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Better Default Icons For In-Shelf Clock and Calender?
http://forums.winstep.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10874
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Author:  nexter [ Wed Oct 31, 2018 3:08 am ]
Post subject:  Better Default Icons For In-Shelf Clock and Calender?

Here's what I meant in my other posts Jorge, re: the in-shelf/-dock digital clock, and the same could be applied to the calender as well. This is *not* advocating free-form skinning for these modules, just a suggestion for an improved version.

I've done a mock-up of how these icons could be improved, using the background from my Win 10 Productivity theme. Font is Gill Sans throughout, which turned out to be easily the cleanest, clearest one. (It's a timeless classic for a reason!) With the background at 128 px, time is 36 pt and date 24 IIRC. From L to R, 128, 96, 64, 48 px. and 32 above, with 16 px. inset into bottom R corner of 128 px. image. It even remains usable at 32 px.! Of course, 16 is as useless as ever.
Attachment:
File comment: Example of a new default text and font for in-shelf clock (top) & current Winstep default for comparison (below)
001021_ExampleDigClock_+Def.png
001021_ExampleDigClock_+Def.png [ 34.21 KiB | Viewed 20338 times ]

I've added the current Winstep defaults for comparison.

As for the in-shelf calender, font sizes are 36 pt. for the date, 16 for month and 14 for weekday. The date remains just about identifiable even in the 16 px. icon!
Attachment:
File comment: Example of a new default font for in-shelf calender (top) & current Winstep default for comparison (below)
001018_ExampleCal_+Def.png
001018_ExampleCal_+Def.png [ 49.55 KiB | Viewed 20338 times ]

This would give the clock and calender a more consistent, unified appearance.

So, what say now Jorge? Surely something like this would be more appropriate?

What does everyone else think?


:Edit: Added the respective current Winstep defaults at the same sizes for comparison, as per DesertDwarf's (Ric's) excellent suggestion.

PS - Could I also suggest that all in-shelf/-dock etc. modules that use text should ideally share a common font? Or at least a very similar one? :/Edit:

Author:  winstep [ Wed Oct 31, 2018 3:29 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Better Default Icons For In-Shelf Clock and Calender?

I'll let the others speak and then I will give you my *very honest* opinion.

Author:  nexter [ Wed Oct 31, 2018 10:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Better Default Icons For In-Shelf Clock and Calender?

winstep wrote:
I'll let the others speak and then I will give you my *very honest* opinion.

Fair enough, Jorge. :)

Bear in mind, *NO* free-form skinning, just, for the clock, the time moved up and short date added, and a clearer, cleaner font, and for the calender, same wrt font. That's all. Just small changes to the defaults. Doesn't have to be Gill Sans - if you can find another font as clean and clear as that, fine, no problem, but I think you'll find that hard. I've tried every single 'sans' font that comes with Windows. Oh, and capitalisation helps esp. at the smaller sizes.

Author:  DesertDwarf [ Thu Nov 01, 2018 4:46 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Better Default Icons For In-Shelf Clock and Calender?

Ric, can you post similar screenshots of the way it looks now so we can compare apples to oranges (just clock or calendar, I don't think we need to see both). I'm asking you to do this because you're the originator of the suggestion.

Author:  nexter [ Thu Nov 01, 2018 1:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Better Default Icons For In-Shelf Clock and Calender?

DesertDwarf wrote:
Ric, can you post similar screenshots of the way it looks now so we can compare apples to oranges (just clock or calendar, I don't think we need to see both). I'm asking you to do this because you're the originator of the suggestion.

Excellent suggestion, thanks Ric. :) Not going to be that quick and easy to do though as don't have the original icons, but have to use a dock and keep changing the icon sizes to get all the separate shots. But it can be done and will be. I'll get onto it ASAP and probably put the results alongside the suggested new look.

Author:  nexter [ Thu Nov 01, 2018 5:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Better Default Icons For In-Shelf Clock and Calender?

