Some advice on design refinement!

Hi folks, I have uploaded a Drupal template ( http://demo.dropletz.com/glossy ), and it has been rejected! This is the reason why according to reviewer(Siddharth – http://themeforest.net/user/Siddharth ):

=== Why We’ve Declined Your Submission ===

Hey Carlo, Overall, the features look great. The main issue here is that the design feels a bit generic, specially the content section.The responsiveness is great though. Overall, it has a good starting concept and it seems you’ve aimed for simplicity, but the overall design lacks refinement in its design that would help it stand out as more unique. At this point, you’ll need to improve the design and make it more unique before it will be ready for ThemeForest.

Could you please give me some advice on this design and explain what “unique” means in themeforest? may be unique design means similarity in design? Does that policy implemented on design of authors like OrmanClark( http://themeforest.net/user/OrmanClark )?

http://demo.dropletz.com/glossy

Thank you for your tips.

Carlo Carlos

it means in the wild:

”- having no like or equal; unparalleled; incomparable; not typical; unusual; the embodiment of unique characteristics; the only specimen of a given kind;

Unique is normally taken to describe an absolute state, i.e. one that cannot be qualified. Thus something is either unique or not unique; it cannot be rather unique or very unique. However, unique is sometimes used informally to mean very remarkable or unusual and this makes it possible to use comparatives or intensifiers with it, although many people object to this use”

on themeforest it usually means:

to look like something that will sell. (not a bad thing, is a marketplace after all, not a non profit art exhibition)

the link to your theme don’t work so I can’t say nothing about it.

dropletz said
http://demo.dropletz.com/glossy

dead link…

OrangeIdea said

dropletz said
http://demo.dropletz.com/glossy

dead link…

Hi, sorry my server went down yesterday. but it’s up and ready to survey. thanks.

doru said
it means in the wild:

”- having no like or equal; unparalleled; incomparable; not typical; unusual; the embodiment of unique characteristics; the only specimen of a given kind;

Unique is normally taken to describe an absolute state, i.e. one that cannot be qualified. Thus something is either unique or not unique; it cannot be rather unique or very unique. However, unique is sometimes used informally to mean very remarkable or unusual and this makes it possible to use comparatives or intensifiers with it, although many people object to this use”

on themeforest it usually means:

to look like something that will sell. (not a bad thing, is a marketplace after all, not a non profit art exhibition)

the link to your theme don’t work so I can’t say nothing about it.

Hi, sorry my server went down yesterday. but it’s up and ready to survey. thanks.

dead link still.

Edit: And you are not allowed to call out reviewers and other authors on the forum.

KarmaThemes said
dead link still. Edit: And you are not allowed to call out reviewers and other authors on the forum.

Hi, Sorry i just forgot to customize my VPS tcpwrapper settings. could you please take a look again?

dropletz:

Your theme looks like a quick one day ripoff of Karma and inFocus theme: http://themes.truethemes.net/Karma/styles?style=karma-dark

This won’t be accepted.

ThemePrince said
dropletz: Your theme looks like a quick one day ripoff of Karma and inFocus theme: http://themes.truethemes.net/Karma/styles?style=karma-dark This won’t be accepted.

Most of accepted themes seems really like each others and it is not gonna hurt anyone. for example Complexity, Karma and inFocus themes. that called following design patterns and not what you called ripoff ! it took me around 6 weeks to create Glossy. please be nice.

Your work is very well-done, no doubt. (Ok, there some small faults–just as example 1,2,3,4 on the Home page sit too close to text underneath, but they are not so essential). The problem is that your theme really looks like other ones (above mentioned by you) and therefore you lose a chance to be accepted.

I am not always able to differ between paintings of Janco and Archipenko, but the aspect of certain similarity in their case is resolved already–every museum is proud to exhibit works of them both. In your case you will need to stand out by very simple reason–people who need themes like Karma will go to buy from Karma. Karma has solid (and justified) reputation, masses of sales, so the question that might rise in people’s (customers) minds is why to buy from you if there is Karma? Therefore, if you will add something, just one element (just as an example parallax background or differently laid out navigation or anything you consider appropriate in your theme)–that’s it, you are different, you have something that other themes do not. And judging on the outcome you have now, you are absolutely able to make something that will make people to think “It is different, I have not seen such thing before, I want it”. Wish you good luck, Tanya