If you don't have it now - you may want to look at "Snag-it" - they offer a free 30 day evaluation.

But,
Your observation regarding how "marketing" types arrange the "display" to enhance value was very interesting. It seems you have a "professional" or "expert" (secret?) understanding of those concepts. And you write appealing projects (the one you showed is brochure material - it's got that "general" appeal "centerfold" thing going). I am not buttering you or fishing for a thank you - I am just stating the affects of what I saw.

So - it seems you have some expertise in "packaging" - and you develop software. It would be neat to have a skilled developer with your apparent understanding marketing and packaging, to share that "sweet" science with us.

Our SIG has enjoyed a few presentations by Travis Vandersypen (http://www.dilmad.com/Default.aspx). Even I sit on the edge of my seat when he shares time with us. He gets into the technical rudiments and "why's" of design strategy. Sometimes his information simply reinforces some of my "path" choices, and at other times his it forced me think and plan.

You seem to have an understanding of issues that augment some of the ideas he has put forward.

The last thing I read on interface design was a paper in the 80's. It was for text displays and offered things like:
"A menu on at the upper left side of the display implies "there's work to be done". And, "A menu in the center of the screen is relaxing". *lg*

You know how to make software "appealing". It would be nice to read or hear more from you on this subject. I don't think the DOS advice I read applies to what I am doing today. I am winging it - looking for ideas - but would rather listen to an "expert" and go beyond emulating the look and feel of "normal" desktop apps. I want to go further with my interfaces. Most of us can make almost anything (under the GUI) happen - now it's time to do cutting edge *g* GUI (and we don't need a .Net library to do that - we just need information! - I want to chase that fung-sway asain/euro sheik desktop thing as far as I can!

I am not even going to bother Ken with theming activeX. We don't need them - we can build our own. There is an xBase product across the pond that has been pushing "win forms" since the middle nineties. I can't help but think if some of those in product development (at M$) spent one one-hundredth the time enhancing the SP6 OCX with themes, as they have pitching NOT - we would have themes in OCX SP6. Ken - go code - ask your marketing handlers to bare their throats to us here on the UT:-) We'll chew em a new (what's that word?:-)

But you, John, should share:) I am still awe struck by the projects that you and others posted. I was getting to that "is this all there is" point - what I saw was reinvigorating!

I suspect it is just the tip of the iceberg. Tracy has some secrets. Nadya was doing some exoctic map stuff a few years back. Nelson has some stuff. Nick (wow) has some really good stuff to. Michel - he's a programmer to the core - I am sure has some really slick stuff. What is Sergey up to? We need to see more. And ..

A comparative article by a dude like you would be well received and
appreciated.