DragonWhimsy

I just wanted to take a quick moment and say thank you to Serif for adding this feature in the upcoming 2.1 release. I started this thread two years ago and it seems only fitting to close it out with a big 'ol thank you! Showing the brush names as well as keeping the brush highlighted even after changing the size is going to make the whole brush experience feel so much smoother. 
It's greatly appreciated.

I'm really loving the Affinity Suite, they are fantastic products. But it's become frustrating that my biggest pain point with the desktop software is seemingly something so easy to fix. I'm talking about how you can only see the brush names in the brush panel by hovering your cursor over the brush. For someone who has bought a lot of brushes for the software this is really painful. This has really hampered my ability to find a brush, or even remember what brush I had used previously. It seems like a small thing, but it really isn't. Seeing the names in the panel helps greatly with memory retention and creates a much stronger user experience. Right now I either have to hover over the brush, taking an extra second to let the name pop up (getting me out of my artistic flow and annoying me, and that annoyance meaning I'm unlikely to bother), or I have to not register the name in my consciousness at all, leaving me to hopefully remember later which in a long line of squiggly shapes is the brush I used.
While I realize this isn't the most important feature in the world, it's also really low hanging fruit. And doesn't the ipad versions of the suite already have this (I don't have the ipad versions but I'd swear I saw in a video that they do)?
Is this a result of someone in UI wanting to make the panel look prettier and more streamlined and thinking it doesn't hamper our workflows? Because if so please, please put that strange notion aside. You are most definitely hampering my workflow. 
Please don't tell me we have to wait for 1.9 for this. It's such a small thing but so important. 
 

I agree, when changing the size of a brush it's still the same brush, at least for the user, no matter what the app is thinking. And every other design and art app out there presents it in the same way.
Speaking of changing brush sizes, another of those low hanging fruits would be a brush size panel. Sometimes that just seems faster than using the size adjuster already in the app or using the dial on my pen tablet. It's an easy feature and it's pretty standard in competing software. 
Also adding the brush name in the history panel. Instead of "Paint Brush Tool" it would be something like "Paint Brush Tool: Chalky Brush 1" or something. Clip Studio Paint has that feature and it's great for remembering what brush you just tested out 3 brushes ago and want to go back to.
Just those 4 really easy features to add would enhance my experience with the program so much. Displaying the brush names in the brush panel on desktop, keeping the selected brush highlighted even when changing sizes, a brush size panel with different brush sizes already all laid out, and the brush name in the history panel. Super easy to add, super standard in design and art programs. And such a huge improvement to the brush experience. All without even touching the underlying brush engine. They're quick additions that add a ton of value. 

I'm really loving the Affinity Suite, they are fantastic products. But it's become frustrating that my biggest pain point with the desktop software is seemingly something so easy to fix. I'm talking about how you can only see the brush names in the brush panel by hovering your cursor over the brush. For someone who has bought a lot of brushes for the software this is really painful. This has really hampered my ability to find a brush, or even remember what brush I had used previously. It seems like a small thing, but it really isn't. Seeing the names in the panel helps greatly with memory retention and creates a much stronger user experience. Right now I either have to hover over the brush, taking an extra second to let the name pop up (getting me out of my artistic flow and annoying me, and that annoyance meaning I'm unlikely to bother), or I have to not register the name in my consciousness at all, leaving me to hopefully remember later which in a long line of squiggly shapes is the brush I used.
While I realize this isn't the most important feature in the world, it's also really low hanging fruit. And doesn't the ipad versions of the suite already have this (I don't have the ipad versions but I'd swear I saw in a video that they do)?
Is this a result of someone in UI wanting to make the panel look prettier and more streamlined and thinking it doesn't hamper our workflows? Because if so please, please put that strange notion aside. You are most definitely hampering my workflow. 
Please don't tell me we have to wait for 1.9 for this. It's such a small thing but so important. 
 

