What is ``high-quality graphic art''? This term needs to be defined
before an application purported to automatically generate graphic art
is described. Where Script-Fu is concerned, the definition is limited
to the current standard for logos typically found on
professionally designed web pages. Logos should have the option to be
generated from a wide range of typefaces, sizes, colors, backgrounds,
and styles, including such exotic motifs as neon, chrome, crystal, and
carved marble or wood. The task that Script-Fu tackles is simply put:
to generate logos in a wide variety of styles with configurable
options, at a level of quality comparable to professionally done
graphic design work. Additionally, the graphic art should be
generated automatically, and in tens of seconds, where traditional
artists painstakingly produce artwork on a timescale of hours.
Figure 2is a very simple example of a logo which
Script-Fu might generate
.
Many factors must be considered in the design of an application which meets the requirements discussed above. Most important are flexibility and power. To meet the requirement that it generate ``high-quality'' graphic art, Script-Fu must be flexible and easy to expand upon; new and more impressive logo designs are constantly evolving and must be incorporated into the system as they emerge. Script-Fu must also be extremely powerful, as impressive logos typically involve a complex process which-in the case of automated logo creation-requires that software make decisions that were formerly made by human artists. Sections 3 and 4 in this paper discuss the architecture necessary to achieve these goals, as well as how the components of the architecture interact to get the job done.
One factor which is easily overlooked, but of utmost importance, is the user-interface. Script-Fu has a traditional user interface in the sense that when you run the software on a computer, it displays a window with the necessary options for logo generation. However, to maximize the availability and appeal of Script-Fu, a secondary interface called Net-Fu was designed. Section 5 discusses this additional interface in detail.
captypefigure
Table 2: A simple example of a composited logo. The logo
consists of highlights, the logo text, and shadows.