Hawksworx

Following on from some previous work re-branding the Osmosoft.com website, we have now discovered that we can take a slightly different approach to our branding. Previously we were expecting to be very tightly constrained by the BT branding guidelines (what with being acquired by BT and all), but after a consultation with the people in the know, we have learned that we have rather more latitude.

With that in mind, and retaining the consideration that we want to fit in with the general brand principles of BT, even if we add our own bit of ‘Osmosoft Special Sauce’, I’ve been working on a new identity.

This work is gaining some momentum now, but as with other projects, there is value in sharing the work prior to its completion and gathering feedback. Hey, we are an open source house here, after all.

As ever, I’d welcome comments and suggestions. Keep in mind that this work is by no means definitive, and that it currently contains temporary photo stock that would be replaced before we went live with the brand.

Recently, I have been wearing my UI designer hat and exploring ways to present TiddlyWiki in a more approachable way. I have blogged before about being surprised at how easy it is to give a TiddlyWiki site a new flavor, but my recent ventures have attempted to retain more of the existing TiddlyWiki functionality (rather than hiding it away), while providing a simpler and more user friendly view.

I’ll be setting some of this work free before too long, but for now, I thought I’d post a screenshot of my work in progress. You never know, it might generate some ideas via any discussion that ensues.

Some UI elements that I am working on include a revised tab view of the tiddler lists and timeline view. This uses the existing TiddlyWiki macro to display tabbed content, the gradient macro to create a subtle ‘paper’ feeling to the scrollable listing panel, and also the slider macro to make a nice collapsable section that appears across the top of the page.

I’m also planning on adding some large, friendly buttons in the currently blank space in the top panel to provide some help with getting started. I’d love to hear any comments or suggestions about the direction this is taking.

Once this theme has matured a little, I’ll be posting it the growing set of TiddlyWiki themes that can be found at TiddlyThemes.com