Compressor 3 – Peachpit 2007

This illustration is a revision to an earlier cover design for Compressor. The composition is about the process of taking a queue of datasets and aligning them through a pipeline to be processed by multiple entities. The horizontal shapes represent the multiple CPUs or processors that can concurrently take part in the batch conversion of images.

As the name of the product suggests, the application compresses movie files into lower bit-rate movies, reducing the amount of download time required for a movie, deliverable. The swirling particles and dynamic orbiting vector lines hint at the idea of knocking out bits of data to compact a file.

The first incarnation of the design was created in a visual technique that appeared like paint strokes. In this update, I chose to move towards a technique that appears to be more luminous, angular, and precise, as light passing through glass.

Completed spring 2007.

Apple Pro Training Series:
Compressor 3 Quick-Reference Guide
ISBN: 032151422X
March 2007