I have recently used an e-commerce content management system (CMS) on a couple of different sites. I won’t name names, but I will say that the default backend can be an eyesore. One client liked it, so I let it be. Yet I found that I was coming to resent the admin area. I knew something had to be done for the other client. A little work adding in a logo and the header background from the front end of the site, and I knew I was on to something. The result was an admin area that was both attractive and refreshing. I found that I enjoyed the site so much more.
While the focus of a site should always be the front end, there is no reason why an administrator section can’t be attractive in its own right. If the client will access the back end, then having an attractive admin area could win you some bonus points. If you have the time and a deadline isn’t looming, give it a try. Admin does not have to equal boring!