Added the Winstep defaults as per Ric's excellent suggestion. :)

Author:  DesertDwarf [ Thu Nov 01, 2018 7:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Better Default Icons For In-Shelf Clock and Calender?

Holy pagiddley-boodles(tm)! The Nexterized ones are far better. Fix that, Jorge! Fix it! :P

Author:  nexter [ Thu Nov 01, 2018 8:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Better Default Icons For In-Shelf Clock and Calender?

DesertDwarf wrote:
Holy pagiddley-boodles(tm)! The Nexterized ones are far better. Fix that, Jorge! Fix it! :P

:Mr. Green: Thank you, Ric. The aim is to be more legible and also more modern-looking. LCD matrices long ago went the way of the dinos. And flip-over calenders even more so.

Hear that, Jorge? Listen to the man. :P This is no Tolkienian dwarf, this is a DesertDwarf speaking words of wisdom. ;)

Author:  winstep [ Thu Nov 01, 2018 8:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Better Default Icons For In-Shelf Clock and Calender?

No. You're both called Ric. You're in collusion with each other (either that or you paid him). :lol:

Author:  winstep [ Thu Nov 01, 2018 8:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Better Default Icons For In-Shelf Clock and Calender?

There you go. Since user's other than the other Ric (which you paid off lol) aren't speaking up (because they're afraid of your trolling skillz :P ), I've made it a poll so they can anonymously do so. :P

Author:  nexter [ Thu Nov 01, 2018 8:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Better Default Icons For In-Shelf Clock and Calender?

winstep wrote:
No. You're both called Ric. You're in collusion with each other (either that or you paid him to say that). :lol:

ROFL! Jorge, I very much doubt I could afford to pay Ric. :P

So anybody else favouring a new look as I suggest would also be in collusion with me then? ;)

Author:  nexter [ Thu Nov 01, 2018 8:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Better Default Icons For In-Shelf Clock and Calender?

winstep wrote:
There you go. Since user's other than the other Ric (which you paid off lol) aren't speaking up (because they're afraid of your trolling skillz :P ), I've made it a poll so they can anonymously do so. :P

LOLOL!!! My *WHAT*? 'Trolling skills'? Afraid of them? ;) Hahaha ha! I could PML! ;)


:Edit: Hang on a cotton pickin' minute, Jorge - no fair! :P

The background is not the issue here - it's the arrangement of the text and the font. :/Edit:

Author:  winstep [ Thu Nov 01, 2018 8:40 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Better Default Icons For In-Shelf Clock and Calender?

nexter wrote:
So anybody else favouring a new look as I suggest would also be in collusion with me then? ;)


YES! lol

Author:  winstep [ Thu Nov 01, 2018 8:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Better Default Icons For In-Shelf Clock and Calender?

nexter wrote:
LOLOL!!! My *WHAT*? 'Trolling skills'? Afraid of them? ;) Hahaha ha! I could PML! ;)


Nah. Not 'Trolling skills'. Trolling skillzzz! Much worse! :D

Author:  nexter [ Thu Nov 01, 2018 8:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Better Default Icons For In-Shelf Clock and Calender?

winstep wrote:
nexter wrote:
LOLOL!!! My *WHAT*? 'Trolling skills'? Afraid of them? ;) Hahaha ha! I could PML! ;)

Nah. Not 'Trolling skills'. Trolling skillzzz! Much worse! :D

LOL! Alright then everybody, be afraid - be *VERY* afraid! I can find out how anybody voted, and I know where you live! :P

Oh and btw, the background of my clock and calender is *NOT* black anyway, it's dark cyan-blue, near navy. Anyway, as I said, it's not the background, it's the text arrangement and font that's at issue (and it doesn't have to be the Gill Sans in my example either, as long as it's a clean, very clear font). Hope you'll amend the poll question accordingly, something like :

a) Winstep's amazingly old-fashioned and hard to read fonts and text arrangement

b) nexter's mindblowingly modern, clean, clear, good-looking and perfectly legible fonts and text arrangement

:P :P :P

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