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I was working as a freelance designer both for print and web before and went through what was essentially a graphics design bootcamp by an old grumpy typographer. Then I worked as a camera operator/DoP for films, so my intuition for composition, how to communicate things visually etc. is pretty good. Contrary to what many people think about design, good design is mostly about structuring the importance and grouping of information, clear typography, good color choices, etc. with the goal of making that information apparent on first glance for most people, while still retaining some sense of character (where/if needed). So this wasn't about them having to trust me, but about me having to explain my rationale behind each design decision in a way that convinces them it is worth the work. Design in open source projects often has the problem that it is made by "someone who knows how to use inkscape" and not by people who necessarily have the eyes/experience to reason these changes on a grand overarching level, hence the often very mixed up non-uniform UI look of open source projects. As a former freelancer I learned to detach myself somewhat from my work – not in the sense that I make things I dislike, but in the sense that I find the rational reasons behind a design more important than the fact that it was me who did it, so if someone has a better idea I'd happily go for it and if priorities are not shared, that helps adjust that reasoning etc. Many graphical contributers in open source projects don't have that humility. They want their taste to be represented, not necessarily to put their skill into the service of the project. And that runs into the danger of becoming bike-shedding, where totally subjective aspects of a design (e.g. matters of taste when it comes to color choices) take a lot of energy – because these changes are so devoid of real meanign it is safe for everybody to have an opinion here – this is where you should just add theming and let them do it themselves.. So I tried to do the opposite of bike-shedding, because every "help" I offer produces a cost on the other side. |