Layout and design improvement

[Monovertex]

I'm creating this thread for any design suggestions I might have.

• First off, a thing that really popped in my eyes, the spoiler button. That glow is definitely too large and it's quite distasteful, in my opinion. It doesn't go with the rest of the theme.
  
  Also, I feel there are too many animations going on when opening / hiding. That is especially troublesome if there is a lot of content in the spoiler, as it'll degrade performance. There's slide-out from the top to the bottom, as well as from the left to the right, I think there's also fade-in (not sure) and the content also slides a bit from the left into its final position.
  
  In my experience, you would be better off using no effect at all, as the user does not care as much about these effects. But if you really want to use something, I think a simple and fast slide-down is sufficient.

• The pop-up (for editing, not sure where else it is used) has a really big shadow, as well as a large border. It's more like the modern web to use no border at all and a simple shadow that should just separate the background from the pop-up.
  
  Also, the content sometimes has rounded borders, sometimes not and because of that there are some small white triangles.

• I know I created the logo, but now I'm not fond of it anymore . Are you guys open to switching to another logo, that would fit the current theme better, but still keep most of it's style?
  
  It's the font that is bothering me, mostly.
  
  EDIT: Actually, I found the original PSD and I see that my version had another font, but I dislike that too xD. My suggestion still stands.

 

[Accname]

Agree with the spoiler-button. In general I hate all kinds of GUI animations on websites. That stuff is supposed to work and work fast. I dont want some eye candy, I want efficiency.

 

[The Helper]

I would like to see your other logo? I like the logo we had that SD_Ryoko did for us on the old vbulletin forums. We had a contest and everything for that. I still do not know how to tweak the other stuff in Xenforo but that is a good starting place for me to start looking how to change that stuff.

I mainly use the spoilers to try to help page load times on big video or picture threads.

 

[The Helper]

Actually, if you just cut off the Gaming, multimedia stuff and replaced it with

A Community of Helpers
or
Home of the Helpers
or
something like that

 

[Monovertex]

Well, yeah, I actually won that contest, but the font is different, I'm assuming someone else changed it while I was inactive .

I will post a version in the morning, I'm really sleepy now. Stay tuned!

EDIT: I re-read your post and I realized you meant there was a contest when SD_Ryoko did the logo. I remember there was a contest when this one was made as well. Or maybe a simple poll, not really sure. I'll search for the original thread.

 

[Monovertex]

New logo version .

The transparent background version is attached as well.

 

[The Helper]

Oh cool I had forgotten about the most recent contest for the new Xenforo logo and I can add that to the looks of the site throughout out the year.

Also, I like the graphic you just did, though it is the same as the others, it has better generalized text under the site name.

 

[Monovertex]

There are some more subtle changes in the font, color and placement choices. Also, the computer has been sharpened as it seemed to blurry to me.

 

[Cat]

The side of the monitor sticking out towards the viewer looks a bit too sharp; otherwise, it looks perfect.

 

[FireCat]

The sharpness looks fine! Hmm why not change the background color?

 

[Monovertex]

The sharpness also looks fine to me. I will make one with the side a little blurred.

About the background, that is part of the theme, I think and changing the banners background colour will most probably require changing other colours as well. Not sure if this is an option, TH will have to answer that.

 

[tom_mai78101]

We should return to our purple theme colors.

 

[The Helper]

I like it. I think we should change to the new logo now Ghan?

 

[Cat]

I sat farther away from the screen, and it looks better. You all must be using a better computer than me.

 

[tom_mai78101]

I sat farther away from the screen, and it looks better. You all must be using a better computer than me.

I doubt it.

 

[Monovertex]

I am rather thinking that you have a high sharpness setting on your monitor .

 

[tom_mai78101]

I am rather thinking that you have a high sharpness setting on your monitor .

With my Intel Graphics Card? Puh-lease.

 

[Monovertex]

I was actually talking to Cat . Or do you think it's too sharp as well?

 

[Cat]

Is there a way to do this? I'm running Debian with the primary drivers, not the non-free drivers.

 

[Monovertex]

I am actually talking about the monitor, not software settings. I was assuming you're on a desktop, not a laptop. You can probably do that on a laptop as well, through the software, but I have no idea how on Windows, nor Linux.

BTW, those are not non-free, but rather proprietary drivers. As far as I know, if you don't use that laptop commercially, you have no problems using them. A lot of people don't want to use them simply because they want to have only open source software on their computer and those drivers are not, but I think that's just being picky.