Fan Forum - Message Board Customization Process

Hi everyone,

I am getting many questions about the Graphics Team and the process that we go through to customize each message board, so I thought that I would tell you what it is exactly that we do in the hope that it will answer some of your questions.

For a list of all Graphics Team Members, see the Forum Leaders page.

WHAT WE DO
When possible, we all work to design graphics for 4 boards. Each member gets assigned to one board at first, but after they have designed one graphic for that board, they are then able to make graphics for any of the other 4 boards. Sometimes some of us are too busy with school or have other things going on so we are not able to make graphics for each round. Hence, some rounds last longer than the two weeks we set for each round.

When each board is to be (re-)customized, I start a thread on that board asking for colour and picture suggestions so that the posters on that board can let the Graphics Team know what they would like to see. These are only suggestions though; so don't expect the Graphics Team to make exactly what you say.

When enough graphics have been made (usually around 5 or more for each board), we put all of them into polls and then vote for 3 days anonymously for which ones we feel are the best.

After the 4 graphics for the 4 boards are chosen, the colours are put together and the graphics are set up on the Graphics Team board. When it is decided that the design looks good enough, the customization is set up on the actual board. Sometimes the graphic that the team has chosen doesn't look right for the board, so the runner-up graphic has to be used.

BOARDS UP FOR CUSTOMIZATION
All of the message boards here at Fan Forum will eventually have their own graphic and colours; all of the boards that need a new look will be re-done. Some boards take longer than others because we can get delayed at any stage in the process; we want the best look that we can achieve.

One of the main questions that is being asked is "when will *insert board name here* be customized/re-customized?" and the answer to that is "as soon as possible", but I can't give you an exact date. The boards chosen first are the boards that we feel will most benefit from being customized. When picking the boards to be customized, we consider a number of things including:

- Whether the number of posts on the board is low and therefore customizing it could give it a boost.
- Whether the number of posts is high and therefore it deserves to be customized as many people view it every day.
- How long a board has been without a customization.
- Whether the graphic it already has needs refreshing.

It is a myth that a board will be customized after a year of it being at Fan Forum, we don't even hold that into consideration. So don't expect that just because a board reaches its one year mark it will immediately be customized.

I can assure you all that I have a list of every single board that doesn't have graphics and of every board that needs re-doing, so don't worry that your favorite boards might not be on the customization radar. They are on my list and will not be forgotten.

If you feel that you would like to be a part of the Graphics Team please read through the tips on my Live Journal and send me a PM.

I hope that I have answered your questions, if you have any others or if you think of something that could be added to this post, please let me know.

Jen :flowers:

Please note that although we aim to do row 1 before row 2 and row 2 before row 3, it doesn't always work out that way, some boards are simply more difficult to do than others. Each row is in a random order so any board in a row could be the first and any board could be the last. Basically this list is just a guideline.

:star: Row 1: Kings of Leon, Avril Lavigne, Zachary Quinto, The Big Bang Theory
:star: Row 2: Erica Durance, 30 Rock, Kate Winslet, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,
:star: Row 3: Neil Patrick Harris, Arrested Development, Miley Cyrus, NCIS,
:star: Row 4: Glee, The 90s, Adam Lambert, Jessica Szohr,
:star: Row 5: The Good Wife, Vampire Diaries
:star: Row 6: Michael Jackson, Taylor Momsen, Elizabeth Mitchell, Demi Lovato,
:star: Row 7: V: The Series, 10 Things I Hate About You, Kris Allen, Selena Gomez,
:star: Row 8: James Marsters, Colin Hanks, Benjamin McKenzie, Life Unexpected,
:star: Row 9: Ewan McGregor, Lea Michele, Delta Goodrem, Games
:star: Row 10: Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter, Jason Behr, Supernatural
:star: Row 11: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Sophia Bush, Mischa Barton, Jennifer Garner

Note: This thread should be restarted by the Graphics Team Moderator. Thanks.