View Single Post
Old 12-17-2007   #7 (permalink)
CMoya


 
 

Re: Color Scheme Guidelines?

Well, I love Vista. And I think the Aero glass interface is great. I'm
talking about the color schemes in the client area of programs themselves...
which is inconsistent even in Vista's built-in apps.

"vista user 43" <fuv@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:476672f3@xxxxxx-privat.org...
Quote:

> Microsoft Messed up on vista big time... on longhorn they were trying out
> various colors, and then they rushed out vista
> and they have done a terrible job on the user interface.. its totally
> horrible
>
> I think its more like what comes out from someones rear end after eating
> something very very bad
>
>
> Yes Vista is CRAP!
>
>
>
>
> "CMoya" <moy@xxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:4F8FBB04-C2E6-46FA-AA15-F3E902966227@xxxxxx
Quote:

>> Have you read this doc before posting it? If not, why post it? Anyway, it
>> doesn't address what seems to be the new direction in disparate and
>> *non-system set* color schemes that are employed in Vista's built-in
>> Accessories not to mention Office 2007 (arguably Vista's flagship suite).
>> If you change your Vista "glass" color scheme to Red or Frost, the
>> toolbars in Windows Mail don't change. Neither in Photo Gallery or Media
>> Player. Neither does Office 2007's colors change. Moreso, if you change
>> Office 2007's own scheme to Black or Silver, not all the apps (OneNote,
>> Publisher, etc) respect the setting. In fact, those apps are ALWAYS
>> light-blue no matter what you set your Office OR Vista color scheme to.
>>
>> So, that doc is useless I think. Anyone else know if this has been
>> discussed anywhere? Chan9 blogs, one of the design blogs? I don't know.
>>
>> Here's what the Vista "Guidelines" say:
>> -"Whenever possible, choose colors by selecting the appropriate theme
>> color or system color. By doing so, you can always respect users' color
>> preference."
>> -"Don't hardcode theme-related values or system metrics, such as fonts,
>> *colors*, or sizes. Respect the user's settings by always obtaining font
>> typefaces, sizes, and *colors*, Windows display element sizes, and system
>> configuration settings from the Theme and GetSystemMetrics APIs."
>>
>> Seems Vista's own accessories AND not to mention Office 2007 violate
>> these principles outright. It should be documented somewhere why this is
>> so.
>>
>> "Andre Da Costa[ActiveWin]" <andred25@xxxxxx> wrote in message
>> news:OY2cLIFQIHA.4196@xxxxxx
Quote:

>>> Vista User Experience Guidelines:
>>> http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa511258.aspx
>>> --
>>> Andre
>>> Blog: http://adacosta.spaces.live.com
>>> My Vista Quickstart Guide:
>>> http://adacosta.spaces.live.com/blog...3DB!9709.entry
>>> "CMoya" <moy@xxxxxx> wrote in message
>>> news:C0DAE03F-B7FE-44AE-A42C-4E66ECF4C3F2@xxxxxx
>>>> So it seems Microsoft has purposefully abandoned the whole notion of
>>>> consistent color schemes on the OS level. It seems that in Vista, color
>>>> schemes in apps (toolbars, status bars, backgrounds, etc) are
>>>> purposefully DIFFERENT colors between apps for a reason.
>>>>
>>>> My question is: Have they documented this anywhere? Are there
>>>> "guidelines" for how to decide what color scheme to use. There must be
>>>> some rhyme and reason!??!
>>>>
>>>> Here's what I've surmised so far:
>>>> - Turquoise = Generic system stuff like Explorer.
>>>> - Dark Blue = Minor Accessories like Windows Mail, Calendar, Fax & Scan
>>>> etc.
>>>> - Black = Media stuff like Media Player and Photo Gallery.
>>>> - Light Blue = Office/Productivity apps. Or is this just special to MS
>>>> Office? Why in Office 2007 can you change the color of the "ribbon"
>>>> apps but ALL other apps (like Publisher, OneNote, etc) remain
>>>> light-blue *no matter what.*
>>>> - Grey = All other legacy and/or programming like Visual Studio.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>
>
My System SpecsSystem Spec