vB Designers extincted!

[AlexanderT]

Trying to find the vB-bug that kills all the designers...

• We all know Corey, who has apparently not only ripped other ppl off, but who is also R.I.P. himself now.
  Btw, his Portfolio is still available and you can tell me what you want, but I think Corvey did the best vB designs out there!
  
• Do you know Design Devise? R.I.P.!
• What about InsideThePixel? The maker of AlienSoup and WiredGamers, Dameon White, declared that there won't be any more vB skins. Ripped off customers and R.I.P!

Now there are still some designers out there, who seem not to be killed by the bug yet:

• vBdesigns.de (missing the professional touch)
• DirectPixel (never saw actual designs of his)
• vBPanel.com (never saw them, anyways, their site seems down now - the killing bug again?)
• vBSkinners.com (cheap, but again, missing the professional touch)
• vBevolution.com (only few pre-paid skins, don't seem to be updated since 3.0 Gamma/Beta 7, bad customer practices)
• vBulletinStyles.com (one of the more active designers, though haven't seen any custom job of theirs yet)
• vBSkinz.com (Pank has a lot of fans, though I am not so convinced about his style - especially if you look for a professional design - haven't seen any custom job yet)
• vBmechanic.com (one of the newer vB designers, has some nice testimonials, but still lacks a portfolio with fully featured custom forum designs)
• vBDesk.com (Chris made one nice custom forum, alfaowner.com, but also lacks a portfolio where I could judge the designer's general capabilities; I heard of at least one unsatisfied customer )

So is there any way out of this dilemma? I am planning on hiring a designer for my own site, and looking at what we have here, I think I will go for a traditional one and try to do all the vB-template coding myself :disappointed:

[13th_Disciple]

You have the same problem here that you have in roughly the rest of the IT world.. People over charging for things they have no intention of fulfilling.. Then they keep piling on their work and telling their customers they can handle it.. Eventually, reality rears its ugly head, they are shown to be in complete disarray with their level of work, customer service, and ethics..

People have no intention of being truthful these days.. It is a shame that you do have so many people with so much talent, and the only thing they are good at, past being able to visualize something in 2D, is deceiving other people.. i also hope this trend comes to an end..

[sabret00the]

i learn't a long time ago, just do the best you can do with your job, although i'd see the work of vBdesigns.de on another site and their i didn't mind it, as it's about what makes your users and the admin feel happy, i sadly wouldn't pay for it. but then i'm a tight arse, i'd say if you went with a custom job get a branding free skin, although i would advice trying out your own one

[Paris Holley]

what about me? lol....

people who make skins know that it takesa lot of time to make just one...i guess they get tired of making them...

[AlexanderT]

Originally Posted by Paris Holley

what about me? lol....

Sorry, no disrespect meant I didn't know you. That was actually my hope when posting this thread - to find new alternatives to Ravio & Co.

Alex

[Paris Holley]

yeah times of great designers are dieing of, probly because most designers are young ( mostly teens ) and wnat to have a life and dont want to take the time to design sites anymore...

[13th_Disciple]

actually, most designers aren't that young.. some are around here.. but the majority are quite experienced and on up there in age..

but your point is one that should be taken when talking to a teenager who wants design work around here.. in fact, the story of what to expect is in your reply.. and i by no means am saying that all teenagers are irresponsible, or can't deal when they have paid/ free or any kind of work to do.. i am just pointing out, you often get what comes with the person..

being a teenager, and me not being so far removed from teen years, means you will have to prove worth, reliability and honesty.. GL to you paris if you are able to do all of that.. you will get work if you can manage a life and responsibilites..

and if you want some work, i may have something for you.. i am looking for some buttons.. and i ain't worth a piss with photoshop since version 5 or something.. no time for it.. pm me if you are interested..

[Dean C]

k Hehe well I was one half of designdevise and whilst my partner produced fantastic work we parted ways a few weeks ago due to personal indifferences and lack of commitment on his part. I personally think that you're always best to go with a freelancer who has no experience of working with vBulletin. You'll get a fresh design, uninspired by others Btw I still design vB's and you check my site out in my signature.

[13th_Disciple]

i agree dean.. to an extent.. but in the end, you will need someone with a bit of vbulletin experience.. for instance, you get a new customer to vb requesting a killer design from someone with zero vB experience and you end up with two people who may have no clue what to do and how and where.. even though the designer may be the cat's meow at design..

[Dean C]

* Dean C turns on nostalgic mode


Well once upon a time there was a designer who came here looking for work in the olden days of vB.org. He shalt not be named as he later ripped a few people off - which he has apparently since made up for. But he came here as a new designer and I have to say that his designs were the most unique, breathtaking designs I have since seen to this date.

He had that fresh approach, something unique. I mean take a look at one of my clients in the last few months: www.mytravelguide.com. That site is a fantastic design (I didn't design it - only some programming) but what the client did is use vBulletin to his advantage. Instead of it looking like a plain old vB portal he's done something trully unique. If i went to that homepage I'd never guess it was powered by vBulletin. That is what web-designing is about these days. Content, not flashy graphics.

Anyways i'm rambling on... back to eating my bacon sandwich

[13th_Disciple]

bacon sandwich? mind sending that across the pond? i am a bit hungry..

and on the side of that site.. HOLY CRAP.. that is very cool.. very nice setup.. i would have never guessed that it's a vb powered site either until i saw the statement at the bottom of the page.. quite impressed.. a bit much as far as in your face data is concerned, but almost every travel site is.. so i would expect it in almost the same fashion.. i actually like that..

[AlexanderT]

Originally Posted by Dean C

www.mytravelguide.com ... If i went to that homepage I'd never guess it was powered by vBulletin.

Wow, that is what I first thought: did Dean C post the wrong url? Really breathtaking! I agree with you that many designers nowadays focus too much on flashy items instead of on professionalism :ermm:

[Paris Holley]

thats not exactly true, alot of my friends that i know that are designers are more professional based like me...its just you got to know who to go to if you want certain things...but considering that more people who are internet based go for the more modern "techy" look, they get more credit...

[AlexanderT]

Yes, maybe I should differentiate more. At least most designs by the "commonly known" vB-designers are very tech-related and don't necessarily work for a professional community.

[13th_Disciple]

i am sometimes at a loss for words when comes to getting across the idea of what i want to see.. i know in my head what i want.. i fully expect a professional designer to translate for me.. the good ones are those that take the abstract and bring it all together.. those who make true style out of true sh#t..

that is what i want in a designer.. and that takes time.. and generally costs a ton of money.. but in the end, you have to evaluate your overall needs and useability vs cost for such features.. because after all, a nice design is simply a feature.. albeit the most necessary to keep people happy and coming back..