Dan Rubin's Superfluous Banter - Latest Comments in I Need Some Spacing @ Dan Rubin’s SuperfluousBanter

Re: I Need Some Spacing @ Dan Rubin’s SuperfluousBanter

Dan Rubin — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 18:15:38 -0000

@Jason: I've been meaning to look into that, I just didn't want to go down a rabbit hole of constant updates and tweaks to accommodate the little changes Google seems fond of pushing on a regular basis (see Jon Hicks' Google Reader stylesheet, lots of work for very little return...)

That said, I'd also be ok if someone wanted to take my adjustments and turn them into a Stylish "theme" or even just a plain old user stylesheet. The changes are primarily spacing-related, with the exception of a few type size changes and an extra button that might require Greasemonkey or similar.

Re: I Need Some Spacing @ Dan Rubin’s SuperfluousBanter

Jason Robb — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 18:56:08 -0000

Hey Dan, seriously convert that design into a Stylish CSS Doc and share the love! I created my own Stylish version of Gmail, and I'd love to get that baseline grid in there, too.

What did the trick, mostly line-height tweaks?

Re: I Need Some Spacing @ Dan Rubin’s SuperfluousBanter

Kris Black — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:01:13 -0000

I like your redesign a lot. Nothing major, just a simple adjustment to what is already a great email system.

Re: I Need Some Spacing @ Dan Rubin’s SuperfluousBanter

Jambe — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:56:42 -0000

You'd think they'd act on it given how obvious the improvement is and how little work they'd have to do.

You should convert your design into a Stylish CSS document... people would eat it right up (I would, anyway).

Re: I Need Some Spacing @ Dan Rubin’s SuperfluousBanter

Dan Rubin — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:10:25 -0000

@Colin: Yeah yeah, I know better than to believe it ;)

@Noel: thanks - they have, actually, just over a year ago when I presented these comps as part of my interview process. I can only speculate of course on the problems that exist within Google's structure with regards to design (with Doug and staff on hand they certainly aren't lacking in the talent area), but they clearly have issues making progress in the design area.

It's an engineering-focused company, so although disappointing from the outside, ultimately it's not a surprise.

Re: I Need Some Spacing @ Dan Rubin’s SuperfluousBanter

Noel Hurtley — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 20:24:03 -0000

Awesome work Dan. Hopefully someone at Google has seen this!

Re: I Need Some Spacing @ Dan Rubin’s SuperfluousBanter

Colin Devroe — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:18:21 -0000

I'm a Mail.app guy myself. But, if Gmail was designed by either you or Khoi, I may have switched a long time ago. ;)

Re: I Need Some Spacing @ Dan Rubin’s SuperfluousBanter

Ian — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 04:38:15 -0000

Proof that the difference really is in the detail. Gmail follows a particular trend with Google where their apps seem to look like they were designed by developers rather than designers. They obviously aren't putting Doug Bowman and co to good use. :)

It's a good example though of how vertical rhythm can really help with the alignment and feel of a page. Something that I keep meaning to include with my own work.

Great examples Dan. Hopefully someone at Google will take notice. By the way, how'd the interview with Google go? :)

Re: I Need Some Spacing @ Dan Rubin’s SuperfluousBanter

Marcos — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 02:56:23 -0000

The thing about GMail is that I always knew that there was something wrong, but couldn't exactly say what.

After your baseline "refactoring", I understand why!

Nice!