6 posts tagged “art”

Remember a long time ago we built a few neat audio tools together? Then if you remember even further back I talked a bit about my involvement with some helpdesk systems. Well, we're going to revisit pieces of those in order to build something spectacular. We are going to build our own home-grown conference software. Here's a few ideas I had in mind for this:

Chatters

Chatters are little dots that radiate sound. Whenever someone logs-in or is available to talk to, or is in the queue to be talked to, then the little dot pops up on your desktop. If you click on the dot you can get more information about the person and options to talk with them.

Group Chatter

When you want to hold a conference you simply have to group a few people up together into a roughly drawn circle. A brush on the desktop to draw that circlish figure and dragging your buddies in there. Of course, this would have to notify the intending parties that a conference is being held, to which they may or may not join.

Let's start with those first and work our way up.

Chad's work inspired me to create this little piece I call Earthlet. Enjoy :)

Earthlet

If you're really ambitious you can download the PhotoShop PSD file below to make additions of your own.

Earthlet.psd

Did you ever go to Vimeo and check out their login page? It was the first really neat thing I noticed about it.

Given that, then you should thank Chad Pugh for creating it. Inspired by that, he spent several months creating this.

Out of the many projects created from Processing, this one certainly caught my eye. It's an exploration of flock behavior used to collaborate with Nando Costa in producing television spots for Fox Japan. You can read more about the exploration of the project on Flight 404. The video below is a montage of all the videos (starting with the birds).

I know I can come up with something and it shall be launched! In the meantime, check out this new design I made. At some point I should actually put some content into the design, but I enjoy this. This one is called Plenatude.

It's not nearly as complete as the others, but I like the colored rays. I think I'll build on this one and get back to you. Here's another view without the navigation links, you can see the rays better.

I also made a "People's Software Manifesto". This should count as content.

Once upon a time there was a man, this man was no ordinary man, he was a thinker; a social thinker. Free and abroad there are no limits to where his mind can go. Each project he came upon was a work of art; focusing in the beauty of social networking and constructing the perfect anatomy to which the interaction and workings should comprise of it. However, one problem arises in his approach, he is no manager; his timing is usually off; and the communication with others lacks with his ability to define a fine path for the goals he sets out. Because of this anomaly in design, each project turns into a recursive space of chaos; dwindling down into the black hole of development.

Each time we start developing our own projects there are some that simply dwell on the idea that others will use it, that "it" will become the greatest thing since sliced bread; all will use it and all will adore. Then you begin to think of what it will do: features and ideas simply thrash their way into that roller coasting storm within your brain. Alright then, where do I start. hmm... let's write something down, like a scope outline or a set of goals. So all those ideas you suddenly thought of turn its way to pen and paper (or notepad if you prefer).

Congratulations you have successfully broken rule number 1 in your intent to finish a great project.

Rule #1:
    Firstly, a project, like any work, is a series of steps starting by it's growth pattern.
    Projects grow into beauty, much like artwork. Where you start is up to you, it's simply a matter of starting it that most people tend to forget.

Alright, so you decide let's take a look at those ideas and put together something of a prototype. Hmm, which feature do I start working on? Well, let's see what's available on the internet, I'm sure someone has something that I can take a look at. So you go off, look at a few.. well hundred samples and you find out that there's definitely something missing in all of these samples. An underlying concept or resource that suddenly because apparent and you begin creating to fix this problem.

Rule #2:
    Research and development is a perfect way to figure out a role in either user design or project dynamics. The problem is that it is too often done well over the time that it's needed for. In addition, while you tune yourself in on each project there is a tendency to fall into a thought-process that causes you to stray from the original goals. This, recursive syndrome, is often found in the minds of programmers and developers.
    "Wanting to build a tool to help you write tool rather than just building the original program."

It's really a habit of perfectionists; because as you build each component you want to make it better, more secure and more extensible, more aesthetically pleasing.

Spending 12 minutes on a button because you don't like it's color or agonizing over a single-pixel error is apart of that perfectionist habit. Break it before it takes a hold of your original intentions.

Introducing the next feature, or next set of ideas it is easy for one to break rule #2 over and over again; and before you know it it's 3 weeks later and not a whole lot is done. Getting passed those 2 rules is easy if you've already set a standard for the project and what to complete.

Standards and requirements don't have to extensive, they're there for guidelines; to keep you in check so you don't endlessly break rule #1 or #2. And generally they're supposed to be small, incremental in design, that's usually why it's supposed to be written in almost the 1st day.

Nevertheless, there's a place where you may not even need several documents of requirements, loads of design papers and prototypes. This place is attributed to the sole creator, designer, architect... etc. Quoting Ze Frank, "every time I have an idea, I try to create it as fast and as soon as possible. otherwise I'll get addicted to brain crack." When it comes right down to it, let a project grow into it's amazing beauty, create as soon and as fast as possible; if nothing comes to mind for it's next selection of growth, then go back and strengthen those genes of the project. You'll find out that the creativity will come a lot quicker when you're constantly getting to show what you've already made.

- This post was really directed at myself since last quarter I had just been putting out brainstorms and visions, but I hope it helps anyone else who's gotten stuck somewhere.