OK. I really should have gone to bed instead of finishing this... but I just couldn't stop.
So, first is an example of my proposed Title/logo using the existing theme. (Thanks for the City/Tower idea, Reep)
Clicking will give you a full-scale example.
Next is an alternate version of the title bar. I have about 8-12 options for different characters...I'll post them when I finish them (unless no one likes this part of the idea). I think we could have this version with the standard blue colors and a "dark version" in mostly black, red, and white. We'd just switch out the daytime sky in the logo with the oblivion-gate-sky background.
Now, I can't decide if there should be a different theme per character logo or if we could have it change randomly each time a page is loaded. If the random change is a possibility then we would need a version of the theme for dial-up computers... which means picking a single, static character per low-res theme (1 day & 1 night).
If you look closely, I made the head of the character pierce the border. I think that gives it more depth and interest... but might be more difficult to put into the code of the site. Anyways, this is just a brainstorm so logistics can be worked out later.
Now, my other idea was in changing the other icons on the site. For the main page icons for new posts
[
] with coins (instead of my previous idea of the Oblivion symbol) like these:
(old)
(new). Another option I was hoping for was animation... again, this comes down to whether we have specific dial-up options or not.
You may also notice, in the full scale example above, that there are two different icon sizes. I made 2 sizes: small (32px - to match the existing size) and large (50px - to fill more of the empty space and give better resolution on the coin.
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The coins aren't as crisp and clean as the default version but I think they fit the theme of the forums pretty well. I created the animated coins using images from the internet of the official real-life Septim that ships with the special collectors edition of the game and the edge of an American Quarter with some color and contrast tweeks and lots of stretching. I scaled it down after animating. Here it is full scale:
[Sorry, I liked the end result and had to show it off!]
Another change I might suggest is changing the stars (below the user avatar in a post) into gemstones. This would be another simple change to make. We'd just have to pick colors that would fit each theme (light & dark) and not blend in. [The current system has different color stars for each type of user (regular, moderator, administrator) I think Diamond (white), Ruby (red), and Emerald (green) would each stand out against either sky blue or black. Diamond should be Administrator (Igiss)... and whichever one looks better in both themes should be for general users.
Don't forget to submit ideas for changing each of these icons:
We don't have to change them at all, since they are very efficient as they are... but if we can do it just as well with an icon that matches the theme, even better.
So, let me know what you think about my ideas for the new logo. Any changes in font, tweeks I should make, errors I missed, or reasons we should throw it out all together and do something better. Just let me know. You won't hurt my feelings and all suggestions have a chance of improving the end result. Let's hear it... and submit ideas of your own, too!
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