The good people in paris have given us the opportunity to have a theme & design track in paris 2009.
and even better the want me to be responsible for that track gasp
and even better *2 they have given us more or less free hands to do what ever we wanna do!!!
So what I need to know right now is:
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What session would you love to see at a drupalcon.
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Is it important to have sessions that are not "drupalcentric" aka "color theory", "designing with a grid" etc
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wishes wishes wishes - whatever your idea come with it
Right now i have no idea at all of how where what and who! - but thats not the point - we need to get every idea we can into this group right F now, so the rest of the community can see what it is that we have been wishing for for sooooo long :)
Comments
My wishlist: Grid design
My wishlist:
Types of sessions
I don't think that a Drupal con is the place to teach people about basic design theories and methods like color, composition, general typography etc. There are no sessions on general php programming in the development track, for example, and I don't think it's the place to start for someone who doesn't know much about design.
However, anywhere there is overlap I think it makes a lot of sense. Something like "Designing with a Grid" would work if we're talking about implementing a grid framework (Blueprint, 960, etc) on Drupal specifically.
So, off the top of my head, here's some ideas:
Intro to php for Drupal Designers
Basic php taught/presented in a way that would introduce basic php structure and a couple key functions, in such a way that designers unfamiliar with php could immediately start using the information to get what they want out of Drupal, without the overwhelming learning curve of buying a general php book that is not Drupal centric. This might be a good lead-in to show Designers how to override theme functions without scaring them away.
Grids and Drupal
How to implement one or more of the currently available grid frameworks on Drupal specifically, including some background on why you'd want to do so. My vote goes to Blueprint, but I know a lot of people seem to prefer 960, so I'm open minded.
I'm sure I'll think of more, but there's my $0.02 for now.
twitter: threehz
d.o: jrefano
I slightly disagree
Hey there. I agree that it would be boring to do something like color theory, but I do think it would be useful to bring into the fold the process of design and how it interweaves with building drupal sites. I feel like there are a lot of ways to build websites, and that the design element is not totally represented at this conference, nor given it's proper "weight".
I would suggest the following:
How to make Drupal websites that don't look like drupal
This session would cover some reviewing some cool looking websites, going over the process of starting on paper. And discussing some of the the key failings of designers when designing sites that start w/a drupal theme and then only slightly deviate from it for instance.
examples of stuff that could be talked about:
- discuss typography from the stand point of legibility (talk about optimal character length, line height, and such)
- show examples of typical block treatments, and of some that break the mold of the typical "block style"
- maybe show what kinds of tools people are using to build the stuff (PS, IA, etc...) I feel like there could be some key knowledge shared as far as what tool is best for what job speed wise.
I also think it would be worth while to take some really good drupal design sites and do case studies on them from a design perspective... sharing the process on how they built the site w/the developers and such.
There's a lot of common ground here
I think these are all great as long as there's a Drupal component to each point. So you can talk about the typogrify module, and good techniques for implementing css grids into themes. I think we miss some opportunities for including the larger drupal community in our cause if we don't give them a lot of "in's".
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d.o: canarymason
twitter @canarymason
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d.o: canarymason
twitter @canarymason
Intro To Design
At OSCMS a few years ago Steven Wittens did a talk called Designer Eye for the Geek Guy/Gal (slides and video available). From what I understand, this was possibly the most highly attended session at the conference.
The talk was really basic. Stuff most designers know pretty well. But, it reached the geeks. A session like this that's intro to design stuff, talk about what it is (the basics) and why it matters could really show coders why this stuff is important and give them a glimpse into the design world.
I think this would go a long way towards building interest and reminding people how important it is. This session could even be a launch pad to a theming code sprint there designers sit down with coders and work out ideas how to modify drupal 8 (that's what we will be adding new ideas to at that point) to be better for designers. Kind of like how the documentation team sat down with coders to better document their code at this past drupalcon.
That's just my 2 cents from the developer point of view....
Matt Farina
www.innovatingtomorrow.net
www.geeksandgod.com
www.superaveragepodcast.com
www.mattfarina.com
Basics
Yes, just explaining what the design process is, and why "design" != "pretty stuff", would have an incredible value for the whole community.
Hey, Nica, I presented a
Hey, Nica, I presented a session as part of the organized design/theming track at DrupalCon DC called "Theming Out of the Box" which discussed exactly what you're suggesting. I would definitely be willing to re-present this in Paris (if I end up affording it). You can read the abstract/agenda. I'll be putting up slides from the presentation very soon.
