[codywalton]

OK, so I submitted this mockup for the contest. As it's going right now, it looks like I won't even be close to making the top 6. So, I'm going ahead and work on this theme on my own, but from the coments on the contest page, people didn't like my first version that much. They liked the concept, but felt I didn't catpure the essence.

So now I'm working on version 2.0. I'd like to get everyone's feedback on it, so I can make a great theme. The idea, or concept, is to make a theme that looks like Imperial Stormtrooper armor. Just for reference here is version 1.0, the one I submitted for the contest.



Most of the comments from the contest panel were to take out the black strokes (outlines) and to round out the angled edges. So here is what I've been working on, TK-421 V2.0



Please give me some constructive criticism, and let me know what you think. Should I continue to work on this, and build it in ThemePark? Does this actually look like Stormtrooper armor to you? If not what can I do to make it look better?

[Stuphalina]

I like both but agree with the changes that you made, however my only criticism is that the text is not completely balck. Yes, this may look nice like that however I fear that it may be hard on the eyes having less contrast like that.

[Dave-o™]

Cody, I just got done browsing about 100 Stormtrooper Images via Google. The second version captures the idea better i think. However the 2nd mock-up needs to have more contrast in it to bring it to life. The armor had gloss to it but also darker grey lines to separate the plates, or where plates had bends/folds in them. Do you have a good selection of images to use as visual reference while your working on the theme? That might be very helpful in really making this GREAT! I'm glad to see that you are going forward with this and really making an effort to perfect your wonderful idea.

[bOOzo]

Wowza, I see you really followed the comments, great changes!
My only suggestion would be to defined the edges of the white items more, and also define the text colors in the same shade.
And if you want to be picky, the top of the black highlight on the progressbar should probably be raised by one pixel to align with the edge of the progressbar well.
I love the look of the selected tab, but I'm thinking that it should probably be black, it would make it a lot easier to spot. I'm doing a similar thing with BBXMX and I'm nagging on Jason to add that text color ability.

[wibs]

whoa! that second mockup is a huge improvement.

I like how you rounded the buttons without actually making them round... keeps it different from all of those other white themes.

A few suggestions though. Keep in mind I think this, overall, is much better than before, so don't take these the wrong way.

I know that everyone said to get rid of the dark black strokes, and I'm glad you did that, but white buttons on a white background with almost no border makes it pretty hard to see the button. I think a tad bit darker bevel on it would do wonders for usability.

The popup arrow looks pushed, might want to reverse that . It looks like it matches the scrollbar right now, and I know that the black part of the armor is recessed, but it just doesn't quite fit the button how it is now. You're probably going to have to make many tradeoffs between accuracy and consistency/usability before this is done.

I disagree with max. A black selected tab would be far too much contrast between similar elements, imho. That said, the white selected with a sunken bevel does still seem a bit too subtle. I'd give you a suggestion but coming up with something cool for that is your job... and I can't think of any good suggestions .

The indeterminate progress bar is great.

This goes back to the black stroke bit I mentioned above, but the slider knob fades away too much.

Keep up the good work, I'm looking forward to seeing how this progresses.

[idle]

hmm. to be honest it looks more black and white to me. i definetely like the way its heading now. i've just looked up a few stormtrooprt pix aswell and i think that one of the things you need to incorporate somehwhere is one of the nifty extra designs that are present in trooper's armor. like the little vents or...



i would usually head for the widgets or the menubar since they are almost omnipresent and therefor best suited for giving the certain feel. also one of the interesting things i see in the trooper's armor is that there are hardly any right angles. its almost something like an exoskeleton. its made to perfectly fit the bearer... maaybe you need to use some of these "organic" forms aswell.

hope my comments help you a lil even if you would have to redo alot or all elements...

[ idle. ]

[OwlBoy]

yeah!

Bump up the text opacity a bit!

Don't go totally black, maybe 75%-80%. Glad to see your not giving up.

-Owl

[Dave-o™]

Originally posted by wibs:
The popup arrow looks pushed, might want to reverse that . It looks like it matches the scrollbar right now, and I know that the black part of the armor is recessed, but it just doesn't quite fit the button how it is now.

