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<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>