Design Does your forum's theme reflect its soul?

[Cedric]

They say eyes are the window to the soul - well, a theme is kind of like the window to your forum, right? Does your theme reflect what your forum is all about, or do you think it is not really that important?

Here’s the thing: the purpose of your forum and its content are what really matter.

But does one theme fit all? I can’t imagine checking out a Star Trek forum without expecting a cool space theme. I’m sure others would feel the same and probably be disappointed if it was just a plain, generic look.

A good theme can totally improve the user experience. Giving your members a choice of themes lets them make the forum feel more personal to them. If you want your members to spend a lot of time on your forum, letting them pick their theme gives them a bit more control over their space.

So here’s a question: Why did you pick the theme(s) you use? Is it something you just personally like? Did you pick it because it looks cool? Does it tie into what your forum is all about? Does it help your members enjoy the experience more?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. How have themes played a role on your forum or in your experience with other forums? What kind of feedback have you gotten from your members? Basically, what do you think about themes?

 

[Bryn]

Since I changed the skin to better reflect the advertising banner I have, pretty much so...

 

[Arantor]

I have seen a great many wild, wild takes on themes over the years.

Probably the wildest I've seen is the segment of people who get absolutely butthurt that a theme maker dares to sell their themes at $100 or more apiece for non-exclusive themes, without understanding that this is a niche where the number of people who will use such a theme is terrifyingly small, and that the effort that goes in to making such things is disproportionately high.

Apparently 'how dare you charge money for people who are just having a hobby' is a wild critical take. Mind you this is a genre of site where aesthetics are everything and the actual content/substance is... limited.

One thing I will note though, and this is especially true for Invision sites, and slightly less true for XF sites: there is a surprising amount of sites that stay on or close to the default theme with colour changes only. This of course limits the amount of theme related maintenance one must do, maximises plugin compatibility (which for XF owners in particular tends to matter), and the fact that people don't seem to mind is suggestive that as long as the colours are thematically appropriate, people care more about the content than the presentation.

 

[SarahKik]

Making skins/themes for my old Walking Dead forum was so much fun. I always tried to make them dark and grungy, with references to the comics, shows, characters etc. I still had lighter options available but they were still heavily themed, always! I think niche forums like that should lean into their genre when they can, but it's not always easy either.

 

[Cedric]

Making skins/themes for my old Walking Dead forum was so much fun. I always tried to make them dark and grungy, with references to the comics, shows, characters etc. I still had lighter options available but they were still heavily themed, always! I think niche forums like that should lean into their genre when they can, but it's not always easy either.

I remember those so well. Love each and every one of them.

 

[hungkit]

A forum theme can reflect its soul if you design content categories properly. The way your content is organized reflects priorities and interests. Clear, thoughtfully named categories guide members to contribute meaningfully aligned with the forum’s core purpose.

 

[Chris C]

A good theme can totally improve the user experience. Giving your members a choice of themes lets them make the forum feel more personal to them. If you want your members to spend a lot of time on your forum, letting them pick their theme gives them a bit more control over their space.

So here’s a question: Why did you pick the theme(s) you use? Is it something you just personally like? Did you pick it because it looks cool? Does it tie into what your forum is all about? Does it help your members enjoy the experience more?

Man I love this thread. Was just talking about this today. I plan on creating three different themes for a community I own. They will all have to appeal to me, but I was asking a friend what kind of theme she might prefer as a woman. The reason is because the themes I like personally tend to be a little on the masculine side, and I still want to attract the opposite gender as well. Another reason why I wanted at least three was because I enjoy variety and changing things up, but I want to accommodate everyone with at least something that appeals to them.

So yes, I think the themes I pick are cool in some way, and attractive. And I can only hope that after all is said and done my members feel the same way. Btw, thinking of getting not only staff but possibly membership involved in the design of the last theme, which is as of yet undetermined.

 

[Arantor]

The only downside to more themes is that it’s a higher maintenance burden - and likely as not your members will just use whatever the default is. This shouldn’t stop you, of course, just you should be informed to make appropriate resourcing decisions.

 

[Chris C]

The only downside to more themes is that it’s a higher maintenance burden - and likely as not your members will just use whatever the default is. This shouldn’t stop you, of course, just you should be informed to make appropriate resourcing decisions.

Yeah. I tend to employ up to 6-7 custom notices for each theme, which may get a bit tedious if I'm eventually keeping up with three of them on just one site alone. Was thinking of training someone to do it, but how dedicated he will be remains to be seen.

 

[Chris C]

The only downside to more themes is that it’s a higher maintenance burden - and likely as not your members will just use whatever the default is. This shouldn’t stop you, of course, just you should be informed to make appropriate resourcing decisions.

If I may, what other forms of high maintenance would I potentially be dealing with running multiple themes? Curious about what I'm getting myself into now.