<sect2 id="repository-usage-section-4-1" xreflabel="Graphic design" label="3.4.1">

    <title>Graphic design</title>

    <para>The graphic design work line exists to cover brand design,

    typography design and themes design mainly.  Additionally, some

    auxiliar areas like icon design, illustration design, brushes

    design, patterns designs and palettes of colors are also included

    here for completeness.</para>

    <para>Inside CentOS Artwork Repository graphic design is performed

    through Inkscape (@url{http://www.inkscape.org/}) and GIMP

    (@url{http://www.gimp.org/}).  The Inkscape tool is used to create

    and manipulate scalable vector graphics and export them to PNG

    format; it also provides a command-line interface that we use to

    perform massive exportation from SVG files to PNG files in

    automation scripts. On the other hand, GIMP is used to create and

    manipulate rastered images, create brushes, patterns and palettes

    of colors.</para>

    <tip><para>Combine both Inkscape and GIMP specific functionalities

    and possibilities to produce very beautiful images.</para></tip>

    <para>The CentOS Project Corporate Visual Identity is made of

    different visual manifestations (e.g., Distributions, Web sites,

    Stationery, etc.).  Visual manifestations implement the corporate

    identity concepts by mean of images.  To produce these images, we

    decompose image production in "design models" and "artistic

    motifs".</para>

    <para>Design models provide the structural information of images

    (i.e., dimension, position of common elements in the visible area,

    translation markers, etc.) and they are generally produced as

    scalable vector graphics to take advantage of SVG standard, an

    XML-based standard.</para>

    <para>Artistic motifs provide the visual style (i.e., the

    background information, the look and feel) some design models need

    to complete the final image produced by automation scripts.

    Artistic motifs are generally produced as rastered images.</para>

    <para>The result produced from combining one design model with one

    artistic motif is what we know as a @emph{theme}.  Inside themes

    directory structure (@pxref{Directories trunk Identity Images

    Themes}), you can find several design models and several artistic

    motifs independently one another that can be albitrarily combined

    through @emph{theme rendition}, a flexible way to produce images

    for different visual manifestations in very specific visual

    styles. Inside themes directory structure, theme rendition is

    performed in @file{trunk/Identity/Images/Themes} directory

    structure, the required design models are taken from

    @file{trunk/Identity/Models/Themes} directory structure and the

    action itself is controlled by the @code{render} functionality of

    <command>centos-art.sh</command> script.</para>

    <para>In addition to theme rendition you can find @emph{direct

    rendition}, too. Direct rendition is another way of image

    production where there is no artistic motif at all but design

    models only. Direct rendition is very useful to produce simple

    content that doesn't need specific background information. Some of

    these contents are brands, icons and illustrations.  Direct

    rendition is performed in @file{trunk/Identity/Images}, the

    required design models are taken from @file{trunk/Identity/Models}

    directory structure and the action itself is controlled by the

    @code{render} functionality of <command>centos-art.sh</command>

    script.</para>

    <para>@xref{Directories trunk Identity}, for more information

    about The CentOS Corporate Identity and how graphic design fits on

    it.</para>

</sect2>