User blog comment:DaNASCAT/Technical Update: August 15, 2016/@comment-26415383-20160817105703/@comment-20644-20160817155815

In regards to customizing the footer, I want to make a quick point about the importance of branding. I'm posting this reply here on this comment since it's the most recent one about customization, but it should be helpful to others who have asked about it as well.

Consistency is actually pretty important when it comes to branding. The colors you see in the footer are brand colors, and the footer is a branded/corporate space. Different colors, even if we're just talking about an option for light-themed wikis and an option for dark-themed wikis, muddy the branding waters. Consistent coloring and branding helps users and readers know exactly what site they're on. And by site, I'm talking about the overall Wikia network rather than just focusing in on one wiki.

Wanting the colors to fit with your wiki's theme is by no means an unreasonable ask, but there are other ways for people to know what wiki they're on by looking at a page (the subject matter, background, wordmark, etc). The footer, and the global navigation for that matter, are what shows people that they are on Wikia. It shows that the wiki they're looking at is not just one website, but that it's part of a larger network. Consistency helps enforce that.

A lack of consistency can even limit what we can do from a business perspective, which ultimately limits what we can do in providing a great experience for your wikis. It seems like such a simple thing, I know&mdash;how could colors REALLY be that important?&mdash;but that's just how important branding can be.

We are certainly hearing your feedback, but I still wanted to make sure that this perspective here was known so people are aware of why we've never given the option for customization in Wikia-branded spaces.