Hmmmm I've done all those things with WB skins in the past..... Animation, buttons on the side, Hover text, my BlackBoXX Ultra skin even has the titlebar on the bottom of the window!! But you know what? people don't really want them!! They might say "oh, that is different" but ultimately not many download them..... I don't mind that, I make 'em cos I like them, and because I like my stuff to be different, but I guess if you use download numbers as a guide then people do want familiarity with just a little bit of pizazz. It's a fine line.........

Also, years ago, I was constantly berated for what people called "huge" titlebars, but these days people can upload a skin with a massive titlebar, and downloaders don't even mention it, rather, they call the author a genius!!

So, I reckon that, unless you walk that fine line that I mentioned, you won't please most people. Personally, I will just carry on doing what I've always done. Sometimes people like them, sometimes they don't........

Well stated, Bry.

Some people on here create very niche works, and it pays off. Others do the same, and it doesn't pay off as well. Then there are those that keep things more middle-of-the-road, and that works too. Ultimately, there's no knowing what people are going to like until you put it out there, 'cause we can be a fickle species.

Like you said, first and foremost you've got to create something how you want to.

That proves just one thing, Bryan. You were way ahead of your time, and the rest are just trailing biatches!

haha..... I don't think so Morten! It's just that times change I guess. Back then it was all about screen real estate and if you made a titlebar taller than 25 pixels high people screamed. Maybe they had a point, I was running 800x600 back then on a 14" monitor, but my artistic visions didn't fit into 25 pixels so I just went ahead and made them anyway.... These days I run 1920x1080 on a 27" screen so those few extra pixels don't matter so much and we get great skins like Vamps and Klowe and Xiandi make.

But like you, I don't think we need too much functionality built into the window frame, but I do think everyone should still include a roll-up button, it's a good feature! Anything else is just kind of gimmicky. (like the buttons on my soon to be released skin.... )

Oh the humanity! Won't somebody think of the pixels!

Personally I make skins that I like and use. If I don't add a shitload of buttons or make a wacky titlebar, that doesn't mean I'm afraid to push the envelope. It's just not my style.

For the record, I don't always do boring skins........

Buttons right - buttons left.  The WB skin I'm using ATM has Style 1 - Buttons Left, Style 2 - Buttons Right.  These are the Min-Max-Close buttons. 

WindowFX 4 is and odd bird. Although it doesn't skin anything, it does things to windows and GUI that are not natural. (didn't our parents tell us about things like that?)  Skins and programs like that should carry warning labels, "Objects in the mirror.." Oops, wrong label "Beware, programs (skins) like this will seriously mess you up unless you take enough time (that you should be doing something else) to learn them."

Never mind. My humor is weird anyway. Back to figuring out some icons.

Tim.... You have never made a boring skin yet!!!!!

And that, my friend, are the two main reasons for skinning!!

"Skin what You like, Like what you skin"  

and skin for yourself and fu*k what every one else thinks of it.

There's something to be said about a clean interface though. I happen to work best when there is less visual distraction in any workspace (physical or digital), but don't get me wrong. I love shiny things! It seems there are many over-thought/contrived designs, that are just not edited down and end up detracting from the overall intended concept. I see boxes outlined eveywhere with some kind of border or stretch graphics, but it's repeated on everything. It might as well be a million squares of plaid that don't line up. Adding more buttons with skins like that isn't going to help those skins other more serious concerns. In this case, less is more. If you add more buttons, simplify the styling. It can't have every bell and whistle, unless it's supposed to be in the circus. Please PLEAAASEEEEEEE?