I had a peek at your site. Let me tell you something right now that will increase your conversions....
*drum roll*
For a Graphic Design Site/Forum it needs to be visually appealing.
For example... I am a member of several digital graphic communities and here are links.
Look at each of them and see what they offer, and how they present themselves.
Then go back to your site and rank it against theirs.
And no, I am not concerned over the fact they have more money than you, because in all honesty, you can have a great looking site absolutely free.
Also switch to phpBB forum at least or your forum won't do well. There is a very good reason why people Prefer VBulletin and PHPBB
PHPBB is totally free and you can get tons of features added to your site that a graphics community will absolutely love.
I am a digital artist as well and know what I am talking about.
kk...links to site of interest:
http://forums.cgsociety.org/
The above is one of the most famous forums ever. All the masters of art post on there frequently... anything from the creators of Lord of the Rings to the artists of the Matrix and more. No Joke. These forums were designed for artists to create a profile and submit their portfolios to get noticed. And yes, I am a member on there.
http://www.topsigsites.com/
The above is a list of GFX sites that cater to people who create signatures. There is an amazing world out there just waiting to be discovered.
http://thegfxedge.com/forums/
The above is another forum I frequent. Some really great designers on it. I actually found designers for some of projects on it and made deals offering them a good sum for their designs. In turn I used it on my sites.
But still, look at all of these forums and wonder why they are popular.
1) Some cater to specific niches like "Signatures"
2) The forum design attracts people.
3) You need run contests and hold "art battles" to generate interest.
4) Think of anything else...there are many things you can do.
You know... you have a nice domain name. Why not capitalize on it? What does the word Tokyo bring to mind? Design-High Tech Fashion and Computers.
^__^
