And I don't see the needle as a blatant drug reference. O_o To me, when I saw the needle, drugs was the LAST thing to enter my mind.

The layout seem very sterile, clean and clinical to me. When I saw the needle, the first thing to pop into my head was hospitals and doctors. The blood splatter gave it an ominous feel, and immedietely I thought of creepy, bad hospitals with bad doctors.

I still don't think drugs when I see the image...

Needles are used for more than illegal drugs. They're used in hospitals to [b]help[/i] people all the time. They're not just for injecting things, either. They can draw blood, too.

I personally really like the banner. And the needle. It's very ominous, so I think it sets the mood quite nicely, and to me it isn't tasteless at all! :3

I also think that if someone can't handle an image of a clean needle, they probably don't belong in a dark-themed RPG. ^^;; But that's just me! ^_~

[quote]The only suggestion I have that hasn't already been made is just to remove the needle from the banner. Blood spatter and the words clearly communicate a dark, gritty sort of feel and it IS an issue trying to go further because all other images might offend someone.[/quote]

You actually have a pretty good point, and I think it's something most people would overlook, but here's my two cents: it's directly related to the [i]plot.[/i] If you can't handle a needle in the top banner, than I'm sure you can't handle the plot very well, either.

Bri [ silent cacophony @ RPG-D, yet again ]

I'm sorry my criticism wasn't more constructive; I really just wanted to bring to your attention how offensive I found the banner because I know how it is to manage an RPG - you want people to play, obviously, so turning them away = not so good. Anyway, my big point was just that needles are such a blatant drug reference. I wouldn't recommend putting, say, a line of coke or a joint up on a banner unless that was the main focus of the RPG.

The only suggestion I have that hasn't already been made is just to remove the needle from the banner. Blood spatter and the words clearly communicate a dark, gritty sort of feel and it IS an issue trying to go further because all other images might offend someone. I'm all about simplicity in graphics myself, but if that's not your thing, then I'd go with some of the above suggestions from the other poster.

I can see where the previous poster comes from as well, I also see where you come from, Nic, however I disagree with not using a subject because you've used it last time. I'll try and get my words working here, it's been a long time since I've suggested anything. *ponder*

These days, I've gone for a very, very simplified and clean approach. Catch phrases and impacting fonts, images of people - because people are relatable. Words, obviously, all RPers relate to and instead of using too much imagery to get the point across, I go for what we know.

My sister in law told me something very interesting the other week. You do not need, in a book, to go into tremendous detail for the reader to understand the look or feel of a setting. A few words, a few hints is all, keep it short - television has given people the tools they need to visualise certain blocks of text concerning scene and setting. I think the same applies to creating graphics these days.

A simple word, a simple picture - something catchy and striking will captivate without draining will on either person’s part. They can get a feel without struggling, I think, and you can get the desired effect without stretching yourself too thin.

A few suggestions for this banner:

[list][*]Make the image of the needle smaller. It’s too “I AM A NEEDLE! I R SCARY! RAWR!” A hint of the needle is, to me, much more impacting.

[*][b]Composition[/b]: It’s too linear, mess with angles for the words as well as the image of the needle itself. Condense the words so they aren’t so spread out amongst the banner getting that clean, more organised and institutional feel. Everything has order in those places, the composition of the text seems to be without order.[/list]

I can’t describe how to put these ideas together in words, so I’ll give a few examples of those ideas but with the use of people instead of an inanimate object.

http://profile.imageshack.us/user/absolutelybarmy

That first image is of an old Ert banner. The guy in it (Robert Carlyle. *drool*) has a sinister look to him, the background is dark, the words are simple and placed next to the image. Ert is a dark RPG, with lots of sinister people – it’s easy to get that impression just from the image alone. The next few images are signatures and avatars I made using those same principles. You can easily see the personality of the characters in the images.

Now, if you’re totally wanting to keep that needle do something with it, like twist it so it injects itself (or seems to) inject itself into the words. OR make it as such that it looks like the words are coming from the needle itself in blood splattered letters. But be sparing, keep the text tidy and following the same pattern.

