[ubuntu-art] New Dapper icon set

[j Mak]

sascha brossmann <brsma.s at gmail.com> wrote: On 3/1/06, Pascal Klein <4pascal at tpg.com.au> wrote:
> Making branding icon sets is a lot of work, which is just going to
> be seen in that one distribution.

as far as i understand it would not be restricted to be used just in
ubuntu, will it? though, given the, erm... disputable >;-> sense and
understanding of all things design in the FOSS community it will
propably not spread as widely as it could.

> Although the icon set thus far obviously is great work, pity it had
> to be a contracted artist rather than someone from the community.

depends on what the community delivers, doesn't it? i have more than
serious doubts that the community currently(!) is able to deliver
near-to-professional quality in terms of design, especially compared
to the (technical) quality FOSS as a whole has risen to (if i do not
take graphical interfaces and certain types of special domain
applications into account, that is). why that? some roughly sketched
points in lose order (and all my very personal opinion):

* the community lacks the presence of enough extraordinarily skilled
(i.e. with a non-hobbyist background) _and_ committed individuals who
could provide a sort of leadership to make a difference. further it
severely lacks the presence of skilled and committed individuals who
could provide a solid basis for and guide along lesser skilled
contributors.

* compared to the FOSS hackers, the FOSS design community is
insufficient in both quality and number of contributors. this could be
at least partly resolved by e.g. trying to target art & design
educational institutions in order get more contributions from
academics in that field. especially as most professionals won't be at
all interested in contributing, at least not without getting paid for
it. in contrast to (professional) software developers, FOSS is a
one-way street for most designers: in practically all cases they won't
get anything back which they can *use* themselves. apart from pure
boredom (which won't happen to most pros i know) i cannot think of any
justifiable motiviation apart from purely idealistic enthusiuasm or,
maybe, at best, being a kind creative outlet.

* understanding design as (visual) icing on the cake is still an
all-too-widespread belief, especially amongst software developers. but
design is not about things looking nice. it's about making the things
at hand manageable (_and_ pleasurable, as such) - looks are only a
part of that story.

* existing larger projects like e.g. tango are creating visual
metaphors without being actually able to define or influence the
interactions that they should serve. it should be the other way round,
everything else is constant tinkering with basically broken kettles.
FOSS design needs a larger perspective. soon.

* if i look at the current results, bottom-up design methods don't
seem to work well. yet, mind you. lack of experience how to use them
appropriately and still achieve professional results.

* design != art (requires different skills, different methodologies
and a different mindset) btw: i would really, really, really like to
see the name "art team" changed to reflect this.

mind you, i *do* recognise (and very happily i do) how things have
progressed during the last years. but things are still lightyears
behind of where they should be (and where the two other major desktops
are or are heading). one of my main concerns being what could be named
*copycat desease*: nearly complete absence of strong original ideas
combined with the tendency to imitate the looks of other desktops
(without really understanding the concerning interactions). and a
painful lack of skill, knowledge, and competence in both creation and
evaluation/discussion. makes at least two major barriers that need to
be overcome. propably more.

best,


sascha

                                        By and large, I agree. I just would like to add that the art team has always been a scattered,  unorganized group of individuals, without direction and guideline. In such a situation, it is impossible to produce anything but random improvisations.  Providing strict guidelines and precise time limits for projects could revitalize the group. But for this to happen, you need a project leader who could be anyone knows enough about the parameters of the job.   
    
        Regards,
J. Mak
   
  


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