Site Design Contest Preliminaries

[Osmose]

One of the things that are hopefully going to be a part of the new Charas are multiple site themes. Different colorsets for people who hate blue or who just like a change of pace. It seems that quite a few of us are skilled at normal graphics editing as well as spriting, plus it's not that far of a jump anyway.

I'm hoping to have a contest to make a bunch of website designs that may possibly be used as alternative themes for the website after the server switch and code update. People will create designs (whether it be an HTML page or just a mock up image of how it should look) and we choose the top ones to be added as site themes.

This is not the official start of the contest - rules and guidelines are still up in the air: Do we require adherence to loose XHTML(Basically no tables, lots of div tags and stylesheets)? Are we going to give the users a set of styles to define to increase modularity? XSIL? Most of that normal people don't understand, but since this is a website design contest, at least a working knowledge of basic HTML is needed. Even if you don't know any HTML, you can team up with someone who does and have them chop up a nice image you made and turn it into a website.

Regardless, this thread is for showing off what you have in mind if you decide to enter - get some feedback from other members and from people who might be judges come contest time. There has not been a date set yet mainly because the contest hinges on something that isn't quite solid yet - the new server and our plans for it. But that's no reason not to make some mock-up pages or images. Here's some simple requirements that will probably be part of the finals:

-Must be able to be displayed at at least 800 pixels wide for 800x600 resolutions. It can be maxed out width at that point, and it can be made to stretch, but we want to cater to most everyone. This may possibly be upgraded to 1024 for 1024x768.

-It must include a spot for main news, main site navigation, 10 most recent forum posts, languages, and links to the generators. These can be switched up creatively - I want someone to make a Wii Channels theme, where each channel could link to each one of these things instead of having them all displayed at once.

-It's got to have a spot for Google Ads. Alex has requested that we keep them on to help support the site, because they do, in fact, help. If you don't remember what they look like thanks to adblock, disable it for a minute and you'll see.

That's about it. You can bend the rules for your design and make it bigger, since this is only an early-on thing and not the final judging, so don't take it too seriously. I hope you guys think up some new ways for Charas  to look!

(Oh, and Charas Blue will certainly still be an option in the new server)

[Daetyrnis]

Seems interesting.  Since we will most likely have numerous themes, that means that most anyone can tryout, right?  I know a decent amount of HTML and CSS, I'm a spriter, and I'm not too horrible with Ye Olde PhotoShop.

*Jumps on*

[Archem]

Here's an idea: What about making a skin where you can choose a personalized color scheme? Like, the skin would consist of threeish colors (you'd be able to pick your skin under user controls or something), and you can choose what those three colors would be. It could be more than three, or less even, and you could include the option to place a single image (or mebe not) as a background or something, so that people could have that really personal touch added, but without having to have an accepted/approved site skin.

What say you? Too much work? Not really worth it?

[Meiscool-2]

mke charas lik myspace!1

[Arcanagirl]

so these forums are all based on Xhtml and html? What about phpbb themes?

[Osmose]

I'm assuming PHPBB themes are just packages of certain-named images and stylesheets that dictate what the forum looks like. And because our forum code is unique (IE not PHPBB), no, we don't use those.

There's no DOCTYPE header on the pages, meaning we're HTML/PHP, although we do use stylesheets, but for what I don't know yet. But this is all moot unless you actually know a lot about the different ways of making a website (IE HTML, PHP, XML, XSIL, Javascript, CGI, Perl, etc.)

Regardless, customizing forum colors is an easy task, and probably will be worked in to special themes that allow for it, but right now I'm just looking for people who want to make special themes that look cool, more than just basic colors.

[ZeroKirbyX]

So is this a design for the forum or the main site page?

[Osmose]

Preferably? Both. But if you can only think up a theme for one or the other, that's fine. I'm really holding out for a Wii-styled Charas, HINT HINT NUDGE NUDGE PLEAD PLEAD.

[Arcanagirl]

humm I know some about html and php, enough to customize and run my own site, but a theme for both...Now I am currently running phpnuke platinum that allows the forums to run within the php nuke system without adding a phpbb.

However not all themes work with all php sites, so if I was to attempt a site theme(not sure on forums yet, need more info), then I would need to know what type of Portal Charas is using. If charas is run off pure php and style sheets without a single for of portal, then I would need a template stylesheet of the site so I can properly make a working theme without causing errors or issues...


Unless I just used my site as a template and just made a picture for the site scripters to view and then make themselves.


Sorry for all the questions, just trying to see if this is within my limits as a scripter...

[Razor]

Originally posted by Osmose
I'm really holding out for a Wii-styled Charas, HINT HINT NUDGE NUDGE PLEAD PLEAD.

[A Forgotten Legend]

that actually looks neat in my opinion.

[Osmose]

It's only the beginning of how sexy the entire site would with Wii Channels and everything.

Jenna: If you want to make a theme, just make a theme. Make an HTML page and put some mockups of what's needed for the main page, or just make a mockup in photoshop and do the same thing. There is no set template system that we have access to right now (Hence the preliminaries).

You've gotta understand that we don't have code access right now. Alex is working on changing that, but even if for some reason we did use someone else's site management system (Which I'm 99% sure we don't), no one can get you a template right now. Just stop worrying about whether you can make a properly formatted theme and just make something - this isn't the final contest.

[Arcanagirl]

ok thanx, I will see what I can come up with

[Razor]

I'm glad you liked my background thing, I eventually made it my desktop.


Osmose, if you can give me some idea of what Wii channels actually look like, I might be able to get around with designing something like that.

[Archem]

It's really nice, Razor, but it need a little... Something... I'll have to get back to you on what exactly that is, once I figure it out.