Preston So
Creative Director
Monarch Digital, Colorado Springs
My near-dead non-Drupal site
awesome
Yeah, I think I saw some of that actually. I guess I just want to take the discussion further and talk about some of the traps of Drupal-y design. I also think it's really interesting to discuss web trends and new ways people are coming up w/designing systematic designs.... you know, like what CMS design is all about.
I feel like it poses specific challenges, and it would be cool to show intances of people coming up w/new and innovative ways to deal w/stuff.
Intro to php for Drupal Designers
I would really appreciate something like this!
+1 for that twitter -
+1 for that
twitter - @jojototh
drupal.org - mogdesign
www.mogdesign.eu
twitter: @jojototh
drupal.org user: mogdesign
CEO http://mogdesign.eu
Inspirational content
I think that we'll certainly need to have at least one session that points to future directions and shows what's possible in design with Drupal as a tool.
The goal is twofold: make developer and themers understand the creative process a bit better, and have a place to showcase future directions.
@modulist
Agree
There definitely needs to be another "Design on the Edge of Drupal" like the one you presented in Boston, maybe even a set of sessions that are part of a sequence titled "Design on the Edge of Drupal." Part of my "Theming Out of the Box" presentation talks about what is possible with Drupal.
But what's essential is addressing future trends in Drupal design and discussing some of the directions Drupal is taking with design. This would make me a lot more optimistic about the project overall. A look at the creative process for developers who have no design sense (no offense!) would be highly valuable as well.
Preston So
Creative Director
Monarch Digital, Colorado Springs
My near-dead non-Drupal site
newbie's like me.
I think jrefano had a great idea with 'Intro to php for Drupal Designers. I'd go.
Something that I think would also be a great session for newbies is Drupal setup. A session that would show new drupal users or designers how to create a basic setup that they can implement their design on. The session could be primarily for New designers/themers and new drupal users, I guess someone like me. (hopefully by the time of the next convention, I wont need something like this, but I do now)
I spoke with alot of people on how they set up their modules, files and organized their sites, I found that the majority of people made the same mistakes as I did. This session could show you how to layout a clean drupal site. :) just a thought.
I agree with you. Although
I agree with you. Although I'm coming from coder's corner I can easily imagine how difficult it may seem for a Drupal newbie, even more for one who comes from the design perspective, to set up a basic Drupal installation (the right way of course) and create a basic own theme (at the right place and the right way, too).
You have to know about Drupal's directory structure and how it traverses directories, looking for modules and themes automagically. You also need to know about theme variables and other stuff, requiring a newbie to jump all around documentation.
So a session, maybe supported by a well documented basic (almost empty) theme, covering this stuff in kinda simple walkthrough would be a good starting point. Make a screencast from it and present it big, bigger, HUGE on drupal.org, so it can't be overlooked.
Or maybe.. introduce it via Drupal's install routine..
justBrainstorming
Alex
dissection of the design and theming process for a showcase site
I think it would be very helpful to show how to approach a project from a design and theming point of view. We could take an example site and break down how to design for drupal as opposed to against drupal. We'd show how to account for it's quirks and exploit it's strengths at different stages of a workflow. So we could talk about:
- incorporating a knowledge of blocks, regions, nodes, forms, etc while still in photoshop
- techniques for creating good markup in template.php, preprocess functions, tpl.php's
- css/js organization
There could also be an interesting component if we then do a side-by-side comparison of some great drupal and non-drupal sites and their source code. That could help in furthering the case for best practices we were making at drupalcon.
--
d.o: canarymason
twitter @canarymason
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d.o: canarymason
twitter @canarymason
Yes! I think this is a great idea.
This is what is always missing from my point of view, and I think a session like this could be extremely valuable for new and seasoned themers and designers. It could be one of those sessions that really makes people think: oh that wasn't too hard, and I can do this.
I think the showcase site has to contain some advanced techniques as far as theming and design are concerned. Maybe the showcase site could be a section on the new d.o site? ;)
integrate developers and themers
One of the main issues today is that most drupal developers and drupal themers kind of live in isolated worlds. Morten's theming track should be aimed at getting the two together and helping them understand what makes the other tick - and what pisses them off royally when dealing with the other.
Introduce themers to development
* introduction to cvs/svn
* introduction to php (as mentioned above)
* introduction to the theming layer (understanding themable functions and tpl files, knowing that RTL is supported, understanding theme config settings possibilities, ...)
