In all endeavors there is an ultimate benchmark of accomplishment. In mountainclimbing it's Everest. In soccer it's the World Cup. In GUI skinning, it's the multi-program suite. If you can skin a whole range of programs, all with coordinating look and feel, and achieve critical acclaim and thousands of downloads - you know you've made it. One person whose accomplishment no-one can have any doubts about, is a man known as Treetog.

Tek: I thought we might start out with a little about yourself. Are you a native Portuguese speaker?

Treetog: Yep! We speak Portuguese in Brazil, but a bit different then the Portuguese spoke in Portugal...something like the American English and the British English.

Tek: What is your day job?

Treetog: I work as a sales man senior for a small doors industry. At the same time, I'm working as a free lancer graphic designer, designing interfaces for GUIs and skinnable programs.

Tek: How interesting that you sell doors, but modify Windows :) Do you think graphic design could become your main career, or will you always have your sales position?

Treetog: I always worked around sales and creation, during 15 years I worked on the clothing business, creating huge collections and selling them after. Yes, I'd like to change my career, after discovering the designing on a computer, I feel in love with it, the graphic free lancer work is growing more and more every day. I'm working on it, without any interruption, since last October. =)

Tek: Congratulations! Steady work like that is a good sign that a full career would really work. I'm sure many skin designers and users would agree. Do you find many parallels between clothing design and skin design?

Treetog: In some points they are similar and I have some influence from that. You can notice this, because I use to make huge collections of skins, always matching each other.

Tek: Yes, your suite of skins for Teknidermy is a great example. There are so many, and were finished so quickly without giving an inch on quality.

Treetog: Again...the clothing influence, at that time I used to create over 400 new models per year. =)

Tek: That's really amazing. That kind of productivity is nearly unheard of in most other creative fields. I had once talked about the possibility of skinning's future progressing somewhat like the fashion industry. Do you think skin designers might someday have the kind of name recognition that top fashion designers enjoy?

Treetog: This is a tough question to answer, but I believe not, because we skin most of the time for free. In the other hand, we can see the big companies, like MS, Apple, etc...beginning to release skinnable apps, but trying to attract us, with contests offering hats and game copies as prizes. I prefer continuing making skins for free. As I told you, this was a tough question. =)

Tek: :) Do you think the big companies will start offering their rewards more in line with the effort involved? Or in the form of good, lucrative contracts?

Treetog: I can't see them offering to skinners good contracts. Unfortunately, when they began to make their programs to support skins they already know that skinners would make skins for free.

Tek: True. The basic nature of the system involves paid applications using free skins. Have you done paid skinning work, though?

Treetog: Yep! But always for small companies. Today I'm concentrating my efforts on designing interfaces for non-skinnable software, in this case we can work for big companies that want to have a customized look for their GUI.

Tek: That sounds like a very expandable direction for you to go in with gui design. What other PC projects are you working on now?

Treetog: I'm making 2 different cooperated projects with a good friend and excellent artist (Johanne Chain, aka Alexandrie). They are a skin suite and a web site.

Tek: Do you design websites often?

Treetog: No... in fact I don't like to make web stuff that much (my computer knowledge is very poor,) except for the graphic part. =Þ

Tek: Ah, well I have to admit I am not nearly as "html literate" as I'd like to be. When you're designing new graphics, where does your inspiration come from?

Treetog: My inspiration came from very different things, most of the time not from the web, but from every day objects. For example: on my suite Attacker, it became from my car panel button, from Polymer, it comes from a under construction building, near my kids school. =)

Tek: Most classical fine artists find their best inspiration from the world around them as well. Do you see skin designs as art?

Treetog: I think so, don't you? LOL We make our little skins with the same passion and obstinacy of the great painters. =)

Tek: Passion and obstinacy! What an excellent phrase. Yes, I agree completely. I know even with the one very simple NextSTART theme I posted, I took great care and pride in it.

Tek: Could you share with us the process by which you create your art?

Treetog: This is very simple, more then 90% of my suites begins by the NS themes, maybe because NS was the first application that I skinned for and have a special feeling for me. And it already gives me the titlebars, buttons and arrows, which give me the base for many other skins.

Tek: And the graphic work itself - is it purely photoshop?

Treetog: Purely PhotoShop all of them!...even the animated gifs and icons (things that I love to make) are made in PhotoShop first, then edited in the appropriate programs.

Tek: Many great artists have a favorite medium or technique, such as oils or spattered designs. What techniques within PhotoShop do you find yourself going back to time and again?

Treetog: I don't think so, nothing in particular, but I think I could die without the blurs and layers. Most of the good effects of PhotoShop I don't use, because I don't know how to use them. LOL

Tek: lol.. Which program would you say is the most difficult to skin?

Treetog: The most one I've tried, was Sonique, for the Polymer suite, I made all the graphics (for the 3 modes) and tried to script them for more then a week, asked many times for help to their support people without receiving any kind of reply... then just quit...I never finished that skin...it was really frustrating. =(

Tek: Sounds terrible. Do you usually have good relationships with developers, or are there others who have failed to give you support?

Treetog: I have some very nice relations with developers, during the last year and a half I began some real good friendships. In some cases, I am a beta tester of their programs (always helping just a little, because of my low computer knowledge,) giving my comments and suggestions in the cosmetic area.

Tek: Working with developers on their GUI must be satisfying, but time consuming. Considering the number of programs in most of your suites, skinning must demand much of your free time.

Treetog: You know what...some times...making a suite not demands so much time, because (depending of the shape of the based skin) you can use a lot of elements to make many skins.

Tek: I see. I was mostly curious about how your time spent skinning is seen by your family. Are they supportive? Do they use your work?

Treetog: My wife is not that fan of skins and many times she complains of seeing me in front of the computer, but my son (the little 'tog =) ) who is 10 years old likes a lot. His computer is completely customized too, using skins from Dangeruss, CRUMBUT and myself. He is making his first skin, a Pikachu Quick Notes skin.

Tek: Wow, that's great! I can't wait to see the little 'Tog's' first skin! so designing is in the genes?

Treetog: I don't know, but he learns much faster then me. LOL

Tek: lol.. My son yelled with delight when I mentioned your son's work in progress. He has just turned 7, and is a huge Pikachu fan.

Treetog: Kids are great! They are far away better then us. =)

Tek: It's true :) The world is still fresh in their eyes. You mentioned he likes Dangeruss's work. What was it like working with him and Dmer for the Skindicate project?

Treetog: he work together with Russ and Deven was a truly amazing and pleasant experience, we were so different and so close at the same time. All of us, giving suggestions on the other ones skins. I remember that after releasing the suite, we made just 3 updates, Russ Updated the WindowBlinds skin which I made, Johanne updated the ICQ skin and I updated Russ's winamp skin. This was really funny. =)

Tek: :) Was the Skindicate a one-time project, or will we see more from the group?

Treetog: We never made any plan for more skins (in my opinion, this is the best thing,) no commitments. Because of this, I believe (and hope) we will make more suites together. =)

Tek: :) That gives us all something to look forward to. Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Treetog: I just like to thank Teknidermy for giving me the opportunity to tell a little about my work and for the support of our community. It is a real honor for me to be part of it. =)

Tek: And I'd like to thank you as well, for taking time to talk with us, and for the fantastic suite of skins you've done for our magazine.

Click Here to see screenshot/download
the "Teknidermy Skin Suite" by Treetog