Just kind of curious I guess. I've looked at some RPs where the premise is just borderline delicious, but the skin was so chaotic (or dare I say it, ugly :-/) that I just turned away.

I probably spend hours finding a skin, and then settling cause the one I wanted won't work with a sidebar etc etc. I've debated trying to make my own, but I just don't think I'm that good with design.

So, if you don't like the skin...do you still join the RP? And do you feel that if the skin doesn't fit the idea, that it's even more hardpressed to succeed?

So basically, what things do you look for in a skin? Sidebars? Pretty buttons? Fancy text and symbols? Certain lightness/darkness or colors?

All I ask for is that I don't have to squint trying to read the text. That's all. I'm not terribly picky.

Provided that I will not get a headache from reading, I could care less about skins or other design. Yes, I would prefer playing in a game which is laid out attractively, but if the story is solid and the players seem talented I'm willing to forgive some chaos.

That said, if you have neon text on a black background (or worse, a white one!), then that is insta-brain hurt and I'm afraid I'll have to pass. Since most players are practical enough to avoid that or something silly like light purple text on a slightly darker purple background (which I've seen recently), that gives me the option of joining almost anything. :)

EDIT: I am tweaking my post after recalling my second-largest Internet browsing pet peeve. SMALL FONTS. Oh my sweet and loveable bunnies, people, what compels you to use 6pt font? I am old and crotchety, and you will lose me -- and other players, potentially fantastic ones -- if I have to squint at the screen. Struggling to make sense of written text just because it's too small for me to read is silly, and yet I encounter that problem on a regular basis. It's the same for folks who insist on messing with the default font size in their posts on forums. Why? Most forums average out between 8 and 10pt font. Why go smaller? It doesn't make you look unique, lads and ladies, but it does want to make me cry.

All I need out of a skin is a font that's easy on the eyes (large enough that I can read it without struggling, and reasonably distinct from the background (Not like this or this)

Bonus points if the layout is organized and all important threads are easy to access.

I agree with everyone else, as long as the skin isn't distracting or obnoxious, it doesn't really turn me away from a board. However, a great looking skin just catches my attention faster and makes me want to explore further. So basically, doesn't hurt but could definitely help.

I usually don't put too much stock in a skin, so long as it's legible and not god-awful ugly. I am more likely to turn away, though, if I find the skin unappealing or disorganized in some way. Sidebars are find but not necessary. The content and a friendly group are all that really matters.

In my opinion, since the skin/graphics would be the first thing a guest sees in your board, it's equal to a person's first impression of it (that and the advertisements, of course). Usually, if a board is omgsupermegaawesome enough, I couldn't care less about the skin, but if it's just average and I'm just looking around with no real intention to join, the skin might change that. I'm a bit shallow that way but hey :p I'm probably not the only one.

Excessively bright color combinations and mixed-up codes throw me off, though. The former burns my eyes out and the latter make me think the admin don't know quite what they're doing. :sweat:

I'm not too picky when it comes to skins. So long as the text is easy to read, and the skin isn't some bright and blinding colour.

It's actually very important to me. I don't really want to go to a site that I can't stand the graphics and skin of. So really, when I click on a site link, I usually just look at the skin first, and if I don't like it, I immediately click that little red X.

I'm more likely to look around at a site with an attractive skin that catches my eye when I'm on an advertising spree. For example, Sunday's old future-HP site was one of the cutest that I'd ever seen, and the skin itself made me want to look around and figure out what the site was all about. An attractive skin alone is most definitely not enough to get me on your site, but I'm more likely to look around and read your plot and whatnot if the skin is unique and catches my eye.

The only must-have when it comes to skins is that it be easy to read, like many others who replied here already said. A skin can be cute and unique and catch my eye, but that doesn't actually matter if I can't read the posts.

I joined Sunday's board after an advertising spree... couldn't bring myself to close the window.

There is a lot to be said for a nice layout. Presentation is everything, in anything - it's the way human nature works. I will be more likely to join a game with a good skin, than a game of the same calibre that has a bad skin. It's simple as that. Finding a game I like is the difficult part.

In as far as setting up my own game goes, the skin is uber-uber important. The layout of Tally is a reflection on me, and my ability to run a game. I know that. This is why I've spent four days (so far) working on the new skin. It's why I skin my own, because I can't find anything out there that works.