I'm really loving the Affinity Suite, they are fantastic products. But it's become frustrating that my biggest pain point with the desktop software is seemingly something so easy to fix. I'm talking about how you can only see the brush names in the brush panel by hovering your cursor over the brush. For someone who has bought a lot of brushes for the software this is really painful. This has really hampered my ability to find a brush, or even remember what brush I had used previously. It seems like a small thing, but it really isn't. Seeing the names in the panel helps greatly with memory retention and creates a much stronger user experience. Right now I either have to hover over the brush, taking an extra second to let the name pop up (getting me out of my artistic flow and annoying me, and that annoyance meaning I'm unlikely to bother), or I have to not register the name in my consciousness at all, leaving me to hopefully remember later which in a long line of squiggly shapes is the brush I used.
While I realize this isn't the most important feature in the world, it's also really low hanging fruit. And doesn't the ipad versions of the suite already have this (I don't have the ipad versions but I'd swear I saw in a video that they do)?
Is this a result of someone in UI wanting to make the panel look prettier and more streamlined and thinking it doesn't hamper our workflows? Because if so please, please put that strange notion aside. You are most definitely hampering my workflow. 
Please don't tell me we have to wait for 1.9 for this. It's such a small thing but so important. 
 

I'd love to see Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo get a brush size panel. Yes, it's easy enough to use the width slider or to use the dial on my graphics tablet, but sometimes it's just faster to pick the exact brush size you want instantly from a full sized panel. I know it's not the sexiest feature ever, but sometimes it's the simple things that help keep you in your creative flow.

I'd love to see Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo get a brush size panel. Yes, it's easy enough to use the width slider or to use the dial on my graphics tablet, but sometimes it's just faster to pick the exact brush size you want instantly from a full sized panel. I know it's not the sexiest feature ever, but sometimes it's the simple things that help keep you in your creative flow.

I'm really loving the Affinity Suite, they are fantastic products. But it's become frustrating that my biggest pain point with the desktop software is seemingly something so easy to fix. I'm talking about how you can only see the brush names in the brush panel by hovering your cursor over the brush. For someone who has bought a lot of brushes for the software this is really painful. This has really hampered my ability to find a brush, or even remember what brush I had used previously. It seems like a small thing, but it really isn't. Seeing the names in the panel helps greatly with memory retention and creates a much stronger user experience. Right now I either have to hover over the brush, taking an extra second to let the name pop up (getting me out of my artistic flow and annoying me, and that annoyance meaning I'm unlikely to bother), or I have to not register the name in my consciousness at all, leaving me to hopefully remember later which in a long line of squiggly shapes is the brush I used.
While I realize this isn't the most important feature in the world, it's also really low hanging fruit. And doesn't the ipad versions of the suite already have this (I don't have the ipad versions but I'd swear I saw in a video that they do)?
Is this a result of someone in UI wanting to make the panel look prettier and more streamlined and thinking it doesn't hamper our workflows? Because if so please, please put that strange notion aside. You are most definitely hampering my workflow. 
Please don't tell me we have to wait for 1.9 for this. It's such a small thing but so important. 
 

I'm really loving the Affinity Suite, they are fantastic products. But it's become frustrating that my biggest pain point with the desktop software is seemingly something so easy to fix. I'm talking about how you can only see the brush names in the brush panel by hovering your cursor over the brush. For someone who has bought a lot of brushes for the software this is really painful. This has really hampered my ability to find a brush, or even remember what brush I had used previously. It seems like a small thing, but it really isn't. Seeing the names in the panel helps greatly with memory retention and creates a much stronger user experience. Right now I either have to hover over the brush, taking an extra second to let the name pop up (getting me out of my artistic flow and annoying me, and that annoyance meaning I'm unlikely to bother), or I have to not register the name in my consciousness at all, leaving me to hopefully remember later which in a long line of squiggly shapes is the brush I used.
While I realize this isn't the most important feature in the world, it's also really low hanging fruit. And doesn't the ipad versions of the suite already have this (I don't have the ipad versions but I'd swear I saw in a video that they do)?
Is this a result of someone in UI wanting to make the panel look prettier and more streamlined and thinking it doesn't hamper our workflows? Because if so please, please put that strange notion aside. You are most definitely hampering my workflow. 
Please don't tell me we have to wait for 1.9 for this. It's such a small thing but so important. 
 

I agree that the Affinity programs are a huge value for the money and anyone who says they haven't gotten their monies worth is just being hyperbolic. I do think the negativity is somewhat understandable though. I don't at all think that it has been made clear by Serif that a major upgrade is in the