Mathghamhain – Page 4 – Techniques of Digital Heraldry

Enhanced Readability for the CoA Website

As part of an ongoing effort to update the SCA’s heraldry website, I spent some time this afternoon working on a set of proposed changes to improve the site’s readability.

The existing design hasn’t been significantly updated since it was rolled out more than a decade ago, which leaves it out of synch with two significant changes in computing equipment that occurred over the intervening years:

On the desktop, pixel resolutions increased faster than screen sizes, with the result that many displays moved from 72dpi to 96dpi, and a line of text that is 16 pixels high now appears smaller than it used to.
Mobile devices have moved from the margins to play a key role of the information ecosystem, and it’s entirely commonplace for a website to be viewed on a screen that’s only three inches wide.

As a result, the current CoA website can be difficult to read in both circumstances:

Traceable Art Summer Update

I’ve been remiss in not posting updates about the Traceable Heraldic Art collection lately, with the last announcement having been almost nine months ago, but new material has been quietly added in fits and starts throughout that period, with over 250 new images uploaded since September.

That pace wouldn’t be possible without the kind contributors who agree to share their lovely illustrations with the heraldic community. The biggest single batch arrived from Iago ab Adam, who created vector versions of two dozen images from John Guillim’s original 1610 manuscript for A Display of Heraldry. I am also grateful to Malyss Makneile, who traced images from multiple sources to create a portfolio that I am still working through.

Making a Sheet Wall Panel for East Kingdom Royal at Pennsic

For local branches in the East Kingdom, the royal encampment at Pennsic provides a lovely opportunity for heraldic display. Traditionally, each barony, province, shire, canton and riding is invited to create a fabric panel displaying their arms, and the collection is hung side-by-side around the edge of the camp to represent the populace while providing a modicum of security and privacy.

Provincial Court Report from Lions Learn Lessons

In the first month of Anno Societatis 59, on the 18th day of May, their Excellencies Sofya Gianetta di Trieste and Angelica di Nova Lipa, Viceréinas of Østgarðr, ventured to their seaside estates in the Canton of Lions End to observe the education of their populace at the Lions Learn Lessons schola.

Upon the completion of the day’s practicum, and seeing that their subjects had dined on the bounty set forth before them, they elected to hold court and converse with those present, uttering certain words which I have endeavored to set forth below.

Heading to KWHSS

I waited until almost the last possible minute, but still managed to snag a room for two nights at the Sheraton around the corner from the University of Pennsylvania library where the Known World Heraldic and Scribal Symposium will be held next month.

I’m looking forward to hanging out with my fellow nerds and talking about heraldry and the various crazy things we do and make to support our little corner of the SCA.

And I’m loving the fact that despite being in another barony eighty miles away, this event is fully transit accessible, with just two inter-rail transfers to get door-to-door in under two hours.

I look forward to seeing a bunch of you there!

Anno Societatis Conversions

With the arrival of spring, we are once again approaching the start of a new SCA year, or Anno Societatis. (The Society calendar matches the Gregorian calendar’s months and days, but counts its years from the date of the first event of what became the SCA: the so-called First Tournament, which took place on May 1, 1966 in a backyard in Berkley, California.)

While conversions between the two calendars aren’t terribly confusing, it does always take me a moment or two to make sure I’m correctly adjusting for the differing start of the year, and I though it might be useful to have a visual reference, so I put together a pair of charts: one for moving from common dates to A.S. years, and the other for the reverse.

Report from Provincial Court at Bear’s Tavern

On the ninth day of March, Anno Societatis 58, their Excellencies of Østgarðr, the Viceréinas Angelica di Nova Lipa and Sofya Gianetta di Trieste, did venture to the northern woods of their domain to mingle with the commonfolk at Bear’s Tavern.

Seeing it well fit and felicitous to bring certain business before the populace, they did determine to hold court in that rustic setting, the proceedings of which I am by my avocation bound to record herein.

Machine-Printed “Silk Banners”

Colorful pennants and long standards fluttering in the breeze significantly enhance the ambiance of outdoor historical recreation events — but hand-painting silk can be a daunting project, and requires skills that I have not mastered.

To approximate the impression while leveraging my collection of digital images, I turned to a custom fabric printing service from Spoonflower. The results were satisfactory, so I’ve written up the process I used in case others would like to follow it.

KWHSS Panel Proposal: Software Roundtable

I’m hoping to organize a session at Known World Heralds in Philly this June to talk about the future of the software infrastructure that supports the College of Arms.

Here’s my draft panel proposal:

Proposed Navigation Changes for the CoA Website

The SCA’s heraldry website is a critical resource for the armorists, onomasticians, and administrators that staff the College, and for the members of the populace who want to develop names and armory for their own personae.

However, the site’s organization and navigation haven’t been substantially updated in more than a decade, and a number of weaknesses have become apparent in the course of the site’s heavy usage: