Forum Icons & EQTV Staff

[Discordian 6,015]

The Everfree Forest is an ominous, black tree and I am the hermit who lives there.

 

No seriously, I spend most of my time in the Everfree Forest, particularly the Media section. GO ELECTRONICS AND ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA!!!!

 

I shall do my utmost not to disappoint as a member of the staff. *Takes a bow*

[3005 332]

 

I don't care if it took him three days to make them, and that he had to redo some of them. I care about how they look, and how they make the forum look. I honestly think they make the forum look like a cluster-fuck. We have about 18 sections, so it's much nicer to look at if the icons are either all the same, like before, or, if you do have to have different icons for each section, make them more minimalistic. I don't like these icons. At all.

 

 

I think you could've conveyed your message in a more constructive way that doesn't come off as rude and mean. As I said in my prior post, I love the icons individually, just not how they look together, but I voiced it in a civil manner because I respect that Chaotic Discord and Silver Marcato took time out of their day to dedicate themselves to create something that they didn't have to; you should appreciate that too. 

[Princess Periwinkle 3,775]

I see the Sugarcube Corner icon has been updated. I think, by itself, it is loads better. On the other hand, look at it next to the icons above and below it.

 

 

It's sort of... three different (and slightly clashy) shades of pink/purple. I just don't think they look all that good together. While each icon has its own personal merit, they just don't go with each other.

 

Not sure how best to change this, unless the style gets switched up to a more minimalist silhouette sorta thing with all icons the same color (I think that might be pretty cool).

 

There's my idea. Too bad I can't do graphics. ^.^

[Marcato 2,143]

Keep the constructive and positive feedback coming folks! I'm reading every post in this thread, and thinking on each. I'll be gone between Monday and Friday, but when I get back I'll be going through the whole thread and deciding what should be done!

 

I really appreciate the suggestions guys!

[NavelColt 22,882]

I see the Sugarcube Corner icon has been updated. I think, by itself, it is loads better. On the other hand, look at it next to the icons above and below it.

 

Screen Shot 2013-07-07 at 1.20.42 AM.png

 

It's sort of... three different (and slightly clashy) shades of pink/purple. I just don't think they look all that good together. While each icon has its own personal merit, they just don't go with each other.

 

Not sure how best to change this, unless the style gets switched up to a more minimalist silhouette sorta thing with all icons the same color (I think that might be pretty cool).

 

There's my idea. Too bad I can't do graphics. ^.^

 

I don't really know what there is to do here, honestly, asides from completely re-choose new icons for one or two of those sections, something I'm not too keen on jumping on. I personally don't see the problem at all. Honestly, like it or not, pink and purple have huge roles in this show's color scheme for characters and things alike.

 

That said, I'm wondering if the border for Twilicorn can be made better somehow. I myself suggested silver to Silver (hurr), but it seems a tad...dark? I'm not sure.

 

Other than some of these major switches to individual icons, I think after a couple days we just need to give ourselves a week or two to get used to them, see how many of the existing issues still remain.

[Quilava 1,290]

I don't really know what there is to do here, honestly, asides from completely re-choose new icons for one or two of those sections, something I'm not too keen on jumping on. I personally don't see the problem at all. Honestly, like it or not, pink and purple have huge roles in this show's color scheme for characters and things alike.

 

That said, I'm wondering if the border for Twilicorn can be made better somehow. I myself suggested silver to Silver (hurr), but it seems a tad...dark? I'm not sure.

 

Other than some of these major switches to individual icons, I think after a couple days we just need to give ourselves a week or two to get used to them, see how many of the existing issues still remain.

 

For the border, I have a couple of possible suggestions

 

Check out the following Hex codes:

 

A brighter silver - CDCDCD (kind of funny...the colour you were sort of looking for is just your initials )

Light-ish Blue - c0d9d9

Light Pink (Salmon almost) - ffcbfe

 

Hope this helps~

[ProjectRKA 2,848]

I think you could've conveyed your message in a more constructive way that doesn't come off as rude and mean. As I said in my prior post, I love the icons individually, just not how they look together, but I voiced it in a civil manner because I respect that Chaotic Discord and Silver Marcato took time out of their day to dedicate themselves to create something that they didn't have to; you should appreciate that too. 

What's so mean about it ? I'm just sharing what I think about the new icons, and I might have done that in a harsh way, but so what ? Jeez.....

[3005 332]

What's so mean about it ? I'm just sharing what I think about the new icons, and I might have done that in a harsh way, but so what ? Jeez.....

 

Why potentially put others down for the sake of forum icons? If you're going to voice your disapproval, you need to ensure your civility in doing so. Nothing gets resolved by saying, "I don't like these forum icons. At all" or having a negative attitude.

[Shift 4,272]

THEY'RE SO FANCY

 

Anyway, love the look! I just came here to see the cool stuff and honestly I should get back to playing LOE now.

[Discovery Dream 592]

The icons look awesome, but why do we care so much about looking all professional? It's just a fan convention, it's a fun thing but I don't think it's a contest...I mean, if we're trying to attract new members, great! But the forums are already awesome enough to attract attention on their own.

 

I like the icons better than the signposts though xD

[NavelColt 22,882]

The icons look awesome, but why do we care so much about looking all professional? It's just a fan convention, it's a fun thing but I don't think it's a contest...I mean, if we're trying to attract new members, great! But the forums are already awesome enough to attract attention on their own.

 

I like the icons better than the signposts though xD

 

It's not just about the forums anymore, though :3 We plan on expanding a fair bit. And true, it's not a competition, but I think customizing icons is just a natural thing a forum should strive to do, and we've not done it for way too long, imo.

[Batbrony 16,055]

Personally I really like the new icons.  Kind of came as a blindside simply because I hadn't seen any previous announcement of their development, but overall it was a very pleasant surprise!  I'm sure we'll get some new ones in the future, but for now these ones look very nice.  Thanks very much Silver Marcato and CD for tackling this together!!! 

[Discordian 6,015]

The icons look awesome, but why do we care so much about looking all professional? It's just a fan convention, it's a fun thing but I don't think it's a contest...I mean, if we're trying to attract new members, great! But the forums are already awesome enough to attract attention on their own.

 

I like the icons better than the signposts though xD

For some of us the professionalism of things we work on can be used for other purposes such as something to put on a resume or in a portfolio to use in future career or educational opportunities. We want to make things look good, not just for the fans, but to improve how we look to other brony communities or to prove that we really do put the effort in to make the forum experience as smooth as possible.

 

It's about the integrity of the matter more than anything else.

Edited July 7, 2013 by Discordian

[Vicke 3,189]

I appreciate the work and time that you have put into this, but i am not a fan of it. 

I prefer just to have the simple arrowhead and nothing more. It simple and it looks nice. 

Edited July 7, 2013 by Vicke

[Nas 2,873]

Why potentially put others down for the sake of forum icons? If you're going to voice your disapproval, you need to ensure your civility in doing so. Nothing gets resolved by saying, "I don't like these forum icons. At all" or having a negative attitude.

I get that you're trying to support the icons, and I truly respect you for that, but what you're saying my friend is doing is a bit too much. He isn't putting people down at all, he's just doing what this thread is here for, voicing is opinion on it. You and me both think that Silver and CD did a fantastic job on them, but no one ever said everyone has to like something.

[Klopp 2,050]

Are they perfect? No. However, here's the thing: BronyCon is in one month, and in my opinion, having a line of the same exact image for every forum would not only look incredibly lazy, but would also be a one-up on us that many other sites would have, as they may have individualized icons.

 

I'd like to know where your logic comes from here. Having a bunch bland signs may not be the best thing on earth, but they are always going to be better than poorly designed clusterfuck of colors that ruin the very first image that anyone will see of the website.

 

 

Let me break it down for you. Like what Mr. Legalize Dylan stated, they are not bad individually, but together they look horrendous. The colors clash, the color tone of each one is inconsistent, and each one should be a consistent width and height to avoid unevenness. Not to mention the character database is still the same old bland sign you had for it before, which only magnifies the inappropriate clashing already present within the new icons, made even worse with the Pony.FM icon as well.

 

The main thing that bothers me the most about it, though, is that it throws off the entire balance of the forum index. You have to look at every graphic as if it has it's own weight to it. Light colors "weigh" less, while darker colors have a much heavier feel to them. And just as well, larger graphics become heavier than smaller ones. The new graphics are both larger and darker than everything on the right side of the forums, making all of the icons far more attention grabbing than everything else on the whole page. Everyones eyes will be drawn to those images, pulling their attention away from the status-updates, recent topics, and everything else found on the sidebar.

 

They also do not comply with the entire theme of the whole forums. They feel completely out of place, being a completely different art style than the rest of the entire forums. They need to be more pastel colors like the rest of the forums are, or they will ALWAYS look out of place here. The signs from before, while I was never a fan of them, at least looked like they belonged here.

 

So essentially what you have done by adding these new icons is:

• Created a poorly balanced index.

   

• Thrown a large chunk of harmful inconsistency into the theme.

   

• Created a large distraction from everything that is not one of the new icons on the index.

   

• Thrown an unnecessary clash of colors into something that needs no colors at all.

 

And in case none of that got into anyone's head...

^Do these two icons really look good next to each other?

 

No, they look like shit. Sorry to break it to you.

Edited July 7, 2013 by Klopp

[Concord 1,982]

Hello!

 

Nothing too amazing, but personally, I think they fit in with the overall design of the forums quite nicely. The main objective is not to get carried away with these little additions. Too many of these little enchantments might ruin the whole look.
 

Edited July 7, 2013 by Concord

[Fluttershyfan94 5,742]

Yeah, cool icons.. Didn't notice them right away but yeah they just add a little more fun to the forum. All heil Feld0! lol

Seriously I like it.

[Concord 1,982]

 Hello!

 

I'd like to know where your logic comes from here. Having a bunch bland signs may not be the best thing on earth, but they are always going to be better than poorly designed clusterfuck of colors that ruin the very first image that anyone will see of the website.

 

 

 

Having just read your opinion, and looked at the icons for a second time from your point of view, I have to agree a little... You opened my eyes there buddy!

The tricky part is, how can one make such icons that look nice both, together and individuadlly? It's a really tough job. These things are usually a pain for really experienced website designers. Not to mention how much colour has to be worked with on a pony forum. I think we should keep these icons as a very base, and gradually improve them. If someone already has something better to offer, I'm sure the staff are all ears for you.

 

Perhaps, if I really had to tell you what I like and what I don't about these icons, I could do just that by giving an example of these two.

 

1.

 

2.

 

For example, I don't like that such a massive object like the Canterlot Castle was used for an Icon. Such massive objects usually don't make great icons, as they need to be cropped hard. I like the first icon I showed you just because it's simple and it works for me. My suggestion would be, find some some alternative objects that would be more simple. A crown could work for the castle, or a scepter.

 

Edited July 7, 2013 by Concord

[Planty 1,053]

Hmm, wow I've not even noticed them yet..... and I've been on the forum all day :S!

 

Ill go have a quick look and see if i can find these things hehe

And can i just add, the text at the bottom of thw page (I think it's the taggs of the post?) seems to have bugged a bit and written over themselves slightly (not sure if it's just me seeing this or not)!

 

EDIT: Yeah they look cool (in general) great job guys !

 

Yeah there are a few that could do with a little bit of improvement (you can ALWAYS improve :3)!

Edited July 7, 2013 by Happy Plant

[Klopp 2,050]

 

 

The tricky part is, how can one make such icons that look nice both, together and individuadlly? It's a really tough job.

 

 

Indeed it does take some time to get it looking just right, but taking the time is much better than simply rushing head-on all for the sake of Bronycon.

[Princess Periwinkle 3,775]

Having just read your opinion, and looked at the icons for a second time from your point of view, I have to agree a little... You opened my eyes there buddy!

 

Interesting thing... the very same happened to me. On the other hand, this made me think that if I didn't really notice this at first, it couldn't be that bad... Right?

 

I'm still rooting for a more simplistic style. I don't mind keeping the ones we have at all, but apparently forum icons are a big issue...

 

EDIT: and by "simplistic style" I mean a two-color scheme for all of the icons. Maybe a background shape and a silhouette on top with a slightly darker shade of the same color.

Edited July 7, 2013 by Sky Chaser

[Planty 1,053]

I'd like to know where your logic comes from here. Having a bunch bland signs may not be the best thing on earth, but they are always going to be better than poorly designed clusterfuck of colors that ruin the very first image that anyone will see of the website.

 

 

Let me break it down for you. Like what Mr. Legalize Dylan stated, they are not bad individually, but together they look horrendous. The colors clash, the color tone of each one is inconsistent, and each one should be a consistent width and height to avoid unevenness. Not to mention the character database is still the same old bland sign you had for it before, which only magnifies the inappropriate clashing already present within the new icons, made even worse with the Pony.FM icon as well.

 

The main thing that bothers me the most about it, though, is that it throws off the entire balance of the forum index. You have to look at every graphic as if it has it's own weight to it. Light colors "weigh" less, while darker colors have a much heavier feel to them. And just as well, larger graphics become heavier than smaller ones. The new graphics are both larger and darker than everything on the right side of the forums, making all of the icons far more attention grabbing than everything else on the whole page. Everyones eyes will be drawn to those images, pulling their attention away from the status-updates, recent topics, and everything else found on the sidebar.

 

They also do not comply with the entire theme of the whole forums. They feel completely out of place, being a completely different art style than the rest of the entire forums. They need to be more pastel colors like the rest of the forums are, or they will ALWAYS look out of place here. The signs from before, while I was never a fan of them, at least looked like they belonged here.

 

So essentially what you have done by adding these new icons is:

• Created a poorly balanced index.

   

• Thrown a large chunk of harmful inconsistency into the theme.

   

• Created a large distraction from everything that is not one of the new icons on the index.

   

• Thrown an unnecessary clash of colors into something that needs no colors at all.

 

And in case none of that got into anyone's head...

^Do these two icons really look good next to each other?

 

No, they look like shit. Sorry to break it to you.

 

Yeah I kinda like the tree pick, but the collusium is the worst IMO.

 

And to be honest I can understand where your coming from, while being a nice idea they where not really needed and do to an extent just clutter up the forum more and make it feel less "refined" and ordered.

[Zoop 8,384]

Constructive criticism is a good thing. It allows people to take things that are flawed or otherwise not perfect and to either improve upon them, or to bring them back to the drawing board for the sake of starting over entirely if it is deemed necessary.

 

What is not a good thing, is being overly negative to the point that rather than providing good criticism for something you dislike, you simply attack it. Why do that? All it does is spread negativity and bad feels, while making you look like a jackass. 

 

Consider that the person that created these icons is a human being - he has emotions just like all of you (I hope), and doesn't need to have those emotions shit upon by people that can't be assed to be a tiny bit delicate with how they word things.

 

Don't like them? Great - I'll admit that I'm not a fan of all of them either, but don't act like a jackass, please.

[3005 332]

I get that you're trying to support the icons, and I truly respect you for that, but what you're saying my friend is doing is a bit too much. He isn't putting people down at all, he's just doing what this thread is here for, voicing is opinion on it. You and me both think that Silver and CD did a fantastic job on them, but no one ever said everyone has to like something.

 

I'm not disputing that; he can dislike the icons all he likes, that's not what I'm arguing. I'm saying the manner in which he's articulating his opinion is really immature. Instead of constructively criticizing them, he's giving his opinion in a unhelpful, mean way. I thought this thread was to merely announce the icons, btw, rather than have people bitch and moan about it.