UI elements

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Xaleph
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Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2011 2:55 am

UI elements

Post by Xaleph »

Hi everyone,

Could anyone direct me to some articles / tutorials on how to create / get good UI elements? I mean buttons, visual elements, tutorials on how to create a good concept artwork et cetera.

By the way, what i mean by buttons is all kinds of buttons. text buttons, link buttons, icon buttons, interface buttons for navigation. And the list goes on.

Also, i would like to know where i can find icons for game design. Icons for all kinds of purposes, like money icons, navigation icons etc.
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Chris
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Re: UI elements

Post by Chris »

There are loads of different blogs that give links to good tutorials. I'd recommend following them on twitter or something.

Here's one you might like:
http://webdesignledger.com/

Go to their tutorials, they have loads in all different aspects of web design.
Fighting for peace is declaring war on war. If you want peace be peaceful.
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Jackolantern
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Re: UI elements

Post by Jackolantern »

Also check out jQuery UI. It allows easy placement of a ton of nice RIA UI elements.
The indelible lord of tl;dr
Xaleph
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Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2011 2:55 am

Re: UI elements

Post by Xaleph »

Thanks both, im not really into designing. I can manage on default websites, but i`m not into game design. So yeah, i know jQuery UI, i`m actually working with it right now, it kinda works a bit like Ext. Anyway, i don`t like the styles they have. It`s too clean. By that i mean that, most games have cool buttons with dodgy effects, like old paper and textures like that. If i take for example an medieval game, the UI is all grungy and rocky. The textures are, as well as the UI. Some flags, all meshed up together. Which gives this feeling of being in the medieval period right? Or that`s what it is supposed to be.

If i choose jquery UI i end up with clean UI elements, which is not really what the game is about. So hence my question where to find good UI tuts :D
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Jackolantern
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Re: UI elements

Post by Jackolantern »

Hmm...I can't really find any tutorials for that kind of stuff either. Maybe they are just buried in random web design tutorials as examples.
The indelible lord of tl;dr
Xaleph
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Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2011 2:55 am

Re: UI elements

Post by Xaleph »

Yeah i guess so.. It has been some time now since i actually looked for some in-depth tutorials, so i wouldn`t even know where to look for em, which sucks. Also, when i read about web design tut sites, it`s all basic stuff. How HTML works, what elements are good etc etc... I mean, come on, where`s the time you got some real knowledge on how to actually do stuff.. Kinda miss that to be honest.

Anyway, what i`m trying to say is, it`s all in small pieces. There are like 20 tutorials which all teach the same thing, so why split it up in 20+ tuts? Why not 1 big one? It`s not like it`s rocket science.

And i also find it disturbing you have to pay now for some __PREMIUM__ tutorials.. I mean.. say what? Buy a frikkin book!

It`s tough getting some good ol tutorials.. Pity
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Jackolantern
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Re: UI elements

Post by Jackolantern »

I rarely ever look at online tutorials. I would much rather read a book because only getting the "how-to" bothers me compared to getting the "why and how". Online tutorials tend to be short and interspersed all over online with overlapping topics, which makes getting a full picture of a technology extremely aggravating to me.
The indelible lord of tl;dr
Xaleph
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Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2011 2:55 am

Re: UI elements

Post by Xaleph »

I know, i know, but books are always outdated. Although, it depends a bit on the language, but the best way to learn a language is by using it. Failing along the way, know where to bend it to your will. Books teach you most of the syntax, some design patterns, some guides as to how to build a specified application, all well, but it does not teach you the language. You master a language by using it, earning experience along the way, kind of like an rpg. I know, because my grades at the university were good, but once i got in business, there was still much to learn. Now, i have a pereference for C#, but i know it`s "limitations" for the web. My second favourite is Java, which is pretty much similiar to C#, but i also know that it takes time to learn the differences, which is what programming is about.

There are no books written to outline differences between languages. So yeah, books can teach you one thing, but not a language. Same goes for designing i suppose, then again, i have little experience in designing, so i`m not to judge about it.

Now, i do agree that books are a good source. I just want to point that out, but i`m not a firm believer in the whole books are king. Because they are not. They teach 1 thing, and 1 thing well, most of the times, but it ends pretty much there. Admittedly, my first programs were written by following books though.. < : )
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Jackolantern
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Re: UI elements

Post by Jackolantern »

Books definitely don't teach you a language. Practice does. But where books really help me out is with reference. I first read a book, not so that I learn how to use the language, but so that when I start using it and inevitably forget how to do something, wonder why something is done a certain way, or have a problem, I know exactly where in the book to turn for help. It is a great system that has helped me out tremendously. That and I also just enjoy reading the books.

I'm not so sure how well books work for art or design, though. I have read a couple of books on web design (not the coding aspects, but the actual design) and really did not get much out of them.
The indelible lord of tl;dr
Xaleph
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Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2011 2:55 am

Re: UI elements

Post by Xaleph »

I guess the same applies for me, but then again, i don`t really have weird errors anymore. If for some reason i really can`t find out why something isn`t working, i always use google. Google knows to much tho, any time i begin typing j or c it knows.. ahh he`s got a bug he can`t fix lol. Helps though, hahah.

Well, i like your practical aproach. Books just are not my thing, i can`t read a book looking at examples without actually using it. The last book i bought by the way is not even that long ago, about 4 months ago i suppose. It helped me out because i needed a good approach as how to use Java using system calls to the I/O controller. Since there`s a jvm in the way, direct access to the I/O controller is messed up. Even after the JVM you still have limited rights, for obvious reasons, but still, it helped out. Also some practical uses for algorithms. Good book, can recommend it for people looking into I/O.

Anyway, we are drifting offtopic here. lol. A bad habbit of mine. Still no real approaches as to how to solve my issues on design haha. UI design, UI elements, tuts et cetera. Anyone?
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