New logo guidelines and web design elements posted

[Máirín Duffy]

Patrick W. Barnes wrote:
> On Sunday 28 May 2006 01:59, Máirín Duffy <duffy at redhat.com> wrote:
> 
>>To be fair about the PSD format wiki design mockups.... You need to
>>show/hide layers in that PSD to be able to view the entire design. An open
>>format that Photoshop can actually handle like PNG wouldn't work, right,
>>since it's flat[1]? The GIMP opens the PSD and is able to display these
>>layers, no problem. Since they were created in Adobe Photoshop (I'm
>>assuming)... Photoshop doesn't exactly allow you to save as or export to
>>XCF (the GIMP's native format.)

> This is a common case.  If the original proprietary program (Photoshop) can't 
> directly save to an open format, then the contributor should use another tool 
> (the GIMP) to convert the file from a proprietary format (PSD) to the best 
> open format possible (XCF).  It is the responsibility of the original 
> contributor to make this conversion.  Consider it to be the price of using a 
> proprietary program.

Well, true, the contributor could install the GIMP and convert the artwork 
before submitting it.... this sounds simple, right? But if they're using a 
platform that supports Photoshop, they are necessarily running a platform where 
it may be very complicated to install the GIMP:

- For Windows it is not one simple download, run setup, and you're good. You 
also have to install the GTK+ runtime environment *first*, which just by its 
name is pretty intimidating for non-technical users. In fact, it might be 
intimidating enough to be off-putting.

- For OS X it is even more complicated; you have to install fink or ports (for 
dlcompa), and you have to install X11 before you can install the GIMP. This is 
quite a bit of a PITA.

There are plenty of great potential art contributors out there who may not 
necessarily be technical enough to quickly / easily figure out how to install 
the GIMP on their art development platform of choice.

I guess I'm just trying to say that things could be worse - the artwork could be 
in a format that a FOSS program like the GIMP or inkscape couldn't even open to 
view. And it may not be all that easy for contributing artists to convert their 
stuff to open formats before submitting.

If anybody would like to submit contributions in an open format but are having 
trouble converting their work or aren't sure where to start, feel free to send 
your stuff to me and I'll be happy to convert it and I'll also help you get the 
GIMP / whatever installed.

~m