Skins that have the ability to turn me away, are generally dark on dark, extremely light - both with impossible to read text, an obnoxiously bright colour (flouro green, orange, red and hot pink) without another colour to balance it out, excessive images (and I mean, pictures in every forum description, sidebar chockers) - I'm on dialup here!, and extremely broken code.

Skins that are broken upset me... it makes me all... twitchy...

I don't care about skins very much at all. Both of my forums have relatively simple skins. However, text should be able to be read and should flow in well with the skin color scheme.

The skin of a board should not matter and for me, it doesn't. It's the storyline, the plots, the activity of a board. Which is ironic because low activity on a board makes me want to join while an rpg having around 200 people makes me feel...uncomfortable. I don't know why.

But I digress. Skins are important -- and it doesn't have to be appealing just kind to the reader's eyes. Bright skins with BRIGHT text completely jerks me away from the site. And far too happy skins creep me out. O_O;;;

i'm a visual person.
film studies major at fault.
so it doesn't have to be fantabulous.
but it has to show they give effort.
i mean there ARE sites that will help you with graphics AND skins.
so you don't even really have to do all the work.
that being said, since it's a bit easier to fancy up the site, i say it does matter.

to me it's like dating. first i have to think they're somewhat attractive. a good decent. then i focus on the personality. if i can't stand looking at them then well i can't even try talking to them.

same with boards. and i sound WAY shallow but that's my opinion and i'm sticking to it.

If it isn't my board then I can deal with a skin not being fantastic so long as either the plot or the people make up for it. However when I'm putting my name to something I like it look pretty, because ultimately it is the first impression people are going to get of the board and well, I need to be able to look at it for long periods of time without wanting to cry. That said, really dark skins, info written with no proper capitalisation/punctuation or really stupidly small text for posts are always going to have me running in the opposite direction faster than a not exactly fantastic skin would. I do however think that if you are going to take the time to have a pretty skin and graphics you should change all the buttons to match, but I’m just OCD about things like that.

I feel really picky now. >.> xD
but I'm veeeeery choosy with skins.
If I click on a board and don't like the skin, I'm straight up to that little x in the corner.
I'm very shallow with RPGs I suppose.
As for sidebars, I personally adore them and tend to use them a lot.
What annoys me is people having like black backgrounds and then having a graphic to say "canons and originals" only with a blinding white background against the black. It isn't hard to change it to transparent ;( But yeah.

Basically the only thing that will turn me away from a board is the game itself. The members, the staff, the premise or the rules. These are the things that put me off. However, like has been said, it can't hurt. People have issues with skins that aren't well colour-coded --colours that are too close together, for example.

I think it can only be a good sign if an admin takes the time to work out how colours go together, do their research on what works and what doesn't, what skins best fit their board, or, best of all, taking the time to create their own skin. People will be taking time to play at these games, so it's only fair you give them something they enjoy looking at.

i'd say the skin i chose is pretty relevant and unique as it actually creates (i hope anyway) a comic book stylistic sense to visitors to the board, with a slightly comic style font especially

Skins are pretty important to me. I hate seeing everyone using the same skin also that they've downloaded from a pre-made skin download site. I don't know, I don't think that is very original and I especially hate it when I am site surfing and see that same skin in all of the sites that I've just surfed through. Original skins are the best for me, even if they aren't as pretty as the pre-made ones. At least it shows that the admin in question busted their butt making it.

There was a site I almost joined and they had a full screen and a half of 'news' before you got to the threads. And it wasn't just on the main page, it was on EVERY PAGE. So every time you went to check on a topic, you had to go past all that.

yeah that sucks, and for some reason, i think it's a mac orientated problem, on the occasional invisionfree site, the width of the page is beyond ridiculous, so yeah that's already angst worthy in my book

Skin choice only really matters if you've made a very good or a very bad choice, I think. Most people will join a site with an ok skin. As long as it doesn't hurt and is easy enough to look at - it's ok. If it does hurt or is hard to read, a lot of people are turned away.