Wibs/Cody, Why not make the wells recessed grey/black with a white slider in them? Since the black of the armor was joints, recessed areas, and most things that moved.

[MaxPower]

Can you add a photo of Han Solo in the detention unit speaking into the microphone for the about box?

[bluevertical]

wow! really love the version 2! and yes i agree bump the text up to black. the theme is so sharp with the heavy white on black and this would fill it out nicely.
great job!
bv.

[codywalton]

Originally posted by MaxPower:
Can you add a photo of Han Solo in the detention unit speaking into the microphone for the about box?

HAHA
I'll make that the preview pic in the ShapeShifter panel.

"Uh, everything's ok, now. We're all ok. How are you?"

[codywalton]

These are some great suggestions. keep em coming. I'm working on the next mockup. I don't want to start building this in ThemePark until I'm completely satisfied with the look.

[wibs]

Originally posted by codywalton:
I don't want to start building this in ThemePark until I'm completely satisfied with the look.

Oh, don't worry. It'll still go through many changes even after you start putting it into ThemePark... just the way it works

[phillryu]

I still don't like the beveled progres bar and the thick slider line, but it's looking a lot better than before. I say darken up the black elements too a bit. For the scrollbars/progress bars, what about a more rounded, 3D look? Dull rubber, but more rounded?

[codywalton]

Any suggestions to improve the widgets? Right now they are just the black rubber texture. I know idle suggested using some of the smaller details from the armor, but the pic he posted doesn't show up....

[FB Eye]

The 2nd mockup is great cody

I think you should concentrate more on the original stormtrooper armour rather than the most recent clonetrooper armour...

My suggestions would be the following:

1) Look closely at the strormtrooper's helmet, you could add elements here and there inspired by those ridges on the side of the helmet. Would make a nice touch...

2) There are alot of embossed elements in the plastic white parts of the armour. That would definitely add some uniqueness to the theme...

3) This pic is nice, but a little less inspiring

Keep up the excellent work on what might be a fantastic Star Wars theme!!!

[idle]

alrighty, i'll put it on me own server then. lol

[ idle. ]

[phillryu]

Originally posted by FB Eye:
The 2nd mockup is great cody

I think you should concentrate more on the original stormtrooper armour rather than the most recent clonetrooper armour...

My suggestions would be the following:

1) Look closely at the strormtrooper's helmet, you could add elements here and there inspired by those ridges on the side of the helmet. Would make a nice touch...

2) There are alot of embossed elements in the plastic white parts of the armour. That would definitely add some uniqueness to the theme...

3) This pic is nice, but a little less inspiring

Keep up the excellent work on what might be a fantastic Star Wars theme!!!

4) I want some of that armor!

[codywalton]

ok... here is the next mockup. Version 2.1

Here's a list of the changes I made:

• Darkened the stroke arounnd all the buttons and widgets. It's now an RGB value of 150 instead of 100.
• Reversed the scrollbar, so that it's a white plastic slider over a rescessed black rubber well.
• Darkened the recess in the pressed tab, just a bit.
• Made the pop-up button and the progess bar bevel out instead of in.
• Reduced the size of the slider-bar by two pixels.
• Made the inactive slider bar and notches look like the embossed plastic.
• Made the window widgets look like the vents on the side of the helmets. (at least that's what I was trying to do)

So what do you guys think now? Comments? Suggestions?

[Jaey]

It looks really awesome in my opinion. My biggest complaint is that the new x-+ widgets are too skinny. I don't really like skinny widgets, and I prefer the old ones. But otherwise it looks really sweet.

[FB Eye]

Excellent update cody,

The vents-like widgets look VERY cool (I called them ridges, but hey english is not my primary language so bear with me)...

I see you added some embossed white plastic. Nice...

The only thing I would do is make the whole theme a little less shiny, because it seems to me the stormtrooper's armor didn't reflect that much light... the plastic was duller and less hi-techy...

You're certainly on the right track, but if it was me I'd add more elements from the actual armor. Look at the eyes and mouth of the helmet, makes the troopers look mean... so maybe the theme should head towards a more aggressive look. That would really capture the whole stormtrooper vibe...

