Hey guys
I'm just getting back into using my CNC mill since a year ago and was reading some of the forums looking for thoughts on the MDA Precision 5-axis Mill. Saw an old post from DaveCVI looking for a professional Graphic Designer to help with their M3 GUI screens.
I'm a professional Graphic Designer. When I first set up my first CNC mill and began using/reading up on M3, I noticed you could custom design the M3 screens. Bad design drives me crazy – – – most men who had to do some grocery shopping may remember back in the early 80's, Prego spaghetti sauce was the only ready made sauce in a jar on the grocery shelf (here is the U.S.) Had no competition. Classico came to our design firm and wanted to put their new sauce on the grocery shelves. Compete with Prego. Prego's labels on the jars looked terrible, unappetizing. Could have sold paint in the jars and you wouldn't have known the difference. For Classico, we first choose a jar that looked like home canning jars. I then designed the labels to make the product look delicious, like it came from a small boutique of sauce makers, mama's house, delivered fresh from Italy yesterday. The immediate result was what we call an industry killer. Or at least until Prego got off their duffs and redesigned their labels. But by that time, sales were evenly split from then on.
Anyway, in studying the various ways to redesign the M3 screens, I began playing around with some design techniques. The attached is just a smidgen of what I was planning on doing. I then got so busy with work that I haven't been able to touch my mill for over a year.
Designing a complete, professionally designed set of GUI screens that would set a new standard in the industry would take months of planning, design reviews, interactive/testing, a sizable investment to reap rewards down the road, etc. The unique position that I'm in is that I am a very good designer..... AND..... an amateur machinist that has a basic understanding of how a machinist and CNC works. Smooth project flow. Would never be able to please all users. But that's what's cool about M3. You can customize it to make it your own.
I'd like to think I could finish out my screens, but I've got to focus on finding some land out here in west Dallas and design a house to be built on it. One day soon!
Bruce
www.bdfdesignstudio.4ormat.com
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