Chapter 7
Contributing Design Assets
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Why Design Assets Matter
Design assets are the visual building blocks of open source projects. They help make the software look good and easy to use. These assets can be things like the buttons you click, the icons you see, or even the overall look of the app. As a designer, your job is to create these pieces and help make the software more user-friendly and attractive.
In open source, design is a team effort. The assets you create might be changed or improved by others later. This is different from traditional design work, where your designs might be set in stone. Here, it's more like starting a conversation with your designs.
Creating and Sharing Mockups and Prototypes
Mockups and prototypes are like rough drafts of your design ideas. They help everyone understand what you're thinking before any real coding happens. Here's how you can approach this:
Start simple. Use design-assets like Balsamiq or even pen and paper to sketch out your ideas quickly. These rough designs are great for getting early feedback from the community.
As you refine your ideas, make more detailed mockups. These should show the real colors, fonts, and layout you're proposing. design-assets like Figma or Sketch are great for this. Remember to think about any technical limits the project might have.
For designs with lots of interaction, try making a clickable prototype. This lets people experience your design idea as if it were real. design-assets like InVision or even simple web pages can work well for this.
When you share your mockups or prototypes, explain what problem you're trying to solve and how your design helps. Be ready to answer questions and make changes based on what others think.
Creating Icons, Illustrations, and Other Graphics
Graphics like icons and illustrations can make a project look much better and easier to use. Here are some tips:
Keep things consistent. Make sure your designs fit with the project's overall style. If you're creating a set of icons or illustrations, come up with some rules to follow for all of them.
Think about different sizes. Especially for icons, make sure they look good whether they're big or small. Sometimes you might need to make different versions for different sizes.
For illustrations, think about how they might be used in different parts of the project. Creating a set of illustrations that all work together can be really helpful.
When it comes to file types, SVG is often best for open source projects. These files can be made bigger or smaller without losing quality, and they're easy for others to change if needed.
Organizing and Sharing Your Design Files
In open source projects, lots of people might need to use or change your design files. Here's how to keep things organized:
Use clear names for your files. Something like "projectx_logo_v1.2.svg" tells people exactly what the file is.
Put your files in folders that make sense. You might have separate folders for mockups, icons, and illustrations.
Include a README file that explains what's in each folder and how to use the files.
Use version control if you can. This helps keep track of changes over time. Git can work for this, even though it's usually used for code.
Provide your designs in different file types when you can. This makes sure everyone can use them, no matter what software they have.
Explaining Your Design Decisions
When you share your designs, it's important to explain your thinking. This helps others understand your choices and makes it easier for the design to be used correctly. Here's what to include:
- The Problem: Explain what issue you were trying to solve with your design.
- Your Process: Share how you came up with the design, including any research you did.
- Key Decisions: Talk about important choices you made, like why you picked certain colors or layouts.
- How to Use It: Give clear instructions on how your design should be used.
- Technical Details: Include any specific information needed to use the design, like exact color codes.
- Accessibility: Explain how your design works for people with different abilities.
- Future Ideas: If you have thoughts on how the design could be improved later, share those too.
Write all this in a way that's easy for others to find and update. A simple text file in the project's main folder can work well.
Dealing with Feedback
After you share your designs, people will likely have opinions and suggestions. This is a normal and helpful part of open source design.
Try to keep an open mind when you get feedback. Remember, people are trying to make the project better, not criticize you personally.
Be ready to explain your choices, but also be willing to change your design if someone has a good reason.
Make changes to your design based on the feedback you get. Keep track of what you change and why. This helps everyone understand how the design evolved.
If people disagree about your design, try to get everyone talking to find a solution. Sometimes, showing a few different options can help people decide what works best.
Wrapping Up
Contributing designs to open source projects is a great way to improve software used by people all over the world. By creating good mockups, prototypes, and graphics, keeping your files organized, explaining your decisions, and working well with feedback, you can make a real difference.
Remember, open source design is all about working together. Your work builds on what others have done, and future designers will build on your work too. Enjoy being part of this creative community, learn from others, and don't be afraid to try new design ideas. Your unique skills as a designer can help make open source software better for everyone.