Bunch of new smilies & thread prefix icons

[StreamOfTheSky]

So now we can't even post a new thread WITHOUT one of these awful banners? I just made a thread, tried the "If you don't like it, just don't use it" no prefix selection, and got an error saying I NEEDED to pick a prefix. "Whatever," I thought, "Must be some new standardized thread creating system or whatever. I'll just put one in for now and then edit the thread after I post to remove it." Except when I went to go do that, the option was gone! Why do you even have a no prefixes option anymore if you're not going to let a thread go through with that selected?

 

[Piratecat]

Good question. There shouldn't be one - they're mandatory, because the virtual forums are incredibly useful but require the tags.

 

[MarkB]

Count me as another who thinks these banner icons are ugly, as much as I appreciate the functionality. Frankly, I'd rate their ugliness as exceeding their functionality.

Originally, I presume, they were made this thin so they could sit next to a thread title, but now that they've been given their own column - a column whose minimum height greatly exceeds the height of these icons - could we please see them redesigned?

My own recommendation would be something closer to a button than a banner, with a consistent style and colour-scheme that complements the board style.

 

[Merkuri]

I agree that now that they're in their own cell, one that's much taller than the icons, that they could be made taller. They wouldn't be so hard to read, then.

 

[billd91]

I'm finding too many of them difficult to read. Plots and Places has white text on the yellow stripe - hard to read on a monitor. The Wizards of the Coast logo is stretched. Gamemaster has some yellow text on an unidentifiable background that makes it hard to read. Mutants and Masterminds is hard to read. Same with Spelljammer and Hackmaster. I pretty much have to either get really close to the monitor or recognize them by the general shape of their logos.
They're a weird design hodge-podge right now mixing in logos that were probably not designed to be so small and probably aren't designed to be readable (plus, are all of these logs under open or other appropriate license?) at that size... and so they aren't.

I'd strongly recommend a more consistent design for them, reduced use of color (particularly on the backgrounds and low contrast colors used together), and avoid use of official logos designed to be shown in larger sizes. These smilies are too small to be "busy" with complex graphical elements.

 

[Piratecat]

It is true that they may deserve to be bigger since they have their own column. I think I'd like to see how that looks. (Don't construe that interest as official; board design isn't my baby.)

That'd play havoc with having them visible from the latest threads in the main forum listing, though.

 

[Merkuri]

Note that if you can't read a banner you can hover your mouse over it to see what it's for.

 

[jonesy]

Icon-wise, the Pathfinder forum seems to be, umm, what's that word.. well, look at it. It's nothing but a few scattered Pathfinder icons.

 

[Aegeri]

I approve of the intent of these icons and hope to see this continue.

 

[Scott DeWar]

I saw at the beginning of this thread-somewhere- that [MENTION=40413]GlassEye[/MENTION] requested an LPF banner. i just did a Pathfinder "search" by clicking on the banner and counterd fully 11 out of 20 pathfinder threads are of the living pathfinder sub "scociety"

May we please have our own banner? Aldron Foxglove has a banner that should work well in his sig.

Please, ssir, may wwe have mmore?

Scott-not oliver twist-DeWar