* developer safari (what is a drupal developer? how does he think? what does he need? Where do they gather? Let's explore his natural habitat)
* understanding how technical issues impact design/theming (front-end performance, the hell of unpredictable user generated content or aggregated content)
Introduce developers to theming
* introduction to the theming layer (how to make your module's output themable; what granularity to provide to make the themers' lives less of a screaming hell)
* introduction to theming/design (get developers started on theming - the basics of navigation design, consistency, typography, etc)
* designer safari (what is a designer? where can we find one? how does he think? what does he need? Let's explore his natural habitat)
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On a related note, I wouldn't mind seeing sessions about:
* theming for LTR (left to right text direction) *and* RTL (right to left text direction)
* the needs/possibilities/challenges/horrors encountered when dealing with alternative content delivery formats/devices (xml, json, rdf, mobile devices, text-to-speech browsers, braille readers, ...)
* the importance of semantic html, how this impacts themers and to what extent drupal core/contrib is ready (the recent d.o. redesign issues with H1-H6 in nodes and comments being just one example)
rad
I support this line of thought.
I like thinking about the natural habitats and how to play in that universe.
I also think there would be value in having a sort of best practices BOFF session where people spill on their design processes, with the hope that we can all learn about how to be faster and better at what we do.
Design for Developers
I think it would be great to pull a few developers over into the design track. I know that there are a lot of Drupal developers who work for small companies or non-profits, managing one entity's website(s) who do not have a Web Designer at their disposal, and so their sites end up looking pretty bad, which can contribute to the notion that Drupal always looks bad.
There could be a few simple tips to grid-based CSS layouts, the idea of consistency in margins, gutters, etc and a few tips on Typographic standards, and a quick tutorial on how to make a non-cheesy-looking graphic button in GIMP.
I'm planning to do a similar (but not Drupal-specific) presentation for my local BarCamp.
I really like this because
I really like this because it's a way to introduce best practice concepts to both novice designers and non-designing developers. Inclusive!
--
d.o: canarymason
twitter @canarymason
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d.o: canarymason
twitter @canarymason
I like this too. This was
I like this too. This was kind of what I was mentioning before. "How to make Non-Drupal looking websites"
Agile UX
I heard about a project management BOF that ran at DC Drupalcon and that everyone is talking about Agile methodologies. I'd love to hear people talking about Agile UX - including design and usability and research into an Agile methodology. There are more and more organisations successfully doing this now but I suspect Drupal Agilers are not amongst them.
So, I'd love to see this discussion on the board for Paris. It's something I've talked about a lot in the past so I'd be happy to host it. I know it's not a typical 'design' topic, but getting designers more integrated into the development process would be a definite win for designers, and if we don't raise this, you can be sure it won't be on the table.
leisa reichelt - disambiguity.com
user experience consultant (design research and user centred design)
working with Mark Boulton Design on the drupal.org redesign project
leisa reichelt - disambiguity.com
@leisa
Playing the devil's advocate
In my mind a conference should not be about trying to grok and internalize a new skill set, but rather it's about getting exposure to things that I can research later. I'm worried that some of the "learning how to X" sessions could end up failing because it's near impossible to learn and retain PHP as part of a 45 minute conference session that leads into the next into the next etc. If you really want to learn a skill set, a conference isn't the right environment. Conferences are about exposure, getting new ideas and garnering excitement from others in the room.
Someone (maybe from Four Kitchens?) pinged a while back about having a pre-con workshop to bring people up to speed on the basics of theming. I think this is an excellent idea for several reasons:
- workshops are all about digging in and learning; not about "what session do I want to go to next"
- having it pre-con means you're only jet-lag brain-fried, not session brain-fried
- there is no temptation to sneak in and out to other sessions that are also of interest
- wireless is faster for a smaller sub-set of people (100 people attending a precon != 1500 people attending the con)
- there is less risk of segregating "disparate" groups of people by having a track of sessions that are presented sequentially and which you feel obligated to stay in because it's "your room."
These kinds of pre-con workshops exist for OSCON and we even had our own taste of them in DC with my presentation workshop. I hope the idea of a pre-con workshop is still on the plate for DrupalCon Paris!
some great posts here...
I think a setting for gulp dare I say ... designers who want to take a stab at terminal, cvs, svn or Drush.
There are plenty of developers out there that are more than willing to give a demo on terminal and drush.
(I know one in particular who is good at instruction on this.)
Only problem is it needs to be taught in a nice easy format. "Drush for Dummies, cough, I mean Designers" :-)
I had a developer recently teach me terminal / drush / cvs / and svn.
Terminal seems scary and it's certainly not for everyone... but it IS a handy skill set to be had among the Drupalistas.
It has it's benefits and it's not that hard.
An intro to PHP would be good also.
Most people who can write html, with the right speaker, can learn an intro to terminal or php.
Not a bad idea to give an intro to design open to developers either.
And last, but not least, I've been working with BlueTrip // the css framework mashup of BluePrint a lot - and although every Drupal designer may not find it their cup of tea - It is most certainly is a mindblowing tool everyone should take a look at.
