[When the Picasso of Tiddly offers to draw, the TWaddler pays attention]
Duarte, it would be fantastic to get your graphical artistry in TWederation! I'm sure there will be much need and it is very desirable to have a consistent style on things. Overall, the aim is to stick with standard TW style but there are no official guidelines for this style so it is probably rather flexible. And of course, there isn't much of images in native TW to begin with (it is mostly limited to icons, I think). More on this below. The matter of graphics goes beyond the mere front that this thread is about but there's no clear line to what is about the front and what isn't so I'll digress: > Are you talking specifically about aesthetics and visual appearance of the > front page? > Are you looking for pretty graphics or an appealing front page? > > Maybe what you need are some images, or perhaps a strong logo or > infographic for the front page. > I'd say the purposes of the *site front *is to - convey a *feeling* what the site and TWederation is about - create desire for people to proceed - and to make it clear *how* to proceed. This is not necessarily about graphics but it definitely can be. Can't really tell exactly how that is manifested in graphics but I do get one idea; a page background *gradient* going from default TW gray up into a stellar night sky at top (the stars would fit with the logo, see below). IMO it is important that people immediately see that it is a *regular* TW they're looking at, not some separate software. It is (for real) only about adding a plugin or two and this should be "sensed". I realize this is vague but I am here trying to frame the context for all visual content for the site. This affects all images. More concretely, various *graphical elements* are needed, like - Avatars - among other things, they are to be used for peoples *twCards* (i.e a kind of ID card for the wiki, including its crucial wiki URL, but where people can also voluntarily present themselves). @Jed has made a number of doodle avatars and there's of course a zillion avatars on the internet but it would be nice with a consistent set for default avatars until people tweak their card to show something else. - Icons - the need for Icons is probably *mostly* covered by the huge plethora of free icon sets found on the web. But actually does anyone know if TW adheres to any particular icon set or style, or is everything home designed by @Jeremy? - ...but I doubt we can find icons for all our *special* needs. For example, what does a "fetch tiddlers" icon/button look like? These need designing but should ideally align stylistically with the other icons used. - Logos - For the TWederation itself, i.e the only twederated network that currently exists (anyone will be able to create a new such network), we decided on ⁂ As seen, this is a utf-8 character so it is easy to use even in text. It also has a very distinctive look and a lot of relevant symbolism; it resembles a group of individual (federated!) networks which, at that, form a greater whole. For more, see asterism <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asterism_(typography)> (...and even this <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asterism_(astronomy)>!) This "starry" aspect is what I was thinking of when mentioning the stellar night sky page background. BTW, thus far there is only the Discussions application. This is closely associated with the whole purpose of TWedration (i.e "communication") so IMO it kind of shares the ⁂ logo. I think coming applications might benefit from having separate logos. Up to the creators, of course. For the *informative content* on the front page and the main twederation site, there is also potential use of - Infographics - it would probably be of value to make the *back-end process* for how the wikis communicate more understandable. I made a kind of table for this (see tab *Contribute*, the Backend table ). It doesn't display well there though and it is incomplete. I have been playing with the idea of a comic strip to illustrated how messages go betwen the wikis, but letting some of the comic squares be reveal buttons so that IF the user is curious he or she can click on it and the comic strip expands with further detailing comic illustrations. - I made one simple drawing (in the first tab inside the reveal button). It might need remake to harmonize with any eventual "style" that we use. I can't quite tell what other graphics would be useful at this stage but I'm certain that needs will arise. In a sense you guys are the ones to tell what needs illustrations. I have to admit I am also still a bit in the dark as how all this works and > how to use it/set it up, so I guess I am one of he persons who would > benefit from more thorough info. > I think the MOST important thing at this stage it to make people see the the PURPOSE of it all. (Come to think of it, maybe it is as simple as listing existing and future applications for it.) It is a bit like defining the purpose of the internet... I recall a friend who in 1992 said exactly this: "I bought a new PC but decided not to get that internet thing. I surf on the hard drive." Nowadays it's hard to understand how anyone could NOT see the value of the internet. As for "how this all works [etc]" - I don't fully understand the communication mechanism either but I don't think this is necessary. We / I must make good UIs to hide and automate stuff. Hopefully there is an official invitation soon so anyone can participate in improving the experience. But again, I understand that it is barely understandable at all at this stage. Gotto start somewhere though. If you could lay down the specifics that you want, and set up a list of > requirements or important topics that must be mentioned, > Yes, I was trying to use the draft (mainly the tabs) to reflect what I think are important "areas" to bring up - but this also is partly what I'm asking about; What info IS needed to understand what TWederation is about, and why is justified and how to use it? > then maybe you could hold some sort of contest or competition to design > some graphics for the front page, like the one held a while back for the > TiddlyWiki community poster. > Haha, another contest would be fun but I'm not sure there is need for it at this stage. Overall, it is striking how quickly it is (at least for me) to pass a judgement on a site based on if it has good or bad graphics so it is an important matter. ... *Having written this overly long reply, I'm thinking I/we should proceed like this;* Using standard TW as a stylistic base, I'll ask Jeremy about the icons - did he make them himself, are they influenced stylistically from somewhere etc and if he recommends any open source icon set. This will can serve as a "guide" for how to style additional special icons and possibly even avatars and illustrations. This will of course narrow things artistically but both Jed and I are open to great ideas that deviate ;-) Also, we're just talking about the basic things here; the main site, the key plugins etc. Just like in standard TW, there is unlimited artistic freedom in creating anything outside of this, including use of graphics. <:-) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TiddlyWiki" group. 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