5.x Design Guidelines

[Zendrael]

Hello all!

We will be defining the 5.x series Design Guidelines here.

• Do we follow the concept of KISS of the Core and create minimalistic themes?
• Is it necessary to go 3D or some other style?
• How the default icons should look like?
• Which app or wm we should create a theme?
• Which toolkit are more important in this first version? GTK? QT? <Your Prefered One>?
• Does it need a Wallpaper?
• Does the logo need a redesign?
• Do you use some bootsplash? Which one?

I hope we could have some help here to get it working and good ideas to share!

Feel free to post a mockup of your idea!

Thanks!

[Misalf]

I'm not sure where you want to go so I hope its OK if I just drop my two cents.

I have recently played with compiz which is amazing but actually just a fun way to waste some time, not the KISS way, though I don't see any reason to not post themes/artwork for compiz since its available for TC.

Usually I prefer minimalism over fancyness but I also prefer functionality and/or visually appealing themes which, at the same time, do not distract me. F.e. I always disable the Themes service on WinXP but I don't do so on Win7 where I'd loose some functionality.

Shortly before my TC4.7.7 USB installation died, I removed lots of icons from the gnome-icon-theme, hoping to reduce the ballast by eliminating which I found to be ugly anyway (several MB that was, I think). Might be nice to have a lighter replacement.

I got used to use Fluxbox which is easy to create themes for I think (I edited an existing one which nearly suited my taste). While JWM or FLWM are functional, they are ugly as hell by default (which scared me) - these might need nicer themes.

I don't like wallpapers. I usually set my background to just black. Actually I just found out today that Fluxbox has some nice backround features so I made my 'wallpaper' to be a dark gray grid on black background.

Code: [Select]

fbsetroot -foreground rgb:0C/0C/0C -background rgb:04/04/04 -mod 16 16added to  ~/.setbackground
"hsetroot ..." commented out.

I like the TinyCore logo a lot. Though as it has been said, visibility is not that good on dark background.

I always prefer my PC to boot quickly. Boot Splash is not for me.
I'm even using logo.nologo boot code. Not sure though if it has a significant effect on speed.

[tinypoodle]

While JWM or FLWM are functional, they are ugly as hell by default (which scared me) - these might need nicer themes.

jwm is shipped with a theme included in extension.

I'd doubt anything could be changed with flwm in particular at runtime - besides from the generally applying fltk options.

[Zendrael]

We could start (try) supporting / creating themes for the already supported WindowManagers used in CorePlus, as they are "default".

QT and GTK can be created from another minamalistic theme, or, if we find a good one, it can be the one to ship in an extension (given the author credits, of course).

A themes that integrates well between QT and GTK will be the best one, including the lightweight.

The icons that I mentionet is not a full icon pack, just icons for the base apps.

Any suggestions?

Will post a screenshot of my actual system later.

[Misalf]

None of the 'System Tools' have window/taskbar icons in Fluxbox but they do in FLWM. Don't know about the other WMs.
Maybe this can also be taken care of?

[Zendrael]

Sure

We must think in the maximum of integration between the tools and the plenty of apps/setups that any user can do...

And how about colors? All the color has a meaning, which directions do we take on this?

[Misalf]

Icons colors maybe just need to be different so one can distinguish them faster.
I think I've heard that in general the color green is often associateed with sickness while it's also used to indicate a good status. Hmm, maybe it just shoudn't be too colorful.
The firefox icon is orange and blue; looking nice (imo) and jumps into the eye without looking like a warning symbol.
GIMP icon is neutral brownish-gray but the shape might be more important for recognizing it in the taskbar.
I have confused Run, Apps & SCM Apps a few times because the look so alike (when I'm tired).

For GUIs I like 212/208/200 (I even know these values off-hand). Maybe I just got used to it due to using Windows for so long; Just gray makes me want to look somewhere else. GUIs ran by root still using gray on my system so I don't feel to comfortable using that (which is a good thing).

[Zendrael]

Hi!

Attached is one idea of logo and icons. The logo, being flat, could get any other color to differ from any background. The icons are just ideas to follow the flat style and simplicity.

I'm not on my Core machine to take the screenshot of the gtk theme yet, will do until the end of the day.

[Misalf]

That future-look logo is actually pretty nice.
If inverted, (orange on black) it might look nice as a boot splash logo or something.

Now I think I know what you mean regarding 3D icons (opposite of flat).
That might not quite harmonize alongside other apps installed, though on the other hand it might be very good to differentiate System Tools and User Installed Tools.

[Zendrael]

Hi!

How about FlatStudioLight ( http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/?content=154296 ) as the theme of choice?

Together with the AwOken icons... maybe we could start from them!

[sethend]

Hi friends, I did a small and simple sketch of a button on and off to contribute to the Tyne Core, if you liked intend to create layouts with these color patterns. Give suggestions, comments or more ideas of what can be done ... thanks.

[Misalf]

I would at least like to see a thin border underneath the window bar to seperate it from the rest of the window content because its using the same color; silly me might need severel attempts to move the window across the screen without holding the Alt key.

AwOken icons looking very good (seems HQ; big in file size?).

--

Hi sethend,
Where could that icon possibly be used for?

[sethend]

Misalf Hi, this icon may be used as a shortcut actually was an idea to draw all the other icons of the Tyne Core, which could give a unique personality and unique look of the Tyne Core, using soft icons and use according to applications assigned.

Observation: I don't write a english perfectly, else I use the google tradutor. Gradually I will improve my English. I promise. ^^)

[byteshaman]

i dont know much about tiny core yet. but i do know a thing or two about computer generated artwork.
i will be watching this thread from time to time to understand the branding you are trying to apply. anyone feel free to private message me, or email me : zun@byteshaman.us  if a helping hand is needed. beware though, i dont know tinycore much yet, but i do know computer generated artwork and how to create a visual brand. i refuse the title of artist. i accept the title of computer guy.

[Misalf]

Verry interesting icon, sethend.
Reminds me of the Unetbootin icon combined with a power off symbol. ^^