Mark Coleran Visual Designer

Really love the Ministry of Energy desktop – looks genuinely functional, and the ‘clouds’ of other users (presumably co-workers) seems like a good idea; instant messaging integrated into the workspace. Incredible film, and some excellent visual design work.

Thanks AK

Followed your work for awhile (both in the theater and elsewhere!). I shared your URL when you had the reel up.

Anyway, the second image on this — I know I’ve seen that demoed before but I can’t remember where. Isn’t it like all the little cards represent files, and you can stack them, throw them around and they bounce around off the wall? I remember thinking, wow that’s cool I’m really glad people are approaching UI in an interesting way; But I’m sure it would be just horrific to use. It’s the toy chest model of UI, and toy chests are about the least organized thing in the world.

I don’t suppose you can say about what your next film/project is?

Hi Matthew

There is sometimes a huge gap between realism and it’s possible use and what we throw into the films. Yes, it is a little toy chest at times but in the end there are just a few factors that decide what you do.

Story is paramount, does it tell the small part of the story it is supposed to?

Is it visually interesting and appropriate? Does it look good, appropriate for the context it is in.

The later drives much of those things, included in something like the Children of Men screens. At a glance it is supposed to be something different from what we have and use everyday, yet keep a few small design cues that make it inherently recognizable as an interface. It can be a hard thing to balance. Whether it would ever be a real UI, most certainly not. Usability is not high on the list of requirements for the screens in films.

I find it amusing that even the guy who designed this mockup says it would “most certainly not” ever be a real UI… And yet somebody went and made it anyway. http://bumptop.com/

It is actually Bumptop in the background. It was a rough layout for a music player that was going to appear in the movie and I got permission to use it as a background. As a note, the integrated Coverflow usage, integrated into the player, was about 6 months before iTunes incorporated the same. The screen itself was never fully finished and did not get used.

[...] denied screens, but Coleran’s work is eye catch­ing, under­stand­able and even clever. In an unused inter­face for Chil­dren of Men, a “cov­er­flow” view like iTunes is shown. Before iTunes even intro­duced [...]

Nice to see “David Gilmour”! i never paid for attention before love your work.
I think the user interfaces will be very pure in the future, and the vocal commands will let the interfaces more empty, without button, and i think the sobriety of the interfaces in the future is questionable, but it might be because of the tendances of the moment or what the computers are used for. in a police center, in my mind, it might to be plain, but for a teen, i imagine it very colorful and active. (excuse my english, i’m french speaker)
love your work (ever said?)

Thanks Julius

Beautifully functional, but I thought those were supposed to be government computers. Where’s the Solitaire/Minesweeper? =O)