Advice for a header image/forum skin...

[Fleetwood Mac]

I'm designing a site for a web hosting control panel. Its free + open-source and been around for quite a while, but just had a name change. I've got the main layout down and it looks pretty good.

Now I'm having trouble selecting a header image for the home page. I had put in a keyboard, but naturally the PC-centric development team wasn't impressed. Apparently my expansive collection of Apple keyboard photography (be it MacBook, iBook, or any other variety) wasn't going to cut it. 😀 So now I'm searching for something a little more "related" to software. I'm not really sure what to tell you about it, its sort of like CPanel but infinitely free-er.

Here's a screenie for you. The image needs to be cropped to about 755x250.

Any ideas?

 

[ppc_michael]

Psh, I like the one you have, especially since it's sort of focused on the "control" key. You should take those little pieces of dirt out in Photoshop, though.

 

[toddburch]

I like that one.

More software "related". Humm... A dump? A blue screen of death? Hey, how about a BSOD that says "Not caused by RapidCP"?

What about a super closeup of the control key? Perhaps photoshop in a "RapidCP" label. But, still out far enough that you know it's a keyboard.

Maybe you suck up to the PC folk with a Microsoft natural keyboard shot with the photoshop text.

Todd

 

[Fleetwood Mac]

Psh, I like the one you have, especially since it's sort of focused on the "control" key. You should take those little pieces of dirt out in Photoshop, though.

I've attached a new screenie with dirt removed. Does it look any better?

Maybe you suck up to the PC folk with a Microsoft natural keyboard shot with the photoshop text.

Sooner would I use comic sans than...who am I kidding. I'd never use comic sans.

I'm going to run it past the team again and see if they'll reconsider.

 

[Fleetwood Mac]

I just did the forum skin. The whole idea is to have it load like any other page of the site, thoughts?

The subnav (black box with links under the main navigation) will be universal for the site. I expect a few of the static pages will need to have child pages. I wanted to do pull down menus, but was having trouble with the javascript. I think this looks more classy anyways.

 

[ppc_michael]

I like everything you've done with that site. I think you should just ignore the others. Since when have PC guys had design sense, anyway? 😉

 

[Meisam]

I didnt want the mac look because we dont support the mac platform. I wanted something more linuxish.

Meisam Mulla

 

[Fleetwood Mac]

@ppc_michael
While I appreciate your kind words, I think this group of developers are a good bunch. Meisam is the project leader, and is very good about implementing others' ideas.

My reasoning behind using an Apple keyboard is solely for ascetics. Instinct says I should be using a boring stock shot of a data center or a PC, but the keyboard is such a fundamental part of the software, the internet, and computers in general that I thought it might work. Any connection to the Mac is trivial, and had nothing to do with my vision of the website. While it would be neat to extend support to Mac OS in the future (and I'm sure it would be relatively easy), I understand that compatibility just isn't there yet.

I'm still taking suggestions for a new header image should you have one. Meisam, I'll take this up with you over IM next time you're available, give me a buzz.