homer gaines » Lab

New Project: Sumi-e inspired Web UI Using Artrage

homer — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 21:44:13 +0000

I have been thinking about this for a while but just have not had the time to get it going. It’s a personal challenge to establish a different look and feel outside of my Photoshop habits. I know I won’t finish tonight but I will be gin working on a Web UI that is hand drawn using a program called Artrage.

The ideas going through my head are in water color. Sumi-e inspired, faint wet traces of paint on rice paper. Minimalistic layout giving just as much value to the negative space as the content.

For now the UI. Maybe I’ll build out the design as a WordPress theme or a flash site. We’ll see.

The Evergreen Pool WordPress Theme

homer — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 14:38:23 +0000

I’m working on a new theme for WordPress called “The Evergreen Pool”. I should have it ready as a free download by the end of next week.

Logo Concepts for so-bananas

homer — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 05:09:04 +0000

I was asked by a twitter friend of mine if I could come up with a logo for her company. So I took a break from Flash and opened up Illustrator and a few paths, points, and pulls later I came up with these initial concepts.

I heard back from my twitter friend and I think the she liked the logo ideas but I could be wrong :) Below was how she responded.

ahhh!!! I love them!!! Especially the sb with the star and the random head thing….omg I love you

Made it to Vegas

homer — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 18:40:06 +0000

Made it in to Vegas last night where I will be working with Creative Director Serge Nikolich on a couple of projects he has in the works. The first one we are tackling in a pharmaceitical site. Obviously the whole thing will be in flash and will incorporate some video as well. This is going to be fun.

Serenity Now Button

homer — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 19:28:09 +0000

A couple of the girls in the office were having a tough week and kept say “Serenity Now!!!” when their frustration levels were reaching critical. They borrowed the saying from old Seinfeld episodes and even found a “Serenity Now!” montage on youtube. Afterwards, instead of yelling out, someone would just play the video. That’s when I decided to make a button they could run on their desktop and hit when need be.

So if you too are having one of those days, feel free to download the zip file. The zip contains the exe, swf and app file types. I’ll be converting it to an AIR app soon and adding other mood appropriate sayings to the mix.

Enhanced Flash Layer Colors

homer — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:44:32 +0000

In my day to day activities, I used Flash quite often and I have some ideas about what I would like to see change with the application so I figured I would post some of my ideas here in addition to letting the dev team over at Adobe know as well.

The first is Enhanced Layer Colors. Depending on the project, I can have a ton of layers. Even though I have ability to use folders, that only takes care of my vertical space management. But what about quickly being able to track a layer a sea of layers? Or how about when I try to find a layer in a sea of layers when I have outlines enabled? Even then, the Outline Color indicator itself turns into an outline.

This is where Enhanced Layer Colors come into handy. The idea is simple. Color the entire layer with a lighter shade of the Outline Color indicator. This feature could be managed through the layer preferences menu Just as the Outline color is currently. This would aid in easier tracking of layers at a glance.

The image below shows what the layers look like in their current state and what they could like with Enhanced Layer Colors enabled.

New Project : Custom Music Player Using Adobe Air

homer — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:16:12 +0000

Today I was asked to build a custom player for visitors to the brands website. Seeing as how the site is a dynamic site that requires the page refresh in order to see new content, I have suggested using Adobe Air as the method of delivery for the player. That way visitors can download it and play the music independent of the site. Basic planning and deciding what business rules should apply started today.

Research Begins for the Ole’ Dudes Golf Club Web Project

homer — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 20:20:29 +0000

Thinking about the target audience for the Ole’ Dudes website. Who are these guys? Kinda rhetorical since I know many of the guys who will be using the site, my father included. I have actually been on a few of the trips so I’ve had a chance to watch them and listen in on their meetings as they talk about things they would like to do. But what else do I know about them?

The Ole’ Dudes Demographic

Male
Age 40 – 60
Middle class to upper class
Education: Some College to Advanced Degrees
Internet Savvy
Love to play golf (At least 3 days a month not including time off from work)

Things To Keep In Mind

Males are more inclined to have problems with color vision so I’ll have to keep a high contrast ratio when designing my text areas and supporting graphics.
Majority of the current members use or have some form of vision correction whether it’s contact lenses, lasik, or glasses. ( Possible diagnosis based on age: Presbioptic, Bioptic, Astigmatic)

There’s obviously much more to these guys that I will find out later today when I see them.