[GRASS-dev] New GRASS icons

GRASS GRASS developer
1

On Mar 19, 2008, at 7:11 PM, grass-dev-request@lists.osgeo.org wrote:

Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2008 18:08:29 -0700 (PDT)
From: Robert Szczepanek <grass@szczepanek.pl>
Subject: Re: [GRASS-dev] New GRASS icons
To: grass-dev@lists.osgeo.org
Message-ID: <16169395.post@talk.nabble.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Michael Barton wrote:

First draft is on my web page
http://www.szczepanek.pl/icons.grass/

The new display/erase/and zoom-back icons don't seem like they would
be as informative to a user (i.e., with the checkerboard pattern) as
to what they do.

Michael

I agree with you Michael and I'am still looking for better symbols.
Those two first icons will be difficult is we want to express them
precisely.
Is there significant difference for the user between >display< and >redraw<?

There is in TclTk, but I think it is heading toward going away in wxPython (opinions Martin??)

Second step for new icons:
Custom icons for GRASS
Please take a look at >layer< and symbols for general actions.

Here's my reaction. Basic idea of action icons as modifiers is very good.

Add, delete, redraw, more options - great

New - I don't know. But I don't know what a good icon for "new" would be. "*" as a modifier may be as good as it gets. "+" on a "folder"?

Open, save - make sense. But open folder and disk icons have become very widely recognized.

Import, export - look like they mean "forward" and "back". What about arrow partly overlapping a folder? Arrowhead pointing towards folder and overlapping it (tail extending beyond the folder) for import and reverse for export? Something along those lines?

Previous, next - a little hard to see (maybe easier with color), but elegant and easy to understand.

Layers: Most GIS people (I think) tend to see maps and layers as rectangular so that the edge of the layer lines up with the edge of the screen. So the diamond is less easy to understand in the abstract. Perhaps color will make it obvious. If so, it is an elegant design. I'd go with the left one over the right one.

I really appreciate you doing this and that you are doing it with such careful thought as to usability and attractive design.

Michael

Robert
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2

Hi all,

2008/3/20, Michael Barton <michael.barton@asu.edu>:
[snip]

> I agree with you Michael and I'am still looking for better symbols.
> Those two first icons will be difficult is we want to express them
> precisely.
> Is there significant difference for the user between >display< and
> >redraw<?

There is in TclTk, but I think it is heading toward going away in
wxPython (opinions Martin??)

'Display' just redraws already rendered layers composition.
'Re-render' renders all layers and creates new layer composition which
is afterwards displayed in the map canvas (e.g. when you zoom, add new
map layer, etc.) BTW you can enable auto-rendering in the statusbar of
map display window. Then content of map canvas is automatically
re-render on every event (adding new layer, changing layer properties,
etc.).

>
> Second step for new icons:
> http://www.szczepanek.pl/icons.grass/index.php#2
> Please take a look at >layer< and symbols for general actions.

Here's my reaction. Basic idea of action icons as modifiers is very
good.

Add, delete, redraw, more options - great

New - I don't know. But I don't know what a good icon for "new" would
be. "*" as a modifier may be as good as it gets. "+" on a "folder"?

E.g. "create new workspace", "new raster map", etc.?

Open, save - make sense. But open folder and disk icons have become
very widely recognized.

Import, export - look like they mean "forward" and "back". What about
arrow partly overlapping a folder? Arrowhead pointing towards folder
and overlapping it (tail extending beyond the folder) for import and
reverse for export? Something along those lines?

Previous, next - a little hard to see (maybe easier with color), but
elegant and easy to understand.

Layers: Most GIS people (I think) tend to see maps and layers as
rectangular so that the edge of the layer lines up with the edge of
the screen. So the diamond is less easy to understand in the
abstract. Perhaps color will make it obvious. If so, it is an elegant
design. I'd go with the left one over the right one.

I really appreciate you doing this and that you are doing it with
such careful thought as to usability and attractive design.

Good starting point for nice GRASS-original icons... Good work:-)

Martin

--
Martin Landa <landa.martin gmail.com> * http://gama.fsv.cvut.cz/~landa *

3

Martin Landa-2 wrote:

Michael Barton wrote:
> Second step for new icons:
> http://www.szczepanek.pl/icons.grass/index.php#2
> Please take a look at >layer< and symbols for general actions.

New - I don't know. But I don't know what a good icon for "new" would
be. "*" as a modifier may be as good as it gets. "+" on a "folder"?

E.g. "create new workspace", "new raster map", etc.?

--
Martin Landa <landa.martin gmail.com> * http://gama.fsv.cvut.cz/~landa *

Asterix (*) is recently used as synonim of 'new/create'.
Plus (+) for adding item that already exist.
My general idea is to separate actions from objects. This way creation and
recognition of icons will be simpler.
Create new workspace -> is connection of workspace (object) and create new
(action)
New raster map -> raster map (object) & new/create (action)
This approach should significantly decrease number of primitives. We just
need to prepare set of basic objects and actions. Probably some 70% of icons
can be represented using this method.

Michael Barton wrote:

> Open, save - make sense. But open folder and disk icons have become
> very widely recognized.

I will prepare this option also but there is no much space in 'action' part
of icon (right bottom).

Michael Barton wrote:

> Import, export - look like they mean "forward" and "back". What about
> arrow partly overlapping a folder? Arrowhead pointing towards folder
> and overlapping it (tail extending beyond the folder) for import and
> reverse for export? Something along those lines?

Good idea, I will check it.

An alternative to present toolbar functionality could be context toolbar
i.e. one toolbar with several icons related to the same object (eg. raster
layer). In this case for every object we need separate toolbar and we can
minimize icon information just to action icon.

Michael Barton wrote:

> Layers: Most GIS people (I think) tend to see maps and layers as
> rectangular so that the edge of the layer lines up with the edge of
> the screen. So the diamond is less easy to understand in the
> abstract. Perhaps color will make it obvious. If so, it is an elegant
> design. I'd go with the left one over the right one.

You are right, but how to make icons for many similar objects.
We have many objects that in fact are rectangles - layer, workspace, display
monitor, etc. At list the most frequent (like layer) must be very easy to
recognize. So they should be somehow different. This is just one of
proposals.
List of such important 'objects' (especially rectangle ones) with 'actions'
could help me a lot.
http://www.szczepanek.pl/icons.grass/index.php#3

And talking about colors. Accessibility is important, so icon should 'work'
without colors. We will add them at final stage.

Robert

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