— CHAPTER TWO —
❝ IZ ALL BOUT' DA APPEARANCE. ❞
LAYOUT, FONTS, COLORS, GRAPHICS&IMAGES

   
THE LAYOUT & THEME

Okay, so I'm gonna have to be super honest about this, ok? OK. ok. When I look for a fic, I usually base the
quality off the layout, graphics and yadda yadda yadda. Don't judge me, aight? I'm sure a lot of us do. Now,
what I'm thinking is this: when you see a good layout, it automatically makes you think, "ahh, this person is
experienced," "oh, this layout is pretty!" "gasp! that must mean their writing is equisite!" yeah, something
along that line. I'm not sure why, but that's what it makes me think. It's just that a good layout is eye-
catching, and makes the story 10 times more appealing that just gIANT SHOUTING FONTS JUST SCREAMING
FOR YOUR ATTENTION. So, with layouts, the general idea about them is just that you want to make some
eye-candy. It's - kind of like food. Ok, yeah, food. Don't judge me I'm normal. Totes, totes, yeup. When
you look at food, you'd usually examine it or something right? You go to a fancy resturant and they give
you some tasty lookin' shiet you devour, more likely, a little less sophisticated than you should?? Na' what
I'm sayin?? You make it look good, than you're brain plays tricks and tells you it is (and it usually is. I'm
hoping. Laughs at peeps. Huehue.) Same thing with layouts. You're purposely making people think about how
good this fic will be. Good layouts = means effort. Because layouts probably take super long with the htmls
and whatnot. asdfgh-- ok, so summary of this, layouts are always a key for applyfics ok?? It just makes it
so much nicer. But, there are boundaries to them.

Some layouts are a little over the top: boxes over here, fonts over there, pictures and gifs all ovah the place,
making your eyes go wUBWUBWUB and your brain just kind of melts from all the activity because tbh it's
too much. When a layout is overly cramped, it's a turn-off. A real turn-off, for me anyways. I'm into really
simple layouts, ok. Organized, and simple - but, not too plain. For example, the layout I created. I didn't
add a lot into it, and I personally find it looks good. It's not fantastic, but it's not too boring - right?? omf,
idek. Is it?? ;;; /sobs. Good layouts are usually planned out. Cute, or have a certain theme to them. Photos
are really good when making layouts too, but when you put so many?? Yeah, that's a nono. Gifs esp!

Here's the thing with gifs : THEY LAG MY SHIET OK. I'M NOT EVEN JOKING, THEY LAG EVERYTHING.
If you're going to add gifs, moving images and stuff, please don't put like 150 ok. Because if my
computer just decides to kill itself - it'll be alll ur fault and and im cry im cry. It's that bad.

Ugh, so I can't really differ what makes a good layout from a bad one. Or not all of them anyways,I mean,
I don't make layouts. I really don't - I'm a noob that's just kind of trying. All I know is thatyou should plan
out your layouts. Look around and observe some, and get a few ideas! Just don't go off copying
other people! That's a no, no, no!

Here are some good examples:
( a ) ( b ) ( c ) ( d ) ( e )
*note that these layouts + themes are all independently made by the respective authors!
or I assume they are. c:

A note to this, if you want to make a layout, but you don't know how, look up a few tutorials and shops
that'll help you with that! That's what I did and I'm pretty proud. Most of them provide the codes for you, so
you don't have to go through all the html's. If you really want though, go to some shops that give you free
layouts. Make sure you're allowed to tweak though and always follow the rules! BUT, I DO SUGGEST, if you
go around seeing the same layout being used and tweak for various stories, find another one, because if
you're using a uber-duper popular one, I feel it'll be kind of mainstream. Also, remember that layouts apply
for the application too! I'll take that up another chapter desu susususuu~

Urgh, I'm obviously no help in this part, so - let's move on!
 

THE FONT & COLORS

Okay, so this is important, I'll tell you that. Fonts actually play a big part in all fics a majority of the time,
and no I'm not just talking about applyfics here. Fonts are important because they're what you read. The thing
about them is that there's a wide selection of them, from the simpliest of Arial to the fancy-smashy stuff like
Georgia or Lucida Grande. They're easy to pick - but, difficult to deal with. For one thing, not all fonts are
really that good looking. LOOL. Treat it like a guy or a girl here (I'm a pro at comparison's, really). When you
see a guy you like, he may look good to you, but some people might not get the same impression. You think
he or her are like, the saint gods of the world while the other party might call them average. I'm just gonna
give you a hint here and say SIMPLIER THE BETTER. I've been saying it all this time, but really it is.

