One of the best things I learned from my instructors at RIT a billion lifetimes ago was the concept of signal vs noise in graphic design. It’s a guiding philosophy in my work & I use it almost every day. It’s been especially handy for the pixel portraits for #ProjectTapestry.
Does a placed pixel increase the message/clarity/signal or add distractions/junk/noise to the icon? It’s a constant struggle but once you “get” signal vs noise, designing becomes a whole lot more fun/effective. ✍️
So here’s a fun fact! When we started drawing the pixel portraits for #ProjectTapestry we held up the pixel avatar of @robotspacer as the ideal example to shoot for because it was so damned good.
Now I have to try and draw Mike’s very own pixel portrait that he commissioned and do *at least* as good a job as he did. No pressure what-so-ever. 🥵
Keep your collective fingers crossed! ✍️🤞
Sometimes the toughest part about being a designer is knowing you won’t be the one to take the ball over the goal line.
I did a lot of work early on #ProjectTapestry but we’re out of the App design phase (mostly) and into the coding phase so I’m living vicariously through @chockenberry and @bigzaphod as they bring designs to life.
I know there’s more design challenges to come, but it’s tough to sit on the sidelines sometimes. 🏈
Tonight I used Tapestry all through the DNC to read and track social media posts, blog posts and more all in the app’s unified timeline. It’s finally crossed the usability threshold for me and gone from potentially good to actually great.
It’s a big milestone in its development life cycle. Exciting! 🤓 #ProjectTapestry