Styling Help! Graphically Oriented People Please Look Here!

TheBigK

Well-known member
I'm trying to create my own style for my soon to be converted board. I must keep the header intact (as here: http://www.crazyengineers.com/forum/ ). I'm totally running out of ideas in choosing the perfect, eye-pleasing colors for -
  1. Category Strips
  2. Latest Post Container (background) In Forum Home.
  3. Navigation Menu Items.
Can someone please help? o_O
 
I see a serious flaw in this thread.

Suggestion 1. Move to Xenforo.

Suggestion 2. See suggestion 1.
 
You have an odd clash with the colors.

For example, the header is a bright red gradient into a dark red. These are both powerful colors. However, the lower rows are a very bland gray, and the white text doesn't allow for good readability, either.

I would suggest making a color palette, and picking what you want each color to be associated with. For example, on one project I associate blue to only be used in conjunction with text displaying information. For red, only for alerts and warnings.

My biggest recommendation when dealing with graphics and web design: don't look at your web site as a web site. Ignore all of the text at first, look only at the affect from it. What does it make you think and feel if you look at it for only the art? After that, I would decide on typography and fonts.

Finally, for design you have to look at the lessons of CRAP.
Make good use of CONTRAST with colors.
Make good use of REPETITION (for example, all help items are on the top right, all content specific links are at the bottom, etc).
Content should be ALIGNED properly, not randomly placed on the page. Everything has a purpose for where it is placed.
Content PROXIMITY should show a connection between related content. This is somewhat related to alignment, but includes more than just the look, but also the end user's flow of vision on your page.
 
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