The blood splatters should be the only colour, OR pick a word that stands out in the catch phrase and change the colour to red to match the one or two splatter brushes you’re going to use.

*ponders what else*

You know this already, but I'm going to say it again, don't be afraid to mess with values and curves and all that nonsense - you have an undo button. Don't be afraid! You've got talent, Nic, that much is obvious. Exxpaaand, woman! Expand!

I hope that made sense, at the very least, and if you need more elaboration, I’ll wrack my brain. ^_^

Other than that, keep up the good work lovey. <3

I can see where you're coming from, and I appreciate your input but the purpose of this thread is to provide constructive criticism. You've presented a problem but no solution? No suggestion at all, which made me wary of responding. I will tackle it as best I can to give a better understanding of why I went ahead with it regardless of the level of taste.

The glaring issue here is that people have problems with a lot of things. Needles, scalpels, pliers, scissors, spiders, knives, guns, rope, razors, chains, cuffs, spokes, pins, hospitals, masks, sharp teeth, mice, rats, dogs, blood, scars, burns, fire, etc. Where do we draw the line and say, 'okay. Dark theme. Do I completely censor all major phobias (many of which are listed above) and severely limit my choices or do I go with my gut and decide on impact instead?'

It's a choice I made very carefully, and if someone is still very eager to join the game despite it, then there is the option to turn off images through one's browser--they will still be able to see which buttons are reply/post/poll/locked but they will be displayed in a plainer fashion. There is also the option to manually switch over to the old layout.

It is a very small number--[i]very[/i] small if you consider the rest of the target audience (canon-friendly not post DH, Harry Potter play by post roleplaying game) and I'm prepared to take that chance. For now.

I couldn't make a dark theme without offending somebody because I simply couldn't think of an option. I didn't want to use people because I did that in the last layout. The theme is clinical. Clean. Institutionalised. The gore represents a sinister underbelly. The needle matches the clinical theme and because needles are sinister to look at, hits upon the gore side of things too.

However, banner suggestions for themes that are dark, gritty and non-offensive are very, very welcome. See if we can't solve this issue in a better way than simply accepting the loss! Even better if I only have to change the banner and not the rest. I would love you for [i]that[/i].

I don't know much about this RP, haven't browsed it much, but I get that it has a dark sort of theme, which is something I'm usually all about. The thing is, I also think a dark theme can be a dangerous line to tread. Upon browsing here, your banner immediately turned me off. I think it's teetered past edgy and right into offensive. I don't mean to be rude with all of this, I just thought I ought to point out that going that far might turn off potential new RPers.

I'm also not a prude, but the banner's hands down tasteless. Consider the people who've had problems with needles; it's not something people really want to be thinking about. It's all well and good to have an RP that's open to characters with dark issues and drug problems, but to flaunt it on a banner...?

Why thank you! I wanted to be gruesome this time : D the last layout was all very cute, if only a little creepy.

As for the division...I know there's a way...I just can't remember how. I'll have to poke around in the CSS!

I don't know if this is the place to state so....I was just browsing through RPGs who had advertised on ours (to check if their advertisement board is guest-friendly) and so I landed on an advertisement of your site...
... and I have to say I [b]LOVE---your---plot![/b] (so much, as you can see, that when I saw you wanted feedback, I immediately had to find a place where i could say it, sorry if this is the wrong place). Very original. Wonderful idea having the wizards fleeing from the muggles. Kudos to that!

And I'm liking the blood-splattered graphics as well. All the best for your site =)

Cheers,
Kyp

It's sometimes really hard to differentiate between one post and another. They tend to run into each other because there is no bar between them. When I first read this thread, for example, I thought, at first, that brii's post was part of the original post. Maybe a slightly darker colour can be added between posts. I think there was something like that in the first layout.

Other than that, I loves it here, and think the new layout is purdy.

This site needs more Dortold, plain and simple. I need to get off my lazy and actually commit to a good RP like this.