I hope this list helps you when you create you're own themes, and always remember. Originality is the key to having a good theme.