Likewise, if you have a very good skin people are going to appreciate it more than if it was an ok skin (especially if it looks good and you made it yourself, because we assume work has gone into it). If it suits the genre (I went to a horror site that had Finch's ? skin - such a bad choice. I spent five minutes laughing at the 'wecome to hell' sign at the top of the sidebar) and looks like the admin has put work into it often looks better, even if the skin itself isn't all that great.

I personally love NMTB's skin, but I want to change it because I didn't make it myself so it's not our skin. So far I have taken weeks and weeks to skin a new one, though, so it may still be up for a bit xD

Very. I join because of how it looks AND because of the people's activity on the boards. Plus, I'll read the OOC and see how friendly people are!

I hate too light skins, they hurt my eyes and I just don't enjoy it at all.. I've always used dark skins in the past but I've been leaning to lighter ones too lately, as long as my eyes can take the colors

And the text has to be a normal size, not too small where you have to grab a pair of binoculars to read it, and I hate the huuuge sized text too

So, if you don't like the skin...do you still join the RP?
I will admit; I am a graphics *horde*. I like to see skins that are unique and not ideal to the basic.

And do you feel that if the skin doesn't fit the idea, that it's even more hardpressed to succeed?
I never really have an idea of a skin being fit to the idea of the site. Though having a site about monsters with a skin full of poppy flowers would freak me out and push me a way a little bit.

So basically, what things do you look for in a skin? Sidebars? Pretty buttons? Fancy text and symbols? Certain lightness/darkness or colors?
Again; nothing towards the default. Custom skin (that are not used by others or mass produced), light on dark another good plus. Sidebars are not necessary but I use it only for the fact I like to keep people updated on new things like IC events and the sorts.

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As for my own site; I got tired for looking for a site skin that would fit the idea of my own site so I gave in and went for it and made my own from pips to the itty bitty buttons no one else look at. Plus I have several different color choices so players can choose what skin will be easy on their eyes.

I guess you could say that I'm picky. It has to be pretty decent looking. The colors can't be blinding and the font must be readable and not like size 7 font where you have to squint just to read it.

I don't have a preference between light, dark or in between. It just can't be weird looking where colors don't go with colors or make weird combinations.

I would much rather see that the admin of a game busted their tail on creating a solid world and accompanying game, as well as an equally strong community.

I skin all my forum layouts, because I'm picky and everything has to be so-so. If there's one flaw I tend to freak out and baleet and start over. xD

Layouts are important! I mean, first thing is plot and community of course, but I refuse to even affiliate with a forum thats layout is ugly or clashy or just... wrong o_o

I dont care about colors, as long as they're pretty. I like a nice, light contrast that can be pulled off well- certain shades of green and purple, but not blinding green and red o_o Text needs to be readable. I like sleek, more professional looking layouts. Sidebars as a nice plus<3 But I've bseen layouts work without them nicely. So yeah.

I find it quite important, I am highly effected by those sorts of things and I like it to show me the mood of the site.

It at least has to look good or I won't both reading a single line. I want to see that the admins have taste and put time into their rp. If it looks like a twelve year old threw it together and there's lots of bright flash count me out. In fact I'll run from the room as if it were about to go up in flames.

The stuff can be made by places like IFSZ or Red Carpet. I don't care if the staff themself has the skill, as long as they went through the work of looking up skins, etc. I mean come on, with all the resources out there... it's not rocket science.

Also "0" font... just noose me now. No, just no.

My opinion on skins is pretty simple- if I don't like the look of the forum, I won't join. I'm a visual arts student, so aesthetics and appearance are a big part. A skin conveys the mood of a forum and also makes you want to keep reading. If you cannot even READ the text, well, there's no reason to try. If you cannot see what something says at a glance, there's no point trying to roleplay there.

So, if you don't like the skin...do you still join the RP?
Nope. :P If I don't like how it looks, I won't be able to continually visit the site. The skin is the first thing you notice. If I can't look at it for an extended period of time, I won't get very far. :/

And do you feel that if the skin doesn't fit the idea, that it's even more hardpressed to succeed?
I think that making a skin appropriate for your forum is a big thing.

So basically, what things do you look for in a skin? Sidebars? Pretty buttons? Fancy text and symbols? Certain lightness/darkness or colors?
I personally don't like pretty buttons. Too much fading and colours, shine and chrome... nuhuh. I like using text for links for replies, or just easy-to-read images e__e;

One thing I HATE is when the header image does not match the skin e__e;

I generally prefer sites with hand-coded skins. It shows dedication and it MATCHES. It's also more original and you can customise it.

