First attempt at a PSD Template rejected, any advice welcome

Hi everyone

I submitted my first PSD Template the other day but got a ‘Hard Rejection’ and I’m wondering what I can do with it. The feeback suggests going straight to a HTML Template which I was building alongside doing the PSD Templates so it’s virtually done, but from my point of view I want the design to be right and good enough to be both PSD and HTML Templates.

As a design professional I’m more used to having a client and a brief so it’s taking me a while to get my head around being able to do anything on a design, I’m sure I’ll get there soon though.

Anyway here’s the link to a couple of screens:

And here’s the reviewer feedback:

=== Why We’ve Declined Your Submission ===

1. This is not aesthetically ready for psd template category. Your template does not provide a unique enough design with the necessary design quality for the PSD category to compete in the marketplace at this time.

2. PSD template category requires really high quality in terms of design and aesthetically. It has to be pixel perfect, very detailed, unique, eye pleasing and balanced.

3. This is more suitable for site template category and has the potential to get accepted as site template. I recommend to directly convert this into HTML /CSS and re-submit.

4. It might require some improvements before get accepted under site template like updated styling and more details for the inner pages.

I’ve requested further feedback from TF and also the difference between a hard and soft rejection, which I shall post here once it comes through.

Any comments or feedback from you guys is much appreciated.

No feedback? Oh well never mind. I’ll just presume everyone’s too busy

I did get a reply from Siddharth after asking for further feedback on my theme, and for anyone interested here’s what he said.

I asked about the difference between a ‘Soft’ and ‘Hard’ rejection and for further feedback…

Soft rejections mean that we found only minimal issues with the design in which case, you can update your item and submit a revision to the update queue. The update queue is much faster than the normal queue and you only need to update your files instead of filling out the entire form.

The PSD category is quite hard to get into since it requires pixel level precision but more importantly, a unique concept and great execution. Your design has a good start but will need more refinement.

At this juncture, I strongly suggest that you submit the HTML version first, since it’s easier to get approved, and then the PSD version based on the market reception and sales.

Having looked again at the PSD Category (especially the Creative category) I’d have to agree with Siddharth. Due to the sheer amount of work in the Creative category I think if you are submitting a design/layout into that section it needs to be something a bit different. Something to consider, the number of PSD templates in the Creative category is 230, compare that to the number in the Retail PSD category, 21… Says it all really.

So I’ve decided to finish off the HTML /CSS version of Propspectio and if I’m lucky enough to get a few sales I will consider doing a WP version. But after that I’m going to look at some of the less popular/over-crowded categories, I’ve already had a couple of good ideas for themes which will keep me busy for a while.

Just thought I’d share that info, if anyone’s interested

Hey there!

I’d like to talk about your theme. I think it’s very nice, smooth and clean! Just my style. Though when you look at it, it looks a bit empty, especially the Footer. As said, PSD templates require you to be extremely precise, and there are a few things I noticed that aren’t. Some of your sentences start with a capital letter while others don’t. This is kind of confusing to me and might well be one of the reasons it got rejected. Centered text is last years stuff! Have it aligned left or right (with this, I mean the lines under “strategic creativity” and “proven track record”).

The slider looks awesome, but I would align the borders with the template width so it blends better. Try adding more content just below the three images (text widgets, boxes, more images etc.). I would definitely add a few things to the footer as well, since it looks empty. The minimalistic look applies only if you’ve done the same thing to the rest of the template, which isn’t the case here. The next thing I would do is add a bar at the top which shows contact info’s, such as cellphone numbers, quick links etc.

As for the portfolio page – empty yet again. Try aligning the menu with the left image above and try adding more content to the main column (more text, more images etc). Try increasing the font size as well.

I think it is just about the content, and the feel that makes you think it’s empty. Try adding more details here and there and see how it works out.

Please know that this is the way I see it, and what I would do with the template. It’s just my thoughts on how to improve a great theme. I know everyone has a different taste but I was trying to be objective here!

I hope they will accept it the next time you submit it! Good luck.

P.S. I want to apologize for my bad Engrish since I’m from Bosnia

Hey Sequnix

Many thanks for your feedback, very good of you to take the time and write a proper review.

Sorry I didn’t thank you sooner but I’ve been putting the finishing touches to the HTML template which I re-submitted again last night but which was rejected unfortunately.

I know it’s hard to get your first theme approved due to the ever increasing quality levels required, it’s just a case of keep going until I find where those levels are.

