A simple rule; make your mockups of the community really good.
If you’re trying to get support from your boss, colleagues, or people you want to participate in the community, putting together a shoddy wireframe and adding the disclaimer ‘this is just a mockup, the real thing will be a lot better!’ isn’t going to cut it.
The mockup is the only thing that people can see.
They can’t visualise what lies beyond that.
If it looks bad, they will only see it as bad.
This means you either need to hire a designer, head on over to 99 designs and get some help, or invest the time to learn a tool like Figma.
Whether you’re trying to get support, help people to understand what the community is, or simply solicit feedback – begin with something that looks good. Trust me.