Windows 7 - Designer Wanted to Give Windows 7 Users Something .....

Night Hawk · 12-01-2009

Quote:

Feature Story
Designer Wanted to Give Windows 7 Users Something Beautiful

Rolf Ebeling was new to Microsoft when he was tapped to design the Windows 7 startup animation. Ebeling sought inspiration for the animation from the light, color, and energy in everyday things.

Editor's note: This is the third story in "Seven behind Windows 7," a series featuring Microsoft employees who helped build Windows 7.

REDMOND, Wash. — Nov. 30, 2009 — When Rolf Ebeling was working on the Windows 7 startup animation, he sought inspiration all around him.

He squinted at the way streetlights glowed in the rain. He watched the way light reflected on water. He looked at the electric zigzag of fireflies in flight. Ebeling knew the Microsoft Windows team wanted something that reflected the feeling of the new operating system—light, color, energy.

Ebeling created a 105-frame startup animation hoping to give users something beautiful and familiar during those few seconds when Windows 7 starts up. Now, every day millions watch Ebeling's design: four swirling points of light that come together to form a pulsing Windows 7 flag.

"We never lost sight that we wanted the boot-up to be faster, but thought, 'Well, if people are going to be there we should make it attractive and something that inspires confidence,'" said Ebeling, a senior user experience lead for the User Experience Design and Research Team for Windows, Windows Live and Internet Explorer.

More at: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/f...Animation.mspx

Zidane24 · 12-01-2009

That was surprising...

Microsoft is like most other companies...they try to keep their image in tact and held with esteem. Considering the boot screen is the second thing you see (after the BIOS POST)...I thought they would have had someone with much much more experience in the company working on it.

Is this a bad thing? Hell no...that man and his team made what I consider the best boot screen I have ever seen for a OS. It fits so perfectly with the Windows brand...I can't imagine anything better...

If Windows 8 had the same boot screen...I wouldn't feel bad at all

Abhishek Ghosh · 12-01-2009

Right...and the animation does not make you feel bored at all.

Win7User512 · 12-01-2009

I want a progress bar.

Night Hawk · 12-01-2009

Between XP and Vista's green then blues for XP scroll bars it got "Borrrringgggg" after so many years of looking at the same thing. Someone had the common sense of providing 7 with a new look at startup!

Way to go!

mowerman · 12-02-2009

If the "startup" sound would play as the swirling orbs zoom in to the glowing window it would be perfect, don't you thinnk?

smarteyeball · 12-02-2009

It would have been nice to be given the option to choose. The Loading Bar from build 6801 was actually quite nice.

Win7User512 · 12-02-2009

Quote: Originally Posted by smarteyeball

It would have been nice to be given the option to choose. The Loading Bar from build 6801 was actually quite nice.

What did that look like?

Night Hawk · 12-02-2009

Quote: Originally Posted by mowerman

If the "startup" sound would play as the swirling orbs zoom in to the glowing window it would be perfect, don't you thinnk?

I would like to be able to change the startup sound itself at times as well as the rest of the wav files for functions. Often the desktop will be fully loaded however and then you will hear it if you have the box left checked off.

mowerman · 12-02-2009

You can change the startup sound, or any other system sound by clicking the Orb and typing "change System Sounds" without the quotes.