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2D & 3D
"Complex vs Simple designs"
Ah yes, complexity versus simplicity. There's an age-old struggle.
Ever been to a Web site where it had so much stuff on the page to look at that your eyes started getting confused the more you looked at it, but most of the stuff was interesting to look at? And then right after that site you went to a site that was so empty looking you weren't sure it was even a finished page, but it too looked interesting in it's own way? Well therein is where the struggle lies; if i can create an eye-catching design using half the normal amount of Web page space, is quite simplistic, and yet still uses cool looking graphics, why then should i want to do twice as much work creating a much larger, more complex interface that has a dozen moving parts to it and takes up the entire screen area? Can you answer that question of yourself? I know i can't! :?)>
I'm not really sure just *why* i can't answer that question of myself, i just know that sometimes i'm compelled to create monstrous interfaces that chug and churn and spin and glow and flash and... well... you get the idea right? I'm sure we've all been there a few times at least. I feel however the main reason is that it can get to be so much fun creating interfaces with Photoshop when i can do more and see more as i'm creating it. The only problem there seems to be not knowing when to 'call it quits' so-to-speak. It's VERY easy to get caught up in all the 'flash bang' of creating graphics; especially interfaces. But a mature artist will also have a certain level of restraint and discipline. And that doesn't mean they know when and when not to give in to snoringly boring graphics designs. It simply means they will know when it's time to back off on the filters, plugins and special effects they use. Yes, those are good things to challenge your creativity with, but not when you're trying to get something done; especially on a schedule. If you're a working professional, or even aspiring to be one, you should try and set aside some special leisure time to experiment with those extras in the program; even if you only learn a few at a time. In this way, when you go to do some actual work, you will have used those special effects enough to know well ahead of time which one to use to get the particular effect you want/need for the job at hand. You'll then also avoid the pitfalls of getting distracted by having to try this, that and the other plugins and filters looking for that one special effect you need/want. (Trust me, this is coming from experience)
The first thing i always do when setting out on a new design challenge is to grab the trusty pencil and paper (remember this from Part 1 - 'Concepts of Design'?). But before i even pick up a pencil i'll usually start out by trying to visualize what i'd like my interface to look like. When i can see with my imagination most of what i'd like to create, then i'll start drawing some simplistic versions of it on paper. Going over specific areas repeatedly and defining them more and more as i go helps me to see the overall design more clearly, and will eventually speed up my work once i take the design in to Photoshop. If i ever get brain-locked on any part of the design, i will put it away for a short while and do something else. Continuing to work in that state has a tendency to make *me* unintensionally go off in a completely opposite direction of where i originally wanted to go with the design. So i 'let it go' for a time and clear it out of my mind. Usually, for *me*, that gets rid of whatever thoughts i was having that caused my 'biological hard drive' to lock up. :?}> Don't ever be afraid to stop your creative flow if you find yourself becoming unproductive at that time. When you return to it with a clear mind your juices will start flowing again, that won't be a problem. If you have to, jot down any thoughts on your design you'd like to return to later. Then take a break from it.
On the other hand, perhaps taking a different approach to your design may help. What about trying to come up with a good 2D design? These types of designs are actually much more involved, and often more difficult, than they first appear; at least good ones are. Take for instance the 2D style of interface i use on the very opening page of this whole Content area. If you aren't sure which one i'm talking about, just click here (use your Back button to return).
Good creative ideas can also be harder to come by when you aren't relying on the fancy effects and filters to catch a persons eye. For 2 dimensional interfaces there's usually more layout designing going on than is applied to a 3D interface. In a lot of cases in fact, it's the *only* thing going on. That's because all there is to look at is the basic text elements and the overall line and form of the design's layout. And these types of interfaces can consume an entire Web page easily. But the cool thing about that fact is that because most are made of mainly flat coloured images, with perhaps a few nice photo effects thrown in for good measure, they are very small in file size and will load entirely with not much wait for the visitor. I'd highly suggest everyone take at least one good stab at creating a well thought out, good looking 2 dimensional Web page interface. It can only make you a better artist, right? :?)>
After you've created a few good interfaces (if it looks good to you, it 'is' good; art is subjective), you'll start to see ways of creating them you never saw when you first started. By that i mean you'll start to pick up short-cuts and even create some actions for the more common functions you use. I highly recommend creating some actions for this kind of graphics design; they'll save you loads of time and help you stay more focused too by you not having to re-think every little technique and often-used methods you apply to your designs.
Now let's move on to look at some ways of creating the separate components of an interface. Some of these methods were also covered in Part 2 - "Nutz & Bolts"
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