It’s the new year – time for something new. I read a great post the other day on Devlounge about breaking out of your mold. It was nothing I hadn’t heard before, but this time I actually put the tips into action. As an exercise, I created some Firefox desktop wallpapers and tried to stay away from my usual comfort zone of colors or patterns.
It was fun just to mess around without thinking about a particular client, deadline, end result… blah blah blah. I haven’t done that in such a long time. I loved seeing what results came about just by using gradient/color adjustment layers with pattern overlays.
All four variants have a resolution of 1920×1200 pixels… large enough to look great on a 24″ iMac (of course), but scale down quite nicely on say, a crappy old 15″ laptop too. ;) Download each pair individually or grab the whole set.
1/12/2008
Charity – these look great!!! My laptop needed a new wallpaper anyhow.
1/12/2008
[...] from Design Adaptations took a break from client work to do some creative exploration. The result – 4 fabulous Firefox desktop wallpapers that you can download for your own use. [...]
1/12/2008
Thanks Char and ditto! I’d been using one from FreelanceSwitch forever. I like their weird little icon guy, but it was time for a change. :)
1/13/2008
I’m a dedicated Opera user so I won’t use these. ;)
They look very well done. You ought to post these up on those FF promotion websites as those guys love this kind of work.
1/14/2008
Well, to each his own right? :) I’m not sure what sites you mean… can you pass along a URL?
1/14/2008
I like those dark ones at the top! I haven’t seen much of your work, but they don’t readily appear to be your style, so congrats on stepping out of your box :) I like the bottom left one, too. The texture adds a very classy touch!
Unfortunately, I’m quite attached to my iLT wallpaper.
Did this exercise help a little with your uninspiredness? *fingers crossed*
1/15/2008
Hey thanks Lauren. It IS helping to get me back into a groove. I opened up the files for my next theme yesterday after nearly a month of neglect. It really felt to good to work and be focused and productive again. :)
I looked at the wallpapers on ILT. Nice! Might have to grab one when I’m ready for something new.
1/16/2008
“focused and productive again”
I know that feeling! It’s great isn’t it? Glad you’re finding your groove again (haha, have you seen The Emperor’s New Groove? That’s such a funny movie!)
1/16/2008
Hmmm.. I think that sites like http://www.spreadfirefox.com/ might be interested.
Problem is I don’t know any either. But its the sort of thing that FireFox fans really love. DeviantART wouldn’t be a bad idea either, I’m sure that a lot of people would +fav it there.
1/20/2008
I used the black one, thank you.
1/26/2008
@Lauren – are you kidding? I’ve got an 8yrd old son – I know all about the Emperor’s New Groove! ;) Love that show.
@Daniel – thanks for the link. I found that site quite a long time ago but forgot all about it. I’ll take a peek at DevianArt as well.
@Jun – you’re welcome, glad you like!
1/28/2008
[...] Firefox Desktop Wallpaper Vier Firefox Desktop Wallpaper. 1920×1200Pixel. [...]
2/06/2008
Thanks! These are really cool.
2/21/2008
i liked that 4th wallpaper, real classy!
7/24/2008
[...] Mein altes Wallpaper, welches ich hier auf Arbeit hatte, habe ich auch wiedergefunden. Auf Design Adaptations gibt es 4 sehr edle Hintergründe für den [...]
9/15/2008
The wallpapers are really nice. Especially the black one
9/29/2008
These are very well done. I’m impressed with the work. How long did it take to make these?
10/01/2008
They look way cool. You did Firefox more than justice with these desktops. I like the glossy look with the mirrored reflection.