Keep going dude, haven't been that excited about a theme in a while

[Patcarla]

Yeah! That's much better
Really good stuff

[idle]

dude, that looks really good. thats certainly the right direction.

[ idle. ]

wow, all that stormtrooper stuff reminds me of how cool these armor/uniforms actually are and how much i'd love to have an stormtrooper action figure

[JellyBeen]

Cody, is the name TK-421 from the movie Boogie Nights? The famous amplifier super bass upgrade? lol Just wondering cause its really cool you used that then.

I hope you get this Theme finished, Its looking good.

[phillryu]

Originally posted by JellyBeen:
Cody, is the name TK-421 from the movie Boogie Nights? The famous amplifier super bass upgrade? lol Just wondering cause its really cool you used that then.

I hope you get this Theme finished, Its looking good.

It's from Star Wars, the name of a stormtrooper.

[grand mufti]

wow that is so hot i love what you have done so far and cant wait to see the first release. get idea man i think i like the circle buttons also.( in first SS )

[::maroma::]

Great looking theme! And I really like the inspiration. I assume you're going to use the Empire logo as the Apple Menu icon?

[codywalton]

Originally posted by ::maroma:::
Great looking theme! And I really like the inspiration. I assume you're going to use the Empire logo as the Apple Menu icon?

Thanks. Yeah, the Imperial logo will most probably be the Apple menu.

What does everyone think of the window widgets. I like them, but I'm trying to think of a better concept.... Any suggestions. Right now they're supposed to look like the vents on the side of the helmet. but I'm not sure if that comes across clearly enough.

[FB Eye]

I like the new widgets alot, but I think they are too spaced out compared to the ones on the helmet... they need to be closer together IMO...

Have you imagined a variation of your theme that would be inspired by that?

Or what about these guys?

How cool would that be?

[idle]

i'm not sure if the widgets comes across well enough...
here just another suggestion: have you seen the little beveled greyish/black thing at the side of the helmet? i suspect its something like a microphone for the ears or something... maybe that?

[ idle. ]

... an elite trooper theme? would be quite flashy /me thinks.

[codywalton]

Hmm... A theme based on the Royal Guards? It's a nifty idea, but not one that I'm ready to tackle right now. One project at a time fellas.

Besides, this entry in the contest actully reminds me a lot of the Royal Guards...
http://www.macthemes.net/articles/contest/000245.php

I will experiment with the grey microphone concept... thanks.

[codywalton]

OK... how's this:

• I updated the window widgets to look like the grey peices on the side of the helmet.
• changed the upper tab backround to be a recessed black well, to match the black "headband" strip on the helmets

[Lefo]

Cody, that last one is really nice! Just one request; can the text be just a little bit darker? It's just a little too light in an office setting. Other than that, I'd use that theme all the time! Very good!

Lefo

[mac15]

Looking great! I like the new widget area but do the tick sliders have to be so big? Could you shrink them down a bit....?

[wibs]

I like everything aside from the dark area that tabs overlay (remember that the color there will be the standard aqua window color, tabbed areas are generally darker actually). The window widget background also make things a bit more busy and cluttered, although I agree that some kind of decoration up there is good.

[deej5871]

Originally posted by Lefo:
Cody, that last one is really nice! Just one request; can the text be just a little bit darker? It's just a little too light in an office setting. Other than that, I'd use that theme all the time! Very good!

Lefo

Actually I think the text is a perfect shade in the latest mockup. However I notice you said in an office setting, which I have no idea what is like, so...yeah.

[dru]

Originally posted by deej5871:
Actually I think the text is a perfect shade in the latest mockup. However I notice you said in an office setting, which I have no idea what is like, so...yeah.

An office setting generally has awful lighting. It's either going to be diffused florescent or glaring sunlight. Either situation calls for some extra contrast.

On your latest design, I admit, I liked your first pass a lot exactly for the simplicity and contrast. However, with you going for Stormtrooper design cues, I have to say you're on the way with your lastest pass, especially with the tick marks. I'd work on the tab backing part which right now looks shiny and concave but the ST element you're influenced by is clearly flat with a matte finish.

