The Design Encyclopedia
By Brent Dixon on April 24, 2006
Well there was a wiki for just about everything else, and now thanks to design contemplators UnderConsideration, the design community can have one of its own. The Design Encyclopedia is an ever-growing collection of all things design, with topics ranging from the revolutionary icon Saul Bass to The visual evolution of the letter R.
They say:
“The purpose of the design encyclopedia is to build a resource where anything and everything is explained through its design implications and background.”
I say this rocks and I’m probably going to spend way too much time at this site.
Registered users can join in on the collaboration by creating their own entries or adding to already-existing content.
The site has been around since September of 05, and in the past few months has made considerable leaps in content depth and variety. At present day it is quite the beast.
Also worth mentioning is Speak Up, an incredible design blog also created and maintained by UnderConsideration. Check it.
Christian Watson on April 25
This site certainly looks like it has potential, but it is a little light on content at the moment. Its success will largely be determined by how involved the design community gets in it.
Personally, I’d probably save my contributions for Wikipedia and make that the resource for everything.
Brent on April 26
Agreed. The design community just needs to keep feeding it its greens so it can grow up big and strong.
I’d say at this point Wikipedia is better for finding something specific, and the Design Encyclopedia is better for perusing interesting bits on the craft. But with specialization comes detail, and I can definitely see this quickly becoming more extensive with time.
You’re right though, it all depends on the contributions. So why not go ahead and contribute to both? Eh? Eh?
Christian Watson on April 28
Brent, if only I had the time. It’s difficult enough to find the time to work on my own site (hence the redesign that’s been languishing for ages).
And then there’s those new Fireworks techniques I’ve been meaning to learn…