Topic: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

I'm fine with people submitting their ideas, but I like the current one a lot, so it may be difficult to top it.

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

I hope a leopard icon (512 * 512px )

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

Please someone hurry with the icon/image help.

The random icon needs a heavy tune-up, and it would be very useful iff I could tell the difference between on and off.

Oh how I wish I paid attention in art class.

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

Last edited by OKboy (2008-03-09 20:22:50)

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

Those buttons are using the glossy/"glass button" look that Leopard has ditched though.

In Leopard, the button style has become light grayish buttons with a gradient but that are not glossy.

examples: the Finder, Safari, iTunes... most apps, actually, except those that use the "pellet"-type button (e.g., Mail, Preview)


But I've been thinking... what's wrong with the current set of toolbar buttons?

This may be because I've gotten used to them, but honestly, they look fine to me.

They use the Leopard button style. Check.

And sure, they're nothing amazing, but how amazing can you make the play symbol? Or the pause symbol? Or the rewind/fast forward symbols?

The only issue could be the File Tree button, which indeed does not fit with the new button style. Other than that, I don't really see a need to replace the current ones.


So my thoughts: keep the current buttons (except File Tree), and just add the new ones.



As for the Shuffle button...

I would normally agree with the suggestion of using a "lit up"/colored version of the Shuffle button for "on."

However, since there are many Repeat modes (not just on/off), the Repeat button does not light up; instead, the button image changes to represent the current mode.

So to be consistent with that, I think the Shuffle button should also change the image to the current mode. The easiest way would obviously to have the bars be in a random order instead of being placed from the shortest to the longest.

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

Thanks for giving it a shot.

I'll pitch in with a few comments.

First my opinion on the current ones. I don't think the icons are very stylish or intuitive.

The 'bars icon' for random don't tell me anything. What do the bars represent? I immediately think statistics when I see it.

The repeat icons are not too pretty, The '1' is okay, but 'AL' does it mean album or couldn't you fit in ALL, finally the 'repeat all' is pretty standard issue.

I like the info button, but the file tree button looks like a 'new mail' button.

So looking ahead, what do I think we should go for?

Shuffle:
I never liked iTunes' way of doing it. The two crossed paths doesn't mean anything. I mean there are only one track playing at the time.

But I can't think of a better solution. And after a quick search on google images, it seems that iTunes has set a standard. So in my opinion we should go with a remake of theirs.

@OKboy: yours look good, though vspader is right about them being a bit off center. Except 'off', i don't get the small arrows to each side. And it looks a bit too much like random off.

Or try to look at the dice in 'Play'

Repeat:
Having multiple possible settings for one button eliminates the possibility for on/off - a light up/pressed down solution. That makes it a bit difficult. I think the icon should communicate what it does in any position.

@OKboy yours are pretty good, but they would be more clear if there were more room for the little 'infinity'-symbol, cd-symbol and 1-digit.

File Tree:
Go crazy, let us get a green tree icon. It's good for the environment... almost kidding.

Concluding, I don't think everyone will be happy about the icons. So it will be up to vspader to set the direction. It would be great if more people could paint a few more sets.

Also I would love the icon for random, that I didn't think of, but makes perfect sense afterwards.

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

Hey OKboy

Good to see someone is throwing ideas around.

First I think the regular buttons, should remain pretty much the way they are. No reason to confuse users by not making them different than standard. Skins that are cartoonish can come, when Cog becomes skinnable,

I like the lightning, they are random, don't hit the same place twice (so the legend goes, at least), might be good. My main concern is that people won't recognize it as a random button, but as described previously, there really isn't a universal sign for random.

The repeat ones seem alright... Hard to tell from he sketch. It would be great to see them.

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

Lightning is an appealing idea for the shuffle symbol, definitely.  Another option would be something from a slot machine, though none of the relevant symbols (lemon, cherry, bar, seven) are quite distinctive enough...

The first thing that came to my mind when I thought about shuffle was dice, but since Play is using that, I think Cog might want its own symbol.  Unless -- we could totally nerd out and use Dungeons & Dragons polyhedral dice!  smile  Probably not enough room for that, though.

Of course, there's also the symbol for chaos, which I believe is a circle with lines going in all eight cardinal directions...probably too close to Cog's wagon wheel.

What about a luck symbol, like a clover or a horseshoe?  (Aye, me lucky charms...)

Last edited by goldenband (2008-03-15 18:56:15)

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

I'm not sure what Winamp does. It would be nice if someone who had Windows could let us know...I'd be interested in what Winamp, Foobar2k, and basically whatever other player is doing.

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

big_smile

Last edited by OKboy (2008-03-17 07:00:20)

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

Well, here's my opinion.

This is gonna sound weird, but I find it too... creative. ;p

As mentioned before, I find the default toolbar buttons should be more standard (and yes, boring if you will) for the sake of:
1) adhering to standards
and
2) comprehensibility by as many users as possible (which partially results from #1)

As Zitz said, if/when a skins system is implemented, we can go wild with the buttons. Shuffle could be a dancing monkey for all I care. ;p

But till then, for the "regular" interface, IMO, we should stick to, well, "regular" buttons.


Hmm... but here's an interesting idea. How about having the toolbar button set be customizable?

I'm guessing a skins system would be fairly complicated, and it would be a while before one will be implemented, if at all.

But being able to change the set of toolbar buttons... this doesn't seem too difficult to implement. (I could be wrong.)

This would allow a fairly good deal of personalization without too much development effort.

And yes, this would allow for more "crazy" toolbar buttons to be made and used. The default toolbar button set would be very standard (and boring) buttons, while alternate button sets would be made (by anyone who wants to do so), and these could be as creative as one wants.

Thoughts?

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

Personalization is probably still some way out in the future. So I guess we will end up with one set of icons. (that's all right vspader, do your thing in your own pace!)

I don't know when 0.08 is expected to be released, and maybe the icons can change up till that day.

But sooner or later vspader have to make a decision... Or leave it up the ones that actually submit icons, instead of just throwing ideas around.

As I see it, we have covered most sides of a discussion, that is besically founded in taste. and you know: 'de gusitbus non est disputandum'.

Re: 0.08 Icons/Images - Help Wanted!

Hello.  I hear what you guys are saying.  I will try now a standardized set, starting with the random, repeat and browse.  Should I use the "eject/open" icon for browse as many of those screenshots above do?  I'm thinking a scaled down Leopard Finder folder.
Random will be a two crossing arrows icon, background "lit up" blue for on state.
Repeat off will be two arrows pointing in a circle.  Repeat all will be that icon "lit up" blue.
Repeat 1 could be a single arrow circle instead of 2, also lit up.
Repeat album would be 2 arrows in circle with a basic CD shape behind/inside the arrow circle, also lit up.

I really shouldn't need to be told 10 times that standard is what's wanted, my apologies.

Is there certain sizes?  I have seen 36x36 and 24x24 out there, Cog's current set are 16x16 pixels.  Either way I will make them take-up the entire image so they maximize space.