[kwyjiboy]

Please give me some constructive criticism, and let me know what you think. Should I continue to work on this, and build it in ThemePark? Does this actually look like Stormtrooper armor to you? If not what can I do to make it look better? [/B][/QUOTE]

--

I would definitely use that theme in the second screenshot. The smooth curves really make it more Mac-like. Very nice. The active tab has kind of a 2-3 pixel padding inside of it, but not on the rightmost edge. I would suggest making it consistent all around.

Also, because of the curve of the scroll button closest to the scroll track, the arrow looks very crowded. Perhaps a different widget would be in order? I don't have a suggestion for an alternative widget, though. And the text on the controls could be a bit blacker, for readability.

The progress bar is a solid black. I suggest taking advantage of OS X's ability to animate it... and make something cool but consistent with your idea. I like the dark colour.

And last of all, don't forget the little details (not visible in your screenshot). I love seeing customized 'wait' animations, such as those that appear in Safari tabs when they are loading. And the resize widget that appears in the divider of the Finder metal window -- customize that. I hate it when even the well-known theme authors don't customize those little details. :/

Great job!

[kwyjiboy]

Originally posted by codywalton:
ok... here is the next mockup. Version 2.1

Here's a list of the changes I made:

• Darkened the stroke arounnd all the buttons and widgets. It's now an RGB value of 150 instead of 100.
• Reversed the scrollbar, so that it's a white plastic slider over a rescessed black rubber well.
• Darkened the recess in the pressed tab, just a bit.
• Made the pop-up button and the progess bar bevel out instead of in.
• Reduced the size of the slider-bar by two pixels.
• Made the inactive slider bar and notches look like the embossed plastic.
• Made the window widgets look like the vents on the side of the helmets. (at least that's what I was trying to do)

So what do you guys think now? Comments? Suggestions?

The new titlebar widgets look much better! And it's nice to see something different from the standard perfect circle ones.

[kwyjiboy]

Originally posted by codywalton:
OK... how's this:

• I updated the window widgets to look like the grey peices on the side of the helmet.
• changed the upper tab backround to be a recessed black well, to match the black "headband" strip on the helmets

See the black notches on the helmet? That are like... | | | | | | | along the side of the head? And see the notches on your slider widget? Yours are kind of an outset white bump. Have you considered making them more like the black notches on the helmet? Just a thought.

[Holigen]

Nice ideas you have here cody. I have always had a thing for white themes with high contrast. I even modded Milk so that its menus would be completely black and not a lightish black in Chocolate Milk.

[bluevertical]

Originally posted by Holigen:
Nice ideas you have here cody. I have always had a thing for white themes with high contrast. I even modded Milk so that its menus would be completely black and not a lightish black in Chocolate Milk.

you did the black milk mod H? i didn't realize that. i'm using it as i type. nice mod bro!
peace.
bv.

[Holigen]

Heh, thanks.

[bluevertical]

Originally posted by Holigen:
Heh, thanks.

did u make a nice high-contrast safari theme to go with black milk?

[Holigen]

I PMed ya bv

[bluevertical]

h. where are you? you seem to be on about the same time as me... i'm in hawaii.

[FB Eye]

Cody, v22 rocks!!! The widgets are suh-weet and the theme reminds me more and more of the stormtrooper armor...



Go Star Wars!!!

[WICKEDfour]

Nice work, Cody! I love the latest mockup. It really looks much better than the first version. One suggestion I might have is to make the glossy parts a little subdued so that they match the Storm Trooper helmet a little more. It wouldn't have to be that much, but I think that it'd look more realistic and maybe even cooler if the gloss wasn't so noticable. Anyway though, like I said, much better. I would probably use this!

[FB Eye]

One suggestion I might have is to make the glossy parts a little subdued so that they match the Storm Trooper helmet a little more. It wouldn't have to be that much, but I think that it'd look more realistic and maybe even cooler if the gloss wasn't so noticable.

Yup, I have to agree with WICKEDfour on this one... but it rocks nonetheless!

[codywalton]

ok. I think I'm happy with the layout now. I'm going to go ahead and start building it. It may take me a while as I have never successfully completed a theme before. I'm also planning on doing an iconset and some desktops to match. I'll post it when I'm finished, but don't hold you breath.