¤feedback on Aphex Twin skin please¤ ;)

[StillWater]

Based on the CD cover art of Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works Volume II.

Please give me feedback, criticism, suggestions, etc.......

There are a couple of missing buttons, and the posbar hasn't been skinned yet, so please ignore that stuff.

[StillWater]

-

[StillWater]

Animated vol and EQ bars - no PL yet

///Sorry, I pressed quote instead of edit.

[Nini]

what a skin!

just amazing, i can't like it enough.

I don't like the sqared buttons though. or will they change?

anyway. great!

[StillWater]

Originally posted by Nini
what a skin!

just amazing, i can't like it enough.

I don't like the sqared buttons though. or will they change?

anyway. great!

Cool. Thanks! If you're talking about the cbuttons-when-pressed, then yes, I haven't got to them yet

[Mr_Tough_Guy]

Looks great so far, love the volumebar

[Atmo]

I like it, its not really easy to use, but i really like the style. Very original.

[BlueBalls]

hey i like this one, its a nice change from the skins i have in my folder, think ill use it for a bit

[Omnitarian]

Neato Burrito.

I love the volumebar and numbers.

[simon snowflake]

WARNING, this post has critesizm in it and they are my opinion and you should not get offended by it. As you know I'm direct at times, but I don't lie.

I don't like it much actually, but maybe because I am expecting more of you. or I'm just stupid....
I think its a bit plain in one way and messy in a other.
plain as in not much going on and simple looking stuff
messy as in the fact that the eq bars are action abit strange in a way i don't really like.

anyway go on since most people do like it very much.

just my 2ct.

[binary hero]

Originally posted by BlueBalls
hey i like this one, its a nice change from the skins i have in my folder, think ill use it for a bit

.

[StillWater]

Thanks for your criticism, Simon . Much appreciated. I disagree with you about the EQ, because I like it very much (though I think it should be darker). But I agree that it is still a bit plain, as well as a bit messy. I was thinking that before, and reading your post reinforced it. I'm want to keep it fairly minimalist (sp!), so that the skin corresponds with the cover art as well as the music itself. But I do want to make it a bit less simplistic. And I also want to improve the balance between different elements - they look a little haphazard at the moment.

But I do like this skin a lot, and I'm glad others do to There'll be an update soon.

[StillWater]

Update

I'm beginning to worry that it's becoming too cluttered

updated:
-various stuff on main
-EQ bars darkened a bit
-nice (I think) PL stacks - without buttons in them yet


===WSZ===

please tell me what you think.


//Hmmm, maybe the rest of the textures should be blue, I'm thinking.

[dam]

I like this one too. Its soo diffrent. I like everything youve put on it so far.
The posbar dosent fit the skin though.

Nice pl stacks.

[StillWater]

Originally posted by dam
The posbar dosent fit the skin though.

Nice pl stacks.

Cool

Forgot to mention: some things are still missing, and some things, like pressed-state buttons, and the posbar, are just still in their template/button extractor form.

[Atmo]

The pl stacks are great.

Cant wait to see this one finished.

[Saotome 2.0]

This is really going to be a kickass skin, so keep up the good work, Dawid. I like all of your work, so this should be no different.

[StillWater]

A Which cbuttons look better, the slanted, or the straight?

B Which is better, with the circle around the kbps, or without?

[Atmo]

Im not sure why, but the circle around the kbps looks much better, i also prefer the slanted cbuttons, they add less uniformity to the skin, which is good in this case.

[Mr_Tough_Guy]

I'd keep the circle it looks nice, I hope your planning something for the playlist cause, it looks a bit white and empty, nice playlist stacks though.

[skinme!]

I like it. I can understand what Simon's saying and in some respect I agree with him. However, it lives up to your "not-just-another-skin-for-the-metal-whores" (of which i admit i am, amoung other things) philosophy.

What I do think is...

• It needs a border (say 2px thick). Something that appeals to me when picturing it is a border with curved corners but square ones. So do it as if it were curved but then fill in the bits which would other wise be transparent. Dunno why, just looks good in my mind.
• I don't like the posbar... hope it's just temporary
• I think certain areas look too blank. Don't get me wrong... do not overcrowd. Perhaps a very subtle texture worked into certain areas. Fading in with some kind of grey shapes. Perhaps some kind of bubble -like circles or circles and rounded squares. You know. But very light and subtle.

