And oh, added some new icons, while not perfect I think they are nicer than the old once... screenshot:
(Yeah, I know, XP is ugly
)SpringLobby
Moderators: Moderators, Lobby Developers
btw, here is a good place to check out the progress on the SpringLobby project:
http://tc.serveftp.net/trac/timeline
http://tc.serveftp.net/trac/timeline
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clericvash
- Posts: 1394
- Joined: 05 Oct 2004, 01:05
Update your first post to include that :)tc- wrote:btw, here is a good place to check out the progress on the SpringLobby project:
http://tc.serveftp.net/trac/timeline
Look at it from my viewpoint for a moment.
Unitylobby had the whole logo hoohaa. imo it didnt work out well. The best ideas possible werent contributed or shown. The people best suited for proposing images werent available, werent willing to contribute, or just couldnt be arsed. The images that were proposed werent suited, not that they were rubbish, but they came with the usual set of responses to any sort of logo comeptition.
Just look at the screenshots page, and scroll to the bottom and click on the logo competition page and see what SJ and Fnordia got when they asked for a spring logo.
There are 3 ways of going about this and they all require that the logo have a lot of thought be put into it especially where the logo reflects the rest of the program and the concept of 'themes and style that go hand in hand with the logo'. People so rarely think past the photoshop image they envision.
1) Pick somebody specific and ask them to come up with a logo.
This is what the XTA people have done specifically with aGorm. aGorm made the XTA PE white logo and the blue succesor. This has worked well for them, however they were lucky that aGorm was available and that aGorm was as good as he is.
2) High stakes competition
Offer an incentive, something great enough to attract people with real skills that will stand out amongst the photoshop junkies and the people who just want to make their mark. This isnt something I'd advise and imo is the worst of the 3 options.
3) Dont bother with a logo just yet
When working on AFLobby initially I didnt know what to use as a logo, but I had anime in my mind originally, so I went online and picked something that looked nice for the splash screen, a hand drawn zaku. I stuck it on the frontpage and it worked just as well as a proper logo. I later changed it to a cool picture of a panda transforming into a robot, a parody of transformers.
Now I've gotten rid of the image completely. I dont need a logo, its just baggage, unnecesary baggage, and most often a bad logo is worse than no logo. Right now the UI is the logo. The mid-dark blue interface with the white highlights and the pretty images, a color scheme, a style. People can see a UI screenshot and say 'Thats AFLobby' with no need for a logo. Its all in the name and the results.
Unitylobby had the whole logo hoohaa. imo it didnt work out well. The best ideas possible werent contributed or shown. The people best suited for proposing images werent available, werent willing to contribute, or just couldnt be arsed. The images that were proposed werent suited, not that they were rubbish, but they came with the usual set of responses to any sort of logo comeptition.
Just look at the screenshots page, and scroll to the bottom and click on the logo competition page and see what SJ and Fnordia got when they asked for a spring logo.
There are 3 ways of going about this and they all require that the logo have a lot of thought be put into it especially where the logo reflects the rest of the program and the concept of 'themes and style that go hand in hand with the logo'. People so rarely think past the photoshop image they envision.
1) Pick somebody specific and ask them to come up with a logo.
This is what the XTA people have done specifically with aGorm. aGorm made the XTA PE white logo and the blue succesor. This has worked well for them, however they were lucky that aGorm was available and that aGorm was as good as he is.
2) High stakes competition
Offer an incentive, something great enough to attract people with real skills that will stand out amongst the photoshop junkies and the people who just want to make their mark. This isnt something I'd advise and imo is the worst of the 3 options.
3) Dont bother with a logo just yet
When working on AFLobby initially I didnt know what to use as a logo, but I had anime in my mind originally, so I went online and picked something that looked nice for the splash screen, a hand drawn zaku. I stuck it on the frontpage and it worked just as well as a proper logo. I later changed it to a cool picture of a panda transforming into a robot, a parody of transformers.
Now I've gotten rid of the image completely. I dont need a logo, its just baggage, unnecesary baggage, and most often a bad logo is worse than no logo. Right now the UI is the logo. The mid-dark blue interface with the white highlights and the pretty images, a color scheme, a style. People can see a UI screenshot and say 'Thats AFLobby' with no need for a logo. Its all in the name and the results.
well, when I was thinking of a logo for SpringLobby...I thought of the Spring Logo itself.
What does it have to do with the game? Maybe nothing, but yet newcomers are willing to accept it as The logo for the Spring engine. When I first saw it I was kinda suprised. I expected an image from the game, or something relating a bit more, but now I've grown to accept it.
