IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Book of Shapes – Collection of minimal, generative and customizable SVG-patterns

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

Theme 1 – Appreciation and Inspiration
Many participants praised the visual appeal of the site and noted its artistic resonances.
- “Cool Page. But I did not know it when creating bookofshapes ;)” – nsokolowski
- “Beautiful. Reminds me of the amazing visual art of Adam Fuhrer…” – kachnuv_ocasek
- “Etienne Jacob has similar vibes… And quite satisfying.” – paulirish
- “Very nice collection!” – ericyd

Theme 2 – Practical Utility for Design and Presentations
Several commenters highlighted concrete uses, especially for creating custom shapes in slides or wallpapers.
- “Looks useful. I was experimenting with making an SVG creator tool that can churn out shapes that go beyond the shape library of microsoft powerpoint…” – albert_e
- “I've been building something similar… focused more on generating desktop/mobile wallpapers based on a desktop theme.” – fireproof_
- “It’s research. It’s not for anyone, until someone who needs it sees it and starts using it.” – LEDThereBeLight

Theme 3 – Technical and Naming Challenges
Discussion also turned to the difficulties of defining, naming, and programmatically generating the shapes.
- “One problem which I've had working in this space is the difficulty of naming specific shapes…” – WillAdams
- “Most of the designs is build via python‑scripts that generate the final SVG's which then can be recolored in browser.” – fireproof_
- “who knows with vibe‑coded stuff?” – kanapala (reflecting uncertainty about originality and implementation)

🚀 Project Ideas

Generating project ideas…

ShapeForge – Custom SVG Shape Builder for Presentations

Summary

  • A web‑based editor that lets users create parametric shapes (rounded hexagons, squircles, blobs, swooshes) beyond the default PowerPoint/Google Slides libraries and export them as SVG or PNG.
  • Core value: instantly produce stand‑out visual assets for slides without needing illustration skills.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Presenters, educators, marketers, and designers who build slide decks
Core Feature Interactive shape editor with sliders for radius, curvature, symmetry, and live preview; one‑click export to SVG/PNG and optional PowerPoint add‑in
Tech Stack React + TypeScript, SVG.js for manipulation, Electron (optional) for desktop add‑in, Node.js/Express for backend storage
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Freemium (free basic shapes, $8/mo for premium shape packs and team library)

Notes

  • HN users expressed desire for “hexagon with rounded corners, squircle, swooshes and blobs etc.” (albert_e) and asked “who is this for? and how/where can this be used?” (kn330) – ShapeForge answers both.
  • Provides a practical utility that can be discussed in design‑tool threads and easily integrated into existing workflows.

ShapeLex – Collaborative Shape Naming & Taxonomy Platform

Summary

  • A community‑driven wiki/database where designers can submit, define, and vote on names for parametric shapes, complete with visual examples, SVG/CSS snippets, and usage notes.
  • Core value: creates a shared language for shapes, reducing ambiguity when communicating design specs.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Graphic designers, UI/UX engineers, educators, researchers, and anyone needing precise shape terminology
Core Feature Searchable shape registry with fields: name, definition, parameters, visual preview, code export (SVG, CSS, Python/Processing), discussion threads, and versioning
Tech Stack Node.js/Express API, PostgreSQL, React frontend with TailwindCSS, GraphQL for flexible queries
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Hobby (open‑source community; optional sponsorships via Open Collective)

Notes

  • WillAdams shared a PDF with a shape name list and asked for comments/corrections – ShapeLex provides a live, collaborative venue for exactly that.
  • Enables deeper discussion on shape semantics and can be cited in design‑system docs, fostering practical utility.

ThemeWall – Theme‑Aware Generative Wallpaper Generator

Summary

  • A desktop/web service that reads the current OS theme (colors, dark/light mode) and runs user‑selectable generative algorithms (Turtle graphics, Perlin noise, fractals) to produce unique wallpapers; users can tweak parameters via a GUI and export high‑resolution images.
  • Core value: effortlessly create personalized, theme‑matching wallpapers without writing code.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Developers, Linux/macOS/Windows enthusiasts, and anyone who enjoys dynamic desktop aesthetics
Core Feature Theme detection hook + generative art engine with adjustable sliders (seed, complexity, color mapping) and real‑time preview; one‑click save as PNG/JPG or SVG
Tech Stack Python backend (Pillow, numpy, cairosvg, turtle‑like library), Tauri or Electron for cross‑platform desktop UI, optional web version with React + Canvas
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue-ready: One‑time purchase $12 (or donation‑based) for premium algorithm packs; free core version includes base patterns.

Notes

  • fireproof_ mentioned building “something similar…focused more on generating desktop/mobile wallpapers based on a desktop theme” and shared walldye – ThemeWall extends that idea with a more accessible UI and broader algorithm library.
  • Provides a concrete tool that HN commenters can showcase, tweak, and discuss in threads about desktop customization and generative art.

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