Enough suggestions.. there are elements which are wonderful... the numbers (so simple yet they add so much to the skin).. the volume is divine.

[edit]Forgot: go with numero duo... I agree with atmo on the khz thing.

[dekt]

I'd agree with Atmo on the kbps circle but I prefer the non-slanted cbuttons because they match the EQ sliders better.

I think my favourite parts of the skin are the volume, the numbers font (if that is an actual font I'd like to know what it's called, please ) and the colour scheme of the circular shapes. The new clutterbar and PL stacks are good uses of images (maybe use one in the posbar?). The PL stacks almost ask for two different versions of the skin - one brown and one blue (or different coloured images for each window?).

As for what I'd like to see changed, I'm afraid I've got plenty of suggestions! While I like the freeform look of this skin what I think it is crying out for is more consistency. One of the basic rules of multimedia design is if something looks the same it should act the same. I would like to see all* the images (which attract your eye) being used as buttons or signifiers. Take the EQ for example, you've got two images placed there and two spaces where the on/auto and preset buttons are. I think users will try clicking them anyway so why not adjust these images to make them the buttons? You could centre the top image in the main and make it show the in/active states. Maybe have three images for the decibel levels between the preamp and EQ sliders instead of one big image. Another usability issue is the cbuttons. My suggestion would be to make the play button the Aphex hand so it matches the EQ and users would find it easier to work out the other controls.

*The exception to the above rule would be mono/stereo, EQ/PL and shuffle/repeat. I think the main hand image holds the skin together really well (not sure about it hanging over into the EQ but it's no disaster). In most of the skin coloured images contrast with the white background but here, I think, white circular buttons could contrast with an image background and still keep the consistency. It would cover the image a bit but it's quite subtle anyway so I don't think it would matter that much.

Lastly, are you going to have the abstract font used for Aphex's name on the front cover in this skin? I know it probably doesn't scan well but it's what I was expecting to see quite prominently.

The above is probably a bit much in terms of comments but I'm afraid it's the interface design part of me coming out and 'function' has a habit of fucking with 'form' (they have a love/hate relationship but are still together after all these years! ).

NB: Remember, your skin is already about 1,907,874,239,978 miles ahead of the other Aphex skins I've seen.

[ripe]

A i prefer the straight cbuttons over the slanted ones, but i'd also try a more irregular layout before committing.

B i prefer it with the circle around the kbps

i like where you're going with this db, it's an ambitious skin.

[personal opinion]
the transition in the eq animation is too fast for me. i'd prefer it if it were a bit...er...mellower

i don't think it is becoming too cluttered, but imho the composition is lacking some kind of harmony in the placement of the blocks (sorry, i know that is too vague to be constuctive). the skin grabs my attention but doesn't hold it for as long as it could. i feel the separate elements need some Zen-like distribution.

don't be discouraged though. it's quality stuff
[/personal opinion]


p.s. you're gonna need a pretty-fuckin-good easter egg to live up to Aphex Twin standards

[StillWater]

Thanks a lot for your suggestions, everyone I'll post an update in a couple of hours.

Skinme!Yes, a border is in the works, and yes that posbar was temporary. I'll try your border idea. If I like the look of it, it will beautifully solve the problem of having no transparency in the PL.

dekt:

One of the basic rules of multimedia design is if something looks the same it should act the same

I just watched a Korean film about a great Korean painter. As you probably know, East Asian art is heavily focused on the poetry contained within a single brush stroke, and within the relationship of the strokes to each other. It can take a lifetime to master the art of making a single brushstroke. I've heard that it takes a Chinese person about 20 years to "learn to write properly", since so much about Chinese written language is about the form of the characters, and not just their linguistic content. When I came out of this film, it really made me realise just how sadly unenlightened my way of "doing it 'cos it seems to look good" is. You work in Graphic design, so if there are any more rules of thumb like the one I quoted above - that are simple enough to briefly explain like that one - I'd love to hear them from you (either post them here or PM me if my PMs are working).

