I'm a newbie, but a webdesigner, so I know html, css and all the stuff (and php, too);
the fact is that I am very excited about SMF, I appreciated, above all, all the guides and wiki I've found and I'm setting up to prepare a unique template for the board I want to setup.
This board will be in direct competition against two IP.boards, and I am sure that SMF is the right choose, but I don't like very much the graphics.
I want to change the smileys, I want to increase the avatars and want to give a simpler look of the forum, and graphically appealing.
My approach is always templating a basic static version of a site. I have a basic experience in dynamic web designing, and found good, before all, templating a PSD, then implementing it in a static html, and then go for dynamic.
I was wondering if this could be the case for the smf board. I found the index.css, it's clear and clear are the template files, but how is supposed to syle those templates? Of course, I could navigate the entire site to find all the components, but perhaps could be simpler having all the static stuff, and begin to template.
Probably there's something I still didn't grab so please could you specify me if I have to "find" by myself all the forum components to style?