![]() ![]() Inkscape holds a place of honor in my memory for being the very first vector software I ever used. If a line doesn't quite look right, it doesn't have to be redrawn, it can simply be changed. Thankfully, vector graphics are also very forgiving for new and non-designers. The clean lines and scalability of vector graphics lend themselves to the needs of logo designers so perfectly that on the few occasions where someone isn't using a vector-based application, they really should be. ![]() Logos are almost always drawn as vectors. Assignment 1: Design a logoĪ good logo typically has three features: It's clean and not too visually complex, color variation is kept to a minimum so we're not mortgaging the company to print stickers later, and it's scalable enough to work just as well on a 16px favicon as it does on a 10-foot hanging banner. Therefore, rather than ordering this list by title, let's segment the applications by task and see what open source design software works and what doesn't. Like a craftsperson, designers have to be flexible enough to accomplish a wide range of tasks, knowledgeable enough to know which tool is appropriate for which task, and thoughtful enough to leave space and breadcrumbs for the next worker down the line to make changes and perform maintenance without too much headache. The question I want to answer with this investigation isn't just how good is open source design software, but also could I use it to do my job every day? What I expect from professional-grade design softwareĭesign is more craft than art. (I know, hate me if you must.) For the purposes of this research project, however, I am running Fedora 29 on a repurposed Mac Mini. Second, although I try to incorporate open source methodologies and principles wherever I can, my field pretty much demands that I use Adobe software on a sticker-emblazoned MacBook Pro. First, I am a designer, not a software developer. The fact that you export easily complete PDF files with all screens, hotspotted within the PDF and linked along with PNG files is a very effective way of interacting with customers in a fast and agile way.Before I begin this test of Linux graphic design tools, I should admit two things up front. ![]() Of course WireframeSketcher is a lot more than this and has a comprehensive feature list including the ability to use master screens and 'Refactoring' the ability to move screens and masters without the links breaking – a really great feature. When used in conjunection with the Eclipse SVN plugin it enables version control and effective design brainstorming. I found WireframeSketcher a must have addin for Eclipse, enabling me to complete very detailed wireframes for clients within the development ennvironment. I've just written article about my experiences of using WireframeSketcher for the last month. Posted in Tools | 2 Comments » 2 Responses to “WireframeSketcher 1.4.2” Overall, this one is a very interesting tool. What is also interesting is that in this way, users can also combine multiple master pages, providing even more flexibility. Instead, pages are simply created and if a user wishes to reuse a page as a master, the page is inserted as a “Master Screen” object anywhere on a new page. With WireframeSketcher users do not have to worry about defining masters up front (at the time when it still it is not known which elements are to be shared across). Another unique feature of this program is how it handles masters. This features is an interesting exploration of the communicative role of prototyping which many UI tools fall short on. Basically, drawn screens can be organized in a linear fashion into presentable stories. What sets WireframeSketcher apart is definitely the storyboard mode (as seen on the second screen). The latest version also supports states for certain form elements allowing to specify such things as disabled, selected or enabled modes. This tool comes with a wide palette of draggable user interface elements, widgets, sliders, and icons as most user interface designers would expect. WireframeSketcher is a plugin for the popular Eclipse development platform and allows for the creation of quick wireframes.
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