AH - inspiration!?!

When we first started talking about creating Channel 9 the idea was to have UI that did not look as if it was created by MSFT. Afterall, a heavily MS branded site would be less inviting for community involvement which was the real goal.
 
Lenn presented a concept and I started playing with variations of it. At the same time, I had/have been itching to get back into more illustration and less "brand-restrictive" projects. While I am not part of any product group there are many guidelines that need to be followed when creating prototypes and demo related designs for Longhorn (my primary job).
 

As a designer, I like to play with various styles and recently was finding inspiration in "pixelart". This was something I have always wanted to play with but always found myself coming back to a more "polished" look. Another inspiration (and where the original idea for the red banner developed) was from a recently attended David Bowie concert - he has a huge video screen which displays amazing animations, etc. It was my goal to replicate that screen and while it is not there it is a start! Basically everything came out of this banner. Next was "Channel 9 Guy" (although at that time it was simply refered to as "the logo") Again, Lenn had this idea of a simple character that you could perhaps see on the bottom of a skate or snowboard - very graphic and flat. While I liked the concept, it was not fitting in with the direction the site was heading. My approach is to imagine what a design would look like if it was fabricated out of wood.The challenge was to take this "block of wood" and pixelize it. I wanted to avoid the need for logotype which lead the body into a "9". The hair on the original concept was two swoopy strands - this element did not lend itself well to design so I simply added the pillars. I wish there was some clever meaning or representation of the hair - but there is not. 

I am really excited that Channel 9 guy is beginning to take on a persona of its own and look forward to seeing (and creating) more deviatives of it.

Here are some initial concepts leading to what is now known as "Channel 9 guy"