The document discusses interface polishing. It begins by establishing different themes an interface could have, such as grunge, minimalist, or metallic. It then discusses picking a sensible layout and different polishing techniques like drop shadows, bevels, and textures. Examples are provided of polished interfaces. The document concludes by recommending practicing polishing techniques, getting inspiration from other designs, reading books on design, and discussing polishing with others.

1. POLISHING
Interfaces
Andrew Maier
Sunday, March 28, 2010

2. Andrew Maier
Interaction Designer &
User Experience Enthusiast
andrew@uxbooth.com
@andrewmaier
Sunday, March 28, 2010

3. Follow Along
http://
designerandrew.com/
files/
polish.zip
Sunday, March 28, 2010

4. Interface
Types
Sunday, March 28, 2010

5. Artistic
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6. Sunday, March 28, 2010

7. Sunday, March 28, 2010

8. Sunday, March 28, 2010

9. ARTSY
Sunday, March 28, 2010

10. VISUAL ART
Sunday, March 28, 2010

11. NOTICED
Sunday, March 28, 2010

12. IMPRESSION
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13. BRITTLE
Sunday, March 28, 2010

14. Application
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15. Sunday, March 28, 2010

16. Sunday, March 28, 2010

17. Sunday, March 28, 2010

18. SIMPLE
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19. OS’s
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20. UNNOTICED
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21. IMPRESSION
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22. RESILIENT
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23. Polishe .
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24. Sunday, March 28, 2010

25. Sunday, March 28, 2010

26. Sunday, March 28, 2010

27. Sunday, March 28, 2010

28. HOLISTIC
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29. INFLUENCED
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30. PATTERNS
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31. NOTICED
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32. IMPRESSION
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33. RESILIENT
Sunday, March 28, 2010

34. INTERFACE
Creation
Sunday, March 28, 2010

35. ESTABLISH a
Theme
Sunday, March 28, 2010
1

36. Establish a Theme
• Grunge
• Minimalist, Typography
• Metallic, UI
• Abstract/Transparency, HUD
• Web 2.0
Sunday, March 28, 2010

37. Grunge
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Image used with permission from Collis Ta’eed

38. Minimalist
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Image used with permission from Collis Ta’eed

39. Brushed Metal
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Image used with permission from Collis Ta’eed

40. Abstract
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Image used with permission from Collis Ta’eed

41. Web 2.0
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Image used with permission from Collis Ta’eed

42. PICK
Layout
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2
a SENSIBLE

43. Sunday, March 28, 2010

44. Sunday, March 28, 2010

45. Sunday, March 28, 2010

46. Sunday, March 28, 2010

47. Sunday, March 28, 2010

48. Sunday, March 28, 2010

49. GET WITH THE
Polish
Sunday, March 28, 2010
3

50. Polish Techniques
Lighting Effects Other Effects
‣ Drop Shadow ‣ Texture & Patterns
‣ Bevel ‣ Dither
‣ Gloss/Glare/Glow ‣ Blur/ Wet Floor
‣ Photo Effects ‣ Color/Hue
(dodge/burn) (icons, etc)
Sunday, March 28, 2010

51. Things to Avoid
‣ Over Polish
‣ Breaking your own
conventions
‣ Over/Under–contrast
‣ Bad anti-aliasing & pixel
hinting
Sunday, March 28, 2010

52. IN
Action
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53. Sunday, March 28, 2010

54. Sunday, March 28, 2010

55. Sunday, March 28, 2010

56. Sunday, March 28, 2010

57. DEMO
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58. NEXT
Steps
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59. PRACTICE
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60. INSPIRE
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61. READ
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62. DISCUSS
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63. Get Inspiration
http:// http://
bestwebgallery.com abduzeedo.com
Sunday, March 28, 2010

64. Collect Inspiration
http://
emberapp.com
Sunday, March 28, 2010

65. The Non-Designer's Design Book
Robin Williams
Sunday, March 28, 2010

66. Sexy Web Design
Elliot Jay Stocks
Sunday, March 28, 2010

67. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
Edward R. Tufte
Sunday, March 28, 2010

68. http://
psd.tutsplus.com
/category/tutorials
http://
tutorial9.net
Sunday, March 28, 2010

69. http://
istockphoto.com
http://
bittbox.com
/category/freebies
Sunday, March 28, 2010

70. http://
iconfinder.net
http://
smashingmagazine.com
/category/fonts
Sunday, March 28, 2010

71. http://
uxbooth.com
Sunday, March 28, 2010

72. Fin
@andrewmaier
andrew@uxbooth.com
Sunday, March 28, 2010