Theme Rejection Feedback

infuse01 said

xstortionist said

infuse01 said

xstortionist said
Just to chime in, the original OP asked for “feedback” and here is the definition for “constructive feedback”.

Constructive Feedback. Communication which alerts an individual to an area in which his/her performance could improve. Constructive feedback is not criticism; it is descriptive and should always be directed to the action, not the person.

So could we please keep this at a professional level and provide “descriptive” feedback for the author?

Actually he said “any feedback” which can also include criticism, not limited to “constructive feedback”. And actually he isn’t an author yet….you know. And I think Scott HAS actually provided a descriptive feedback – there is just nothing else to say.

You really missed my point… and it really strikes me odd why you are being so argumentative towards me when all I was trying to do was be the better man and save the thread. It’s turned from an artist looking for feedback to a pissing match. It’s just sad to be honest.

Anyways, like everyone else has pretty much pointed out, first place to start in your journey to becoming a better designer is to practice typography, perhaps do some research on some grid systems and get ideas from top selling authors to find out what is acceptable.

No, I didn’t missed your point at all. I just wanted to get the facts straight. I simply don’t like it that much when facts are turned upside-down just to give a better image. Sorry for making you sad.

Why did you post here when you haven’t provided any feedback?

xstortionist said
Why did you post here when you haven’t provided any feedback?

maybe the same reason as yours? and actually I couldn’t provide any more specific feedback as the others already stated. In my opinion this theme won’t get approved and there ARE some free themes out there which are much better.

Here is one for you:

Do you think this would get approved? Could you please provide me some feedback.

Please dont get me wrong. I really don’t want to upset anybody and I especially don’t want to compare the design I posted above and the work of the OP. But maybe you can understand my point better.

What could you say more than: “Put that in the bin and make a new one!”

On a marketplace like here there are so many authors who want to make the fast money. I was also one of them for sometime. And even everyone can become an author here, not everyone is entitled to be an author. With so much competition it is just not possible to upload a half-baked theme/template which doesn’t meet any requirement in design principles. Maybe it is possible to sell it as-is to a one-time-payoff client but not as a mass product.

I for myself only have 1 item in my portfolio here and some more items elsewhere. I try to come up with something original, which is well-thought in every line of code and every pixel. Of course I’m also not perfect but at least I try so and I think this should be done by the most new authors like me. There is just no chance for authors who want to make the fast money. That is also the reason, I believe, iKreativ mentioned that he should go back, study some design-principles and practice them.

I believe there is nothing wrong with that. In the end it simply helps him to become not only a real author with some items in his portfolio, but also a successful author which gets some sales to make a living of it. That would just help everybody. Even if the “constructive feedback” sounds harsh.

Sorry for being off-topic btw.

So I was wondering if it is more so a lack of features in the theme (shortcodes, buttons, tables gallery, columns, social networks) or rather poor design qualities altogether like typography and colors.

I understand both may need to be changed, but am wondering which is higher priority.

wpmavens said
So I was wondering if it is more so a lack of features in the theme (shortcodes, buttons, tables gallery, columns, social networks) or rather poor design qualities altogether like typography and colors. I understand both may need to be changed, but am wondering which is higher priority.

Features is nothing something you should dive into at this moment. You should focus on the actual design by looking at some of the themes that have been approved. The top sellers is a great place to start looking and gathering ideas.

So, I have seen some themes which are just flat out ugly in their typography, selling REALLY well on here, even ones near the top of the sales charts. And 50% of sites on the internet are worse than this one.

So I am wondering, beyond “starting over”, what makes a theme achieve the ability to be offered here for sale. According to you all it is grids and typography, and I can point to dozens of themes on here that have sold many hundreds of copies without looking “pristine”.

I buy themes for ease of implementation, and I have sat in a room with clients going through themes on TF and watched them PREFER themes that are rather ugly IMO . I hate working like that, but the client (business owner, not designer) is the end decision maker.

I don’t think it’s all about creativity at this point. I think you need to have a balance of good design, features, clean code and ease of use.

I also agree that sometimes a business owner is unwilling to pick the theme we like best. This can be a very frustrating situation but if you are getting paid for the job it’s all worth it in the long run.

You could also argue that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Saying one thing doesn’t look good is like saying an ugly man shouldn’t be able to marry the prettiest girl in the world.

This shows that the design isn’t always the main factor when it comes to theme sales.

I have not had a template published on ThemeForest yet, but I’m evolving and moving towards it … and I think now I am able to give you some tips:

- See all topics published here and analyze the quality of each (compare with yours); - Download themes that are free at the ThemeForest, analyze the code and features in general; - One of the tips they gave me, was trying to recreate professional themes in photoshop (if meets all the details); - Learn about web design theory: http://webdesign.tutsplus.com/sessions/web-design-theory/

Take the time that you needed, but give the maximum.