What do I look for in a skin? Hmm. Readability is number one. If you have a #000 bg with #fff, that's really, really stark and bright. I like having it so you have a medium dark bg with light text, or vice versa. Colours that don't work well make me sad, too. Small fonts anger me. Small line-heights anger me even more.

I just like to be able to read things, and for what I'm reading to look pretty. That's all I ask~ <3

And here's a self-pimp: Skinning IF: how to use the CSS and HTML templates (and how to edit other skins, too!)

It's really not as hard as it looks. I think... the world of roleplaying would be a much better place if people could at least edit the skins they find. Like, change the purple in a header image or something. If you can find where the image is and have the ability to edit it to match your header, it might look a bit better!

The skin is definately important to me. If the colors are too bright and make my eyes bleed, I'm not even going to spend a minute browsing the place, let alone join. However, as long as the skin is of a reasonable colorscheme and my eyes are fine with it, I won't be turned away if it's not my favorite colors.

That being said, a nice skin can draw me in. It's definately a good starting point when looking at a board. You can generally assume that if the skin is nice then the admins are experienced and the site is probably going to be decent.

I can't lie and say that looks aren't important to me. If I think a site has a hideous skin, I'll leave it almost immediately. Even if the skin is gorgeous, it may be too detailed and confusing which will also force me to make my exit.

A good skin, to me, should be easy on the eyes with subtle contrasts here and there (greys and one or two saturated colors, for example. Meliora is grey and maroon right now). It should be as simple as possible while still reflecting the mood of the site. I prefer skins that show that a bit of effort has been put into them, but tons of pictures and different fonts are eventually just clutter.

I actually recall a few times when I've gone to look at a site which had a bad skin or no skin at all, and I've just looked the other way. I don't know why I do that, I'm just picky I guess.

When it comes to choosing a skin for my own site, I spend a long time choosing a good one, then I spend a long time trying to figure out if it's working with the site at all. (Which I am currently doing right now.)

The skin and all the graphics that go with it are pretty important to me. Why? Well, the way I see it, if you take time into making your site look nice, members will appreciate that you have taken an effort and will most likely stay. Of course, it isn't everything, and I think the skin is just one thing to think about when joining a site.

A good skin will definitely help, it shows a good effort by the Admins to make their site attractive to potential members.A good skin will get up my initial interest in an RP, but at the end of it I stay for a good plot/concept. If I really like a plot the only part of the skin that will be a deal breaker is if the text is difficult to read.

The skin is important to me in that if I have to control-+ or highlight text (or god forbid both) to read your board, I'm not going to app there.

I prefer simple, clean lines, and a modicum of customization. I don't mind pre-made skins, because frankly, why reinvent the wheel? I have better things to do with my time than make a skin from scratch, because that's the work I do for a living and I'm not interested in wasting time on it for my hobby. XD Some people love skinning. I do not, so I don't bother with it. With that being said, my skin CHOICE is always very careful, and I make my own headers; I tend to keep those simple, too, as I have an aesthetic disagreement with giant collage banners.

i want the skin to be legible, not take too long to download, and have graphics other than the default invisionfree markers.

that's about all i care about, but i am certainly more drawn to sites with better skins. if i can see that the admins have put some work into making the site look good, then it is more tempting to join.

My pet hate (that will turn me away from a site at first glance) is a header that's as tall as my laptop screen.

But apart from that I've got to the stage of looking for content over aesthetics. Yes it's brilliant if I can find a place that has both, but if the aesthetic is lacking, I usually have the option of using the forum default in my personal settings.

I have to admit, I like a pretty board, but it's not the most important thing to me. If the board is hideous (meaning that I can't stand the skin, the graphics stretch the page and clash with the skin, and if everything looks like it was thrown together in two seconds) I won't even consider it. But if it looks like somebody's put some effort into it and I like the content of the board I'll probably join.

But to kind of throw a monkey wrench into the picture, the graphics and skin of a board can be PERFECT and I might not join if the board gives off the wrong vibes or all the effort's been put into the skin and graphics and nothing else, I'm heading for the hills.