The Aphex Twin font: I tried, but it's so complex/strange that it needs to be at least half the size of the main in order for it to be legible!

the number.bmp font: I made it myself. Just some intuitive placing of squares combined with a generous splash of erasing and starting again

The above is probably a bit much in terms of comments

There can never be too many comments, nor are your comments in any way "a bit much"! I greatly appreciate them, and you'll the fruits of some of them in my next update.

dekt, did you click the link ripe gave? If not, click it - I think you'll find it interesting.

ripe: That's fuckin' brilliant! I can't imagine anyone more fitting for such a thing! His face - in that singular, "you ever seen a grown man naked? Do you wanna?" expression is such a big feature of his covers, videos, etc., and now it's even in his music

[StillWater]

My plan for the Shuffle, Repeat and Balance is to have the three arms of the Big logo glow when each function is on. If you click those buttons/slider, you'll notice that I've positioned the logo in such a way that each of the three arms is over one of those buttons. I'm still pretty new to PSP - does anyone have any suggestions as to which effects would best acheive this?

[simon snowflake]

Originally posted by ripe
[Bp.s. you're gonna need a pretty-fuckin-good easter egg to live up to Aphex Twin standards [/B]

that is so kewl

[StillWater]

Changed:

-cbuttons changed
-introduced slight colour & texture variation between the different 'white' components.
-some boxes repositioned
-EQ bars curved slightly (is this any good? )
-EQ bars animation slightly slowed

Please comment.

Download:
!!!!aphex-twin-temp2.wsz

[dekt]

I'm on the wrong machine just now for testing the skin but I'll try and get to it soon.

What about Aphex though? How cool is that? Talk about taking branding a bit further! I really want to get into MetaSynth now. I've got a demo of it but I've got some system things to back up and some work to do to my mac before i can really give it a go.

[dam]

The cbuttons look better now. So does the eq animation.So is there going to be a balance?

[StillWater]

Originally posted by ¤db¤
My plan for the Shuffle, Repeat and Balance is to have the three arms of the Big logo glow when each function is on. If you click those buttons/slider, you'll notice that I've positioned the logo in such a way that each of the three arms is over one of those buttons. I'm still pretty new to PSP - does anyone have any suggestions as to which effects would best acheive this?

[not in santiago]

Overall, it's great. I don't think it's messy or cluttered at all. Good choice in thumbing down the white, and like everyone else, I like the volume, numbers and playstacks so far.

I'd prefer to see the Cbuttons in a straight line. As it is, it looks like you've purposely raised the first three buttons to avoid coming too close to the picture underneath it. And because I think I enjoy making extra work for people, I'm going to suggest slowing the eq bar animations even more, or at the very least, eliminate the intermittent gaps between the slider and the circles. (Maybe make the circles smaller? That may destroy consistency with the main if it becomes too compact, though.)

Making the eq bars crooked is definitely unique, but I'm not sure if I like it.

What drives me a bit crazy about this skin, and has since I first saw the screenshot is the large, brown logo. It looks like a giant finger! (Only to me, it seems ). I'm not sure how well it blends into the skin anyway. I say keep the circle part (I think your plans for the buttons in it sound pretty cool), but perhaps do something with the )_| part.

The world needs more white skins. Can't wait to see further animations.

[StillWater]

Originally posted by not in santiago
I'm going to suggest slowing the eq bar animations even more, or at the very least, eliminate the intermittent gaps between the slider and the circles. (Maybe make the circles smaller? That may destroy consistency with the main if it becomes too compact, though.)

I'll slow down the animations, but the circles can't get any smaller, or they'll lose whatever form they still posess. But it's starting to seem that it still needs a lot of work, either way

but perhaps do something with the )_| part.

The what part? Do you mean the 'finger'? I can't really get rid of that - it's the Aphex twin logo from the front cover on which the skin is based (it's also in the play cbutton and the eq slider). Thanks for the comments

btw, Not in Santiago timing has struck again - there's another update coming in a minute

[StillWater]

WSZ (138k)

[Mr_Tough_Guy]

looks better, that border really makes a difference, I like the eqvis though the blue looks a bit out of place.
I like that you've used different shades of white for the circles but the first eqbar doesn't match the background anymore,

[Nini]

cool



I especially like the effect for the eq contol buttons


About the new play button: I'm not sure whether I like it. I like it when the cbuttons form a row. It's a bit too different imho.


Or, if you want to leave it, maybe you should paint a circle around the eq buttons, too, to make them look the same (like dekt said).


The border is kewl, too. But maybe a bit dark? (that around the "finder" is a bit brighter for me..)





I'm pissed that xmms shows only the default eq graph if it's missing

Can you post a ss? please?

This is one of the most fascinating skins i've ever seen.

[dekt]

Having the hand as a play button is good. I quite like the way the border 'includes' the main hand image - that ties it together well (though the wee line above the image next to the track title area looks a bit lost now). I think the main/EQ could maybe do with having rounded corners though to match the other shapes. I'd probably go with what Mr tough Guy said about the left EQ bar and the new blue area. With the latter i think varying the colours of the other shapes would make it fit in better but you probably don't want a whole 'tutti frutti' thing to start happening! One other thing about the blue rectangle is the EQ bars underneath overlap the outline of it by 1 pixel.

I understand about the front cover font - nevermind. Still captures something of the album. One thing about Aphex is how he's influenced by his surroundings in Cornwall (SE England). The coast has a lot of weird features and some mystical history plus WW2 bunkers and things. Your skin has quite an interesting mixture of textures plus the lines which hint at ley lines (new age people believe they connect between spiritual sites) while the circle patterns look kind of 'retrofuturistic'. That's probably intellectualising way too much for a skin about a guy who doesn't give a fuck about anything like that but anyway... I like the colours!

[StillWater]

Mr Tough Guy:Crap! I didn't notice that the preamp was darker. I didn't think about that. It's ok - I'll fix it with a gradual gradient to blend it in with the circle (I was already going to do that with the Hz bit). The EQ-vis: I'm stuck for colour ideas there at the moment :/

Nini:

Or, if you want to leave it, maybe you should paint a circle around the eq buttons, too, to make them look the same (like dekt said).

I tried that originally. It doesn't fit

The border is kewl, too. But maybe a bit dark? (that around the "finder" is a bit brighter for me..)

It took me ages to figure out you meant "finger", lol. You're right. I'll change it.

I'm pissed that xmms shows only the default eq graph if it's missing

Don't worry - those lines aren't there. I cropped them out at the beginning, because I didn't think I would have an EQ-vis. Now I can't figure out how to enlargen the PSP file while keeping all the layers intact. So I'll just add them into the BMP at the end.

This is one of the most fascinating skins i've ever seen.

Sweet music to my ears Thankyou.

dekt: I will probably put the Aphex Twin font into the mbinner - nice and big.

Your skin has quite an interesting mixture of textures plus the lines which hint at ley lines (new age people believe they connect between spiritual sites) while the circle patterns look kind of 'retrofuturistic'. That's probably intellectualising way too much for a skin about a guy who doesn't give a fuck about anything like that but anyway... I like the colours!

I don't know much about ley lines, apart from that it's a very interesting (and not so surprising) concept - but I don't think you'll be flabbergasted when I tell you that they weren't on my mind when making the skin But I am very glad that the skin is stimulating enough to make someone think of things like that

So Richard James is Cornish, and not English, is that correct?



EVERYBODY: Of all the textures/pictures on the skin, which are your favourite? Which are your least favourite?

[ripe]

Originally posted by ¤db¤
So Richard James is Cornish, and not English, is that correct?

you are kidding, right?


----

my favourite texture on the skin is the pebbles. not so fond of the blue/grey one

[StillWater]

Originally posted by ripe
you are kidding, right?

No. Ethnology of the British Isles isn't exactly my forte, but if I'm not mistaken, the Cornish are a separate, Celtic, ethnic group like the Welsh, the Northern Scots, the Irish, and the Britons (??). Cornwall just isn't as recognised as a separate enity as Scotland and Wales are. However, no doubt not everyone in Cornwall is ethnically Cornish, hence my question. Is he Cornish?

[ripe]

Originally posted by ¤db¤
No. Ethnology of the British Isles isn't exactly my forte, but if I'm not mistaken, the Cornish are a separate, Celtic, ethnic group like the Welsh, the Northern Scots, the Irish, and the Britons (??). Cornwall just isn't as recognised as a separate enity as Scotland and Wales are. However, no doubt not everyone in Cornwall is ethnically Cornish, hence my question. Is he Cornish?

/slaps forehead

shoulda seen that coming.