Putting the cart before the horse. (was: Final Notes on the Ubuntu Studio Website)

[Scott Lavender]

On Sat, Sep 18, 2010 at 10:56 PM, Brian David <beejunk at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Thu, Sep 16, 2010 at 12:18 PM, Louie Queral <louiethecuban at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> Scott: If we made everything the DIY look, I think it would become too
>> cluttered and gimmicky. I think it should be clean and clear. I'm a
>> musician, and I look at US like a desk: I would rather have my desk be a
>> solid color, with no blemishes to help me think and finish my project. If my
>> desk was cluttered and "grungy" looking, I think it would be very counter
>> productive.
>>
>> Mike: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuStudio/Artwork/DIYConcept
>>
>> On Thu, Sep 16, 2010 at 1:08 PM, Scott Lavender <scottalavender at gmail.com
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> On Thu, Sep 16, 2010 at 11:18 AM, Louie Queral <louiethecuban at gmail.com>wrote:
>>>
>>>> This is off-topic, but still, in my mind, a relatively important point.
>>>>
>>>> I really don't like the DIY theme for either the OS as a whole or US's
>>>> website. I think that it makes it look a bit too unprofessional and it may
>>>> detract people from using US.
>>>>
>>>> Would anyone agree?
>>>>
>>>>
>>> Are you saying what we currently have is unprofessional or if we changed
>>> everything to a DIY theme it would be unprofessional?
>>>
>>>
> I actually got a job pretty quick and started last Monday, so I don't have
> the free time I expected.  Still, I've got something to show you all.
> Here's a sketch I did of what I think of when I refer to 'comic book' style,
> as opposed to the cell-shaded Borderlands look seen on the Wiki:
>
> http://www.sunmachine.coop/ubuntu/sketch_01_thumb.png
>
> The logo is based off Cory's, though it is still using my font imitation,
> so the 'o' is different.  Imagine this properly inked and colored, and you
> get the idea.  This particular image would probably be more useful for a
> Plymouth splash or GTK theme as opposed to website imagery, but I think it
> gets the point across.
>
> Also, I don't think the DIY idea needs to look cluttered or gimmicky.  Take
> a look at the graphic in the upper left of Mozilla's site:
>
> http://www.mozilla.org/
>
> That conveys a DIY feel, with the paint strokes, but still looks simple and
> slick.
>
> I'll try to come up with a mock-up of the more simple, shiny slick button
> theme in a few days.
>
> Let me know what you all think.
>
> --
> -Brian David
>
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Brian,

* comic book sketch *
Your sketch is pretty cool.  I like it.  This is something that could be be
used for a GDM background or desktop wallpaper when completed.

Personally, I would favour using user derived art and graphics (even music)
in a default Ubuntu Studio installation as long as it flowed well with the
accepted theme and art concept.

* DIY theme *
Rather than deny an artistic concept with a blanket statement I would
suggest that we value any examples by their merits individually.  I would
imagine that some DIY concepts might present themselves as unprofessional,
while others would extend themselves as hip or cool (LOL...does that make me
old to say that?)

If someone has an mock-up then I would love to see it and evaluate it's
merits.

* website wireframe *
I think it's awesome that you attached the image to the website revamp wiki
page:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuStudio/TaskWebRevamp#Original%20vs%20Planned%20Site
:

I would not feel compelled to follow the same layout as before, rather I
would encourage you to use a different layout.  A few of points about
possible layouts I would like to make as well:
 * minimize the branding height (even so much that only the top of the
letters for "Ubuntu Studio" is visible perhaps)
 * use 2 columns (as a minimum)
 * put download button (maybe "help" and "features walkthrough" too) inside
branding area
 * keep as much above the red line as possible

I downloaded the .svg file and have been playing with it.  I hope to have
something in the coming days.

I also note that the background image does not appear on my computer because
it was a linked image.  Not that it really matters since I'll be moving
everything around anyways :P


Thanks again, Brain, for you involvement and initiative.

ScottL
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