Now you know how you've got your Cambria, Times Roman and curvey, super y like fonts? Those fonts,
I usually find better for headlines and titles in a story. Arial and Verdana are what I find better used for the
actual writing. But, it depends on how you use them. Some fonts look better uppercase than lowercase. Some
fonts look good italic, bolded. Some are great at 12px while others are better at 9px. Do you see what I'm
getting at here? You have to mess around with them to get it right. Mix and match and all that junk. Let's
go with some examples again huh??

Example One
[ a ] Arial looks good at this size (and code. It's at 9px.
[ b ] It's good at 8px size too, which would be perfect for authornotes, otherwise it might be too small.

Example Two
[ a ] courier looks ok at this size and case
[ b ] BUT IT LOOKS BETTER AT A SMALLER SIZE W/ CAPS AND IS BOLDED

Example Three
[ a ] georgia looks decent for writing, but it works better as a title
[ b ] once upon a time

Understand that fonts can be good and bad, but it usually depends on the layout you use.
You don't want to make it too small, or too fancy to the point where you can't read the writing at all.
The key is to make sure it looks nice and you can read it right off the page- screen- or whatever.
Html codes can also change up the fonts to look a certain way. Go check out some tutorials on that!
Also remember to avoid caligraphy-like fonts, especially for stories because they're just not readable!
They'll work if you're corrisponding a letter in your story, but besides that I'd keep away.

To go along with the font, comes the color. Ok, so colors for anything and everything plays a big part in
this, for both layouts, fonts, and graphics! Basically everything in this chapter. It's all about the appearance
sometimes, alright? So, when you're choosing your colors, choose wisely. I generally like following up to
cute, pastel colors. But, monochrome, blacks and whites and solids work too! The enemy here is neon,
and I have no freakin' idea why they're even put there. I hate them. To sooo many extents. Colors can be
played with many, many ways. Even highlighting them works too! It's all about knowing how to mix and match.

Solids
#99cccc #cccc99 #99cc99

vs

Neons
#ff3366 #ffff00 #00ffff

Some solids are really boring, some neons actually look good. Brighter and lighter, it also depends on
the layout. You just have to be careful not to be so harsh on the eyes.

For Example:
LOOK AT ME I'M A FONT LIKE KYAAAAAAAH

omg don't do this juseyo i'll scream. like my eyEEEYSYYSS
 

THE GRAPHICS AND IMAGES

This is what appliers and readers will look at other than the layout, title and story all together. Basically,
they'll look at the poster and analyze just how good it makes your fic look. Images and graphics are super
duper good in this category, because like I said before, it's like creating something you want others to see.
When it comes to applyfics, I'm so interested in ones that the author will make posters and graphics for. When
the other is capable of making their own layout and stuff and have their applicants on the front page - like,
it's amazing. So amazing, because it makes me feel like my character is really in the story. Why else would
we really need visuals? Okay, I understand by saying visuals, but that'd be a good part of it, Images for
your ulzzang should be put up if you're choosing characters. When the story starts, it's best to have their
photo somewhere on a character page, because I mean - that's logic right?? Even better to have a poster made!
You can make one yourself or get a shop to do it. Either way, posters and graphics are also what makes an
applyfic good. Really, all applyfics need is effort. And lots of it. Make an image to it, something someone
can remember by - be it the photos, your writing or the layout used. Hey, maybe you might be super good at
graphics and layouts, and you're magical with fonts and colors and such. You might be good at making your
own shop!

These are all just tips on the general stuff. Some people don't even look at your writing, or your
descript or anything. Sometimes, I'm just looking at how the story looks itself. Will it make me want to apply??

Think for both the story-look and story, because I think both are important roles, you know!
 

ますあなたの時間がかかる

dubusoo's note :
if you can't layout or graphic, maybe get a friend! co-author! they don't have to write - just be a hero and sidekick! dududu!

— ☂ —