Initial thoughts on the iDesign Vector¹ drawing app.
Quick intro explanation of the above image:
- a screen-grab of today’s calendar
- imported into Brushes, then two crudely painted layers
- imported into iDesign as a background image, some basic vector shapes and text applied
- I have left the UI controls up to give a sense of what they look like
- this is a screengrab png file (sent via Pastebot) because currently the text colours aren’t exporting (version 1.3)
It has pretty smooth controls and a quickly-learnable instinctive UI approach. Doesn’t crowd the retina display badly. (I didn’t initially go for Intaglio Sketchpad app because of the price - although the functionality seems better in some ways - easier to jump in with a bunch of presets. Having a lite version of Intaglio was a good move on their part because I might actually get it anyway³ because I really liked the feel of it.)
iDesign is much more of a designing-from-scratch Vector app in comparison (bear in mind these are my initial thoughts). I have always hated Vector software because it doesn’t replicate humanity at all well. Illustrator has lived in a hidden part of my hard drive for many years now because I literally never use it. If I used it more I would probably go for Inkscape because it seems more instinctive and carries a stronger Mac feel to how you design stuff². I have tended to play the pixels-fooling-the-eye game of scanning at 300+dpi and working with layered colour before printing/exporting. Vectors have the dream of infinite zooming attached but lose virtually all personality in the process of forcing you into Bezier-land.
Sidetrack rant about being an Autuer
On the matter of personality and Bezier curves, it finally all comes down to the same old process of planning (often/mainly using paper and a biro with inspired haste) and carefully applying the same old thinking patterns to the same old design stages. Vectors are removed enough from humanity for the design thinking to be essential if you hope your auteur tendencies to shine through. WIthout the love and graft beforehand you will be sucked into a forcefield of default-everyone-does-these Adobe-slavery movements. Yes, that. Personally, I tend to prefer the look of hand drawn stuff. Which brings me to Vectors and iOS…
I figured that even with Pablo Picasso using an iPad and Brushes these days there is still a massively fundamental issue with touch screen devices: as students/kids/practicing artists/humans we haven’t grown up learning how to draw with our fingertips. I can draw with a pen-shaped object confidently but using my finger? Not nearly as good for this kind of precision. I like having a go but it just isn’t accurate enough.
For this reason the Vector approach may well be a good/better idea for the way ahead with iOS on-the-move imagery. Vectors have to be accurate - that is their nature. With a finger that isn’t quite as good as a pencil you have to have some more measure/control over what you are doing if you want to compete with the quality of the former approach. Vectors on a small iOS screen might actually work.
Back to my review
So, embarking on iDesign I have to say that the main current irritations/questions are
- export reliability - will I be wasting my time in choosing colours for text if the colour isn’t being translated into the SVG file?
- the SVG via email export option currently ignores the background image when you open it up into illustrator. PDF export into illustrator works better and you can split the elements up if needed. Colour still isn’t translating properly.
- with the ‘hi-res’ background image setting switched on, the whole app seems to slow in an annoying way - is it enough to have to have a workaround of switching this on and off? Unsure if Intaglio does the same. The lite version didn’t seem to. Will post updates on this if and when I discover.
- importing svg files? As valuable as exporting is, perhaps there is an import function? Intaglio claims to be able to receive svg files.
The general impression is very positive, but I am leaning towards Intaglio currently - mainly because the lite version seems to work so well. I know that the price appears high, but these are miniscule compared to Adobe products and if the import/export functions work well enough, this is a professional-level app that can be used for ‘proper’ jobs, not just killing green pigs while you have a poo⁴.
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¹I should say that for anyone who doesn’t know, Pixels are literal dots of colour and Vectors are mathematical shapes. Vectors can be zoomed infinitely and will appear smooth throughout because it is constantly being recalculated by the computer whereas Pixels are never recalculated. Pixels tend to look more human and reflect human inaccuracy/improvisation better, whereas Vectors are much more controlled.
²while I am on the subject it reminds me of when I was first getting into Macs back in day when I was a new teacher at Glyn School in Epsom. They had a ton of very early Performas (? is that what they were called?) and I made this Vector comic (for RE teaching called ‘Ben and Tony’s Amazing Adventures’) using Claris works. It was fun until you had to start trying to get around unusual shapes.
³ I have gift tokens! Did you notice?
⁴ Did I mention that I deleted all my games?
