Skin suggesstion

General Topics
1

I know Alwil wants to be uniqe,but if you wish to get attention from bigger user base you need to dump player like interface skin. I know it’s possible to make something more complex,but i simply don’t have the time and resources(knowledge) to create such skin. People are always screaming for Norton like interface.
Well i would go with a hybrid of BitDefender 8 and Norton 2005 interface design in blue colors (when someone says avast! i first think of blue color :wink: ).

Hi-tech professional looking design,logically arranged buttons and new 4.6 design colors should do the trick. This should do the trick for sure.
Also less round lines and buttons should do the trick.

This shouldn’t take long to design and create such skin for a professinal like Martin,but it’s simpy to much for amateur like me :frowning: Even MacLoverOS X took ma ages to complete…

2

A good idea to have a professional looking default skin, those who like quirky or more artistic, colourful skins have many they can choose from.

I too like clean lines and have to admit, I didn’t like the default Blue Panel skin, enough to go looking for a different skin.

I have very few skins downloaded and one of those is your MacLoverOS X, others I use regularly are flat’n’ simple, rejzor-sharp and scz-kde.

3

There is one with “less round” lines and buttons…

http://img238.echo.cx/img238/8492/lowres5mw.jpg

I don’t know, but I tried to give my best with avast! Brushed, and IMHO I don’t think it looks “playerish”… I mean, whole OS style is well known as very serious hi-end design.

http://img53.echo.cx/img53/9435/osx7gg.jpg

4

First one looks like crap and it’s used only in situations where you are limited by display colors.
Second one is very nice i agree,but it’s a Mac style skin. avast! is not a Mac program and it’s main interface should look like some other OS.
As alternative skin it’s great,but not as main skin.

5

No one ever said that avast! brushed should be “main” skin. In my opinion, “main” skin should always be something that comes from Alwil official graphic designer. Bottom line, he is the guy that Alwil pays for his graphic related work.

I’m just saying, that there are some professional looking skins in avast! download section. It’s not like we have just those “gamey” skins as many people mentioned before. On the other hand… I think that “Silver Panel” by Martin is great looking skin and it looks neat as default avast! 4.6 skin. I really don’t see any reason to replace it with something else at this point. It’s just additional work, and I’m sure that Martin has a plenty of stuff to do already… I saw some T-shirts designs, many PDF files he made, all those publicities he did for avast!.. it’s a lot of work.

6

I already said Martin should do it,not you.
Silver skin is fine,but it looks like audio player and many users don’t like it so they go to AVG or AntiVir just because of that. If Alwil follows current design concept and colors (like splash screen design),and dump player like design,they could achieve very good results.

7

I started working on some concept design and i even have some ideas about how to create nice menus/options. But again i won’t be able to complete complete sliders,buttons and widows for options menu.

8

Well, that doesn’t sound like just changing of default skin, it’s rather complete change of avast! UI (user interface). Making skins for avast! is pretty much limited, just because, all the time you have to be aware of SkinBuilder’s limitations, but even with those limitations in mind, I managed to find some great (read weird) ways to animate certain parts of the skin.

Things that you just mentioned, sounds like playing with avast! UI, rather than just making skins. I am not sure if Alwil is ready to change complete scheme.

9

I hope Alwil Team say:“Ok, Sasha and RejZor, now we want you as our official skin designers! How much for your work?” ;D ;D ;D

10

The first picture is very simple enough for any level users to understand the buttons and how they work, (some skins find it hard to tell which button is which). The Second picture seems a bit familiar. To be honest I perfer the first picture since it seems soo simple.

11
The Second picture seems a bit familiar.

Of course second picture is familiar… that skin is an “old” inhabitant of avast! skin section. Have you checked lately all those skins we have ?

http://www.avast.com/eng/skins.html

(some skins find it hard to tell which button is which)

If you hover long enough with your mouse pointer over each and every button, it will tell you what is the name and purpose of that particular button.

First picture is actual screenshoot of a Low Res skin from avast! section. Everybody has that skin in his SKINS folder, it’s just it’s not visible from avast! skin selection inside the program. You have to visit your skins folder on your local HD and start it from there.

12

Honestly, brushed skin is one of the most friendly and well done. I use it also lcars, lite-on and mclover-os: both RejZor and Sasha want “keep clean” their works, I think.

13
14

I was reading these posts and I just want to tell you, that until Avast changes its entire interface, I will stay with AVG or another more professional looking AntiVirus . The Interface needs a whole new default face.

15

You could mention some other antivirus that REALLY looks professional… something like BitDefender or even Norton 2005 like RejZor mentioned. AVG has most silliest interface ever seen. Those colors are just like you are running your system in SAFE MODE, IMHO totally unprofessional. Not quite good example.

If these look unprofessional, then I don’t know what are you looking for:

http://img220.echo.cx/img220/5098/previewcorporate1tl.jpg

http://img217.echo.cx/img217/6697/previewliteon0zc.jpg

http://img214.echo.cx/img214/9336/previewrejzorsharp6pi.jpg

http://img212.echo.cx/img212/438/previewszckde3by.jpg

http://img211.echo.cx/img211/884/previewflatnsimple2yo.jpg

Although, Alwil could do something regarding choice of avast! defaul GUI. The fact and most important thing is… no one should choose antivirus product by it’s look. If the most important thing to you regarding one antivirus is how it looks, than I don’t think you pay full attention to your computer security. The thing is, we didn’t make this antivirus looks ugly or worse, we gave people the choice to change that look… actually, we gave them many choices, so no one should complain. There are all kind of skins, so something for everyone.

Bottom line, if you don’t like skins (that’s your right), you can always buy Professional version of avast! and you’ll have plain Windows look with ENHANCED USER INTERFACE. See here:

http://img134.echo.cx/img134/2066/eui3vm.jpg

Also, there is an option to disable skins, so I don’t really see the reason to abandon avast! just because of skins. See here (Skinless Simple User Interface):

http://img160.echo.cx/img160/1879/sui7qa.jpg

…but telling that this is professional look… hmmm… I don’t know…

http://www.ballangen.net/images/avg.jpg

16

AVG7 has a bit nicer interface than this,but icons and pictures are pretty much the same.

17

I think protection is King, aesthetics come a poor second, I can live with virtually any interface, provided the program meets my requirements. I don’t care how great the interface is if the program doesn’t meet my requirements or sucks, then its gone.

Don’t be in danger of throwing out the baby with the bath water, just my thoughts as an Ex AVG user.

18

Hi David,

Can you take a look in here:

http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=13208.msg111500#msg111500

I’m in process of designing some kind of professional skin (at least I hope it will look that way) for avast! I would like to hear as much opinions as possible before I start to compile everything… it will be great if RejZor and I release these two skins soon, because avast! really need something different at this point…

Thanks !

19

mmm… I do not want to criticize, Sasha and RejZor, but I see some elements of confusion in this part of the skin. What do you think about? It’s only my idea?

20

I’m sorry but I can’t see any element of confusion… everything is separated as it should be. If you meant on first sliding panel (Resident Scanner), that is maybe too close to Program Menu tab… well, that sliding panel is not there anyway. It shows up only when you invoke that action with the button. Anyway, of course we have to count with confusion, especially if you work on that small area… I didn’t want to make another huge skin. We should always think of those who still use 800x600 pixels resolution.

All those elements fits exactly as they should considering that small working area. Btw, the screenshot you just posted is not the latest one. I redesigned all those fonts and some orderings. Take a look at latest screenshoot I posted in that thread…

Edit: Also, nothing can be perfect and it’s not quite good if it’s 100% symmetric…