It's pretty amazing.
oops
why'd it post my post two times?
and now i can't delete :P
bringing in the drupal-curious
In DrupalCon in Szeged, the original PHP developer gave a keynote. Can we have a great to have a web designer with an excellent history, who comes from outside of Drupal to peek into how themeing works. Someone well respected outside of Drupal who can talk about the current state of web design? Jeffery Zeldman? I have no idea!
Design is about the users
UX: Yes we need to attract ppl from Graphic Design backgrounds... but design is primarily about the user. Topics on UX would be very attractive for designers, useful for developers.
+1 for Agile UX- (Leisa). I would be intrigued to see her talk about the process which went into the d.o redesign, and what tools & methods she used.
Elv said ""design" != "pretty stuff"- and that is very true! Thinking of Don Norman's (The Design of Everyday Things) writing on user advocacy and human-centered design.
Practical User testing: Show user-testing methods to designers, and how you can integrate user-testing into early stages of design. Really practical, as in: this is how you run a listening labs style user testing, this is how eye-tracking works or doesn't work, etc.
Can we get Don Norman, or Jakob Neilsen or Steve Krug, or some hugely famous design/UX geek?
Cure for the Baby Duck Syndrome
The Drupal-Curious tried to install Drupal once, but hit a wall. They have alot of experience in another CMS, and are heavily 'imprinted'. (see: baby duck syndrome)
In a session at our DrupalCamp this past weekend, Alan Burke compared Drupal with Wordpress and Joomla. This put things in perspective for the Drupal-Curious.
How else can we help them?
Bringing in the Drupal-Curious.. at this early planning stage!
Looking at the list of topics on Smashing Magazine- Drupal isn't on top list of posts:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/
There is one post however...
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/09/24/drupal-developers-toolbox/
Can we inspire readers of Smashing Magazine to learn about Drupal? And come to the conference?
What gaps do they have? We need to talk to 'outsiders' to yield good ideas. These people aren't logged into the g.d.o!
PS_ writing this v late, just got back from 2 day drupal camp here and still buzzing. Can't wait to meet you all in Paris. :)
Great thoughts
I'd personally love to see someone heavily involved with the greater web design community speak at the next DrupalCon. We've already got one significant convert! UX most certainly is a topic that needs to be expanded upon in Paris and in other Drupal events that are more developer-centric (camps, etc.). The informal "usability sprint" conducted in DC was a phenomenal success in getting issues recognized.
In terms of the kind of exposure you're speaking of, I was planning on writing some sort of article for the greater design community about the benefits of front-end Drupal or something to that effect. Maybe a collaborative task force contributing in this manner is what's needed for the "Drupal-curious".
Preston So
Creative Director
Monarch Digital, Colorado Springs
My near-dead non-Drupal site
topics
I just started out some months ago. I have some suggestions.
1 Setting up your theming environment on windows (newbie/intermediate)
Integrating xampp and eclipse on Vista is not easy and not well documented. For example:
I had to do some searching to enable Code Assist Auto Actvation (and to find out what it was called in the first place), figure out Commenting, virtual word wrap and hippie code hints. Get the local testsite to be the workspace. Get the theme directory to be a project.
Questions that i am still working on:
(www.mustardseed.com has a good video though)
2 Semantic theming with blocks and regions (newbie)
3 The good stuff 1 - Mothership & CSS Reset (intermediate)
Basic overview of the workings of Mothership.
4 The good stuff 2 - Creating a subtheme on Mothership (intermediate)
'nuff said
5 The good stuff 3 - CCK & views: Theming fields (newbie)
Again a good starting point can be found at www.mustardseedmedia.com.
4 Panels
Should we still use them in Drupal 6? When in particular? How to make them play nice with your theme.
5 Guided wysiwyg (intermediate)
TinyMCe and FCK allow for the definition of specific stylesheets and even using the website's styles.
How about a session to show how that is done.
See also: http://drupal.org/node/160657.
6 (semi)fluid grid themes (advanced)
How to make a theme look good on 22" widescreen (and your ipod).
reading suggestions:
Cheers, Willem
Accessibility
I wholeheartedly agree that about UX here and would love to see some material covering and more conversation generated about it.
Additionally, it is important to offer some information about web accessibility standards for users with disabilities.
In the Accessibility Group, there have been some really good conversations started that could combine into a great panel discussion or presentation:
-Kate
Session Deadline July 8th
Hey everyone... If you want to do a session, there is a really early deadline of July 8th approaching next week.
The UX and Design track currently makes up only 17 out of 77 total proposals ATM.
We can do better ;)