KDE/kdebase/workspace/plasma/containments/folderview

[Riccardo Iaconelli]

On 5/26/08, Aaron J. Seigo <aseigo at kde.org> wrote:
>
> On Sunday 25 May 2008, Marco Martin wrote:
>
> > On Saturday 24 May 2008, Riccardo Iaconelli wrote:
> > > That's art issue, I don't want to sound harsh... but it's not really
> his
> > > field. =)
>
>
> i don't know how to put this kindly. the current artwork in plasma is
> really
> not that good.
>
> now, you're right that i'm not an artist in that i'm not someone who can
> fire
> up inkscape and draw something. however, i have an aesthetic sense and i've
> been involved in more than a few corporate projects (both as participant as
> well as in a directorial role).

Ok, then please propose something. I'm saying that *I* can't really do what
you ask, a background that will look good in any situation. But if you say
that it's possible, then propose it, make an artwork mockup... and I'll then
add the tecnique, the perfectioness and the tricks to make it look better.

now, i've been sitting back hoping that someone with some real aesthetic
> sense
> would actually step up and start playing art director.
>
> because that's really what's needed: someone to provide some visual design
> that can step above the "hm... this one particular widget over here needs
> this particular tweak" mentality and start thinking of the whole.

Nuno is doing an awesome job on this. Or you think he isn't? He did an
awesome theme for Plasma. Now it looks rather old, sure. I too prefer other
themes. But it looked damn hot the first time you saw it, and still for some
months after that. Now it isn't anymore so damn cool, that's why we are
updating it.
But that's not for the artist fault, but for a mere simple reason: perfect
artwork doesn't exist yet. Everything will tire you and be heavy on your
eyes after some usage.

it'd be a lot less work than maintianing the current patchwork or art we
> have
> right now.
>
> it would also require the ability to think about things from an interaction
> perspective. Sebas already covered the interaction implications of this
> particular change. that's the kind of thought that needs to augment the
> aesthetic sensibilities.
>
>
> > > Plus, we're currently redoing that background...
> >
> > yeah, the new background (at least the last iteration i know of) is very
> > black and very opaque ond loooks really nice also because of that.
>
>
> great, we're heading further in the direction of ugly. i'm really not sure
> at
> what point someone thought that using a mostly black screen would be
> something everyone would think is cool. this isn't a turtleneck sweater and
> this isn't a beatnick party.


Oh, please... you certainly haven't seen the theme yet, else you wouldn't
say that. I'm not really accepting such complains with such reasons, and I'm
pretty sure Nuno isn't, either. I think we've already demostrated more than
better that we know our topics... as Nuno would say.


> for most of the applets, especially those myth much text a theme like
> > glassified that is very transparent is simply a no-no, not enough
> contrast
> > and well, it looks odd.
>
>
> with a more translucent background (it's not transparent, btw) one relies
> on
> the wallpaper more.
>
> but, low and behold, we've been relying on wallpapers for.. how long now?
> right: for ever. to be able to read icon texts.
>
> what *would* be better is if we could have some nice (performant) bluring
> done, but we won't get that in 4.1 due to some odd limitations in Qt.


Sure, blurring is nice. But it's not the solution to all of our problems.
Sadly, transparency is not, either.


> i am for a transparent background just for this applet with this
> > http://reviewboard.vidsolbach.de/r/17/
> > (temporary ugly artwork but that's the concept)
>
>
> this is at least better. i'm still not impressed, so i don't expect users
> to
> be either, but it gives us something more than transparency.
>
>
> > or,  maybe even better using that background for a certain category of
> > applets (let's say big, with more graphics than text) with something like
> > setBackgroundHints(Applet::LightBackground) so the applet class loads
> > another svg
> > how does that sounds?
>
>
> marginally better.
>
> it all smacks of "throw darts at the solution board and see what we hit"
> though. it also smacks of "yeah, it's an artwork issue, but let's solve it
> with more code."
>
> mostly i'm just very disapointed that this particular change made it into
> the
> code base. if it isn't out before i leave for my flight tomorrow, i will be
> removing it directly myself.
>
I reverted it a couple of hours after I commited it, just after fredrikh's
answer.

And I really hate how you accuse us not to be trying to find a good
solution, asking us to create your vision of the perfect artwork, which
would work in any case and in any situation. That simply doesn't exist. (and
I'd be overly happy if you prove me I'm wrong =) )

Bye,

-Riccardo
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