I will look at making some changes based on your suggestions. It’s always good to get a fresh pair of eyes to review work, so thanks for your comments.

If you have time to check out the HTML version that would be great, just let me know what you think.

Message to all:

If anyone else would also like to give me a few recommendations that would also be very much appreciated.

Any comments much appreciated!

Thanks Andy

Hello Andy, Prospectio is nicely started template however, looks unfinished. To my opinion in order to be accepted you will need to work on it more, let’s say much more.

There are very well-done things and solutions and there are many aspects which look unaccomplished and as if quickly done. I like your top, background, clients list static slider, colours, fonts, the idea to divide one photo into three (on home page) ones.

First, the layout scheme is similar to thousands of other templates, not that it is bad, simply the eye wants something fresh and new…

But if you decide to go on with this very scheme a few things you will need to work on hard. First feeling is that template looks empty, lacks of content and features. You have all in all just 4 pages with almost similar layout. Portfolio looks exactly like blog while the scheme you used here fits rather blog than portfolio. I would change portfolio page look, definitely.

Presence 3 upper photos are justified for the portfolio, look out of place on the blog page though. What they mean on the blog page? Featured posts? Latest posts? Most popular posts? How the user should guess? Or, if it is just for decoration than it has no sense, you know in web design there is no such thing as decorativeness without meaning. These photos are also not anchors, they lead nowhere, so I guess it is pure decorative element, but the question stays: what exactly they decorate and what for? you understand my thought, right?

Same thing for contact page–maps, maps, maps… One of four maps has meaning (naturally), but 3 upper pictures what they give?

It is better to rethink which elements to place on the top, maybe if nothing sensible is found, it is better to take these photos off at all.

On the contact page–suddenly a box with rounded corners appears, rounded corners were not used anywhere in template (yes, twitter, icons but not other boxes), I am not sure it is good solution for contact form box. Form itself looks awkward, it is too small for the defined fot it box, and yet text area is shorter than inputs. Submit button flew away and sits somewhere on the side, as if it has no attitude to the fields.

Same problem with table on shortcodes page, why it is shorter? It is better to align it and give the same size like you gave to team and info boxes. And same thing once again happens to Responsive Digital Designs box placed onto the sidebar. If you will set the size of those elements equal to the box size your template will look much more accurate.

A couple of small things: menu has no home link, not everyone know that clicking on logo returns a user to home page. And justified text for the headings “we make your budget, work hard for you” (near buttons on home page) is not good. By the way, why it is picture, not text?

But main thing is to rethink the template and to bring new concepts, to make the template feeling expensive, rich, full, interesting. This is what you are lacking currently.

Sorry for my thick novel instead of short comment:)))), but hope a couple of things out of it you will find useful.

Good luck to you!

Hi Virtuti and thank you for your comments, don’t worry that they are not short, the more detailed the better

I will certainly take all of your points and recommendations on board and the next version will be significantly different.

Sometimes it’s not until someone else has looked at something and said ‘why have you done that?’ that you question yourself. Why did I do it that way???

So you have made some very valid points which I will certainly look at.

I suppose getting towards the end I did try and rush things a bit because you just want to get it finished and uploaded, but being new to all this ThemeForest stuff I suppose I will learn after a few goes that these things can’t be rushed and it’s better to take your time to make sure everything is right.

Thank you again for your comments and I hope to be able to show you a more finished product soon, but not too soon

If I can repay the favour and give you any comments on anything you are doing, please just let me know.

Many Thanks Andy

sorry re-posted

Thank you, Andy! Sure, yesterday I submitted a new template and now I am awaiting for the verdict. So, if it will be rejected, definitely I shall ask for the review.

Sorry for the abundance of grammer mistakes in my previous comment (when shall I learn to reread what I have written? not mentioning that English is not my mother tongue:)))

And one more thought about your template, I have touched it but I want to add: implement as many features as you can. Try to foresee what people might need. And wider choice will work for the best. My first template was oriented to some very specific field and I was surprised (people who bought it show me sometimes their ready websites) that it was used for absolutely different (and unexpected for me) fields. My bar template turned into websites for churches, football teams and youth organizations. Thus I understood that I need to add as many different features as possible. Now I am trying to add more features and more pages-specimens in order to give people more choice and less headache about how to build a new page. Yes, it is not that new and it is not a big secret but when we start we are as if blind and make same mistakes which other people made before us thousand times:))).

Wish you the best, Tanya