Then there's the VLC Icon. It pretty much has nothing to do with any media player. a Traffic cone!? but again, I've gotten used to it, and while this is probably the strangest of all my icons, I've grown to accept it.
Then there's the normalish ones, that are still unrelated. Winamp is just some funky picture. Crimson Edit is a dog.
The last category is the ones that are super-simple, and yet appealing. Pidgin. It's just a Green circle, and dialoge box coming out of it, symbolizing chat. VNC is just that, the four letters V-N-C, colored nice, and arranged uniquely. Both of these seem to be last minute icons done by "none-graphics" people, yet they're so...perfect for the program, that they're going to have to stick.
AF probably knows what he's talking about since he's done a good bit of programming, etc. for the community, but at the same time, I feel like a logo would be good...
I have no idea if any of these thoughts help. Maybe I'll see what I can come up with for an icon, though I'm not much of an artist. I can see what looks good, but I don't do well with pulling ideas out of mid air. (the only thing I came up with was this.
What does it have to do with the game? Maybe nothing, but yet newcomers are willing to accept it as The logo for the Spring engine. When I first saw it I was kinda suprised. I expected an image from the game, or something relating a bit more, but now I've grown to accept it.
Then there's the VLC Icon. It pretty much has nothing to do with any media player. a Traffic cone!? but again, I've gotten used to it, and while this is probably the strangest of all my icons, I've grown to accept it.
Then there's the normalish ones, that are still unrelated. Winamp is just some funky picture. Crimson Edit is a dog.
The last category is the ones that are super-simple, and yet appealing. Pidgin. It's just a Green circle, and dialoge box coming out of it, symbolizing chat. VNC is just that, the four letters V-N-C, colored nice, and arranged uniquely. Both of these seem to be last minute icons done by "none-graphics" people, yet they're so...perfect for the program, that they're going to have to stick.
AF probably knows what he's talking about since he's done a good bit of programming, etc. for the community, but at the same time, I feel like a logo would be good...
I have no idea if any of these thoughts help. Maybe I'll see what I can come up with for an icon, though I'm not much of an artist. I can see what looks good, but I don't do well with pulling ideas out of mid air. (the only thing I came up with was this.
I would agree that a logo directly related to spring itself probably isnt the best idea, rather I'd append a spring logo to the corner of the existing logo instead of centering the logo around spring.
tbh many people have tied to make spring themed logos and tis either just looked terrible, or its just not working. We've exhausted our supply of spring looking half sun designs and the userbase is oversaturated with them.
tbh many people have tied to make spring themed logos and tis either just looked terrible, or its just not working. We've exhausted our supply of spring looking half sun designs and the userbase is oversaturated with them.
I just had a fun idea for a bit of a different logo when I read your posts and saw the smileys... What about a smiley with spikes
I guess the implementation could be better though
I guess the implementation could be better though
Last edited by tc- on 29 Jun 2007, 11:55, edited 1 time in total.
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clericvash
- Posts: 1394
- Joined: 05 Oct 2004, 01:05
Thats quite a good idea. I know I'd have thrown it out the window if I'd heard it but seeing it there shows it isnt bad at all.
I say use that and think about refining it later on. It does mean you have to implement smileys though, in which case it'd be nice if you used the same method as me with :smileyname: smileyname.gif and all smileys in a folder, and the same set fo default smileys.
I say use that and think about refining it later on. It does mean you have to implement smileys though, in which case it'd be nice if you used the same method as me with :smileyname: smileyname.gif and all smileys in a folder, and the same set fo default smileys.
Yeah, I'll keep it until someone comes up with something better.
Smileys will be implemented sooner or later and I will use :name: to be standards compilant I'm not sure about having them animated though, we will see about that. And as for allowing to add more in a directory, it will probably be implemented too, but all default smileys will be built in, but overrided by file version exists.
I love smileys, imo there should be at least one in every post unless you are saying something really boring and static
Smileys will be implemented sooner or later and I will use :name: to be standards compilant
I'm not sure about having them animated though, we will see about that. And as for allowing to add more in a directory, it will probably be implemented too, but all default smileys will be built in, but overrided by file version exists.I love smileys, imo there should be at least one in every post unless you are saying something really boring and static
You can disregard everything about my image except the distance between the flower and the smiley, actually. That's the only thing I had an opinion on, the rest is just to illustrate. You're quite right that my colours suck.AF wrote:I disagree, too bright too. I prefer the original, fine as it was.
edit: It kind of looks like some kind of animeish hair with the flower as a part of the head, imho.