[Tango-artists] Glossy folders

[sascha brossmann]

On 11/25/05, Jakub Steiner <jimmac at ximian.com> wrote:
> Tango is not about creating a new, unique look. Tango is about finding a
> common style ground to make it easy for ISVs to target the "free
> desktop". It tries to solve the problem of inconsistent look on the free
> desktop,

Shouldn't the folder icons then be far more neutral than the new
incarnation which i find, erm, _problematic_, to say the least? Opposed
to osx & win we still have to deal with an environment which has no
real common grounds in terms of colour schemes, etc. and tends to be
visually rather excessively cluttered than not. Signal-wise, i perceive
the bright plastic blue of the new folders as rather dominant, they
don't blend in well (which e.g. on osx they do a little(!) bit better,
they're still a nuisance, imho), and are drawing far too much attention
in disfavour of more subtle visual hints (like e.g. emblems and such).
It's in a way like they were constantly yelling at my face without
communicating anything but their mere presence. ;-) Not quite what the
doctor ordered. Consequently I suggest to leave the stronger spectrum of
signals to elements which actually *do* signal something.

Also, i would like to suggest to further reduce the tell-tale details
which are still omnipresent present in many of the icons (though,
fortunately, to a lesser degree than currently common), amongst those
e.g. 'video-x-generic' and 'emblem-fotos'. I might sound like some
die-hard 1950s/1960s functionalist (which i am ultimately not), but
let's not forget that icons and other interface elements are not
sitting in their environment for decoration purposes but to effectively
communicate something to the user which the latter can act upon. And
while "pleasant to behold" definitely is a necessary part of this
effectiveness, "as simple, as possible, but no simpler" is it much as
well.

And while i'm already at it: the vast issues concerning the free
desktop's interface don't solely stem from a lack of unity in
appearance. In my eyes, the actual problem lies much deeper: it is
a lack of _visual_ _patterns_ as a consequence of the multitude of
_behavioural_ _patterns_ (i.e. their absence).

* I'd like to see more differentiation between objects (e.g.
applications and other files) and predicates (functions/actions, e.g.
most toolbar stuff). Due to the abstract nature of predicates it
would make much sense to me, to convey this with a significantly more
symbolic, sign-like rendering style: Much flatter, more graphical, more
contrast, less 3d realism, less colour shades etc. Just an idea, there
are more possibilities for sure.

* Files and applications should be easy to tell apart, which currently
with the exception of the obvious paper-document metaphor is impossible.
Amongst others, using a distinct common perspective for all members of
one class could help to achieve this. e.g. files in a flat top-down
perspective (which also maximises usable space) and applications in a
frontal perspective, turned inwards to a certain degree ( similar to the
folder as they are no.w)

* Propably this will need more conceptualisation to get it right. I
think it is important to construct some context (storyboard-like, not
mock-ups) to get to sensible solutions.

* The colour palette is too saturated on the whole and should also
contain less dominant shades. Especially for larger areas, which
should *not* be drawn in highly saturated colours. Otherwise you will
have a hard time drawing attention to smaller areas of interest.

* Go more to say, but i'm running out of time for today. I would
recommend anybody who is interested, though, to browse once through
chapter 19 of Cooper/Reimann: About Face 2.0 - The Essentials of
Interaction Design, Indianapolis (Wiley): 2003. The book has its minor
(imho) flaws but it's still an outstanding seminal work with a deep
understanding of the issues at hand. Most propably a rewarding and
inspiring lecture for anybody working in that field. (No, i am not
affiliated <g>, there's just too much crap out there in terms of both books
and design to let one of the better sources go unnoticed.)

> The actual theme is not as important as the style guide or the common
> naming scheme.

If we happen to be able to make the transition from _style_ to a visual
_language_ the impact could be much deeper and rewarding. This might be
one of the best opportunities in a long time. I can smell significant
change ahead, i hope it's not just my nose playing tricks on me. ;-)

best,

sascha brossmann

p.s.: i will try to contribute something more downright practical ;-)
as well, but i'm currently starting to dive into my MFA thesis and
might not act overly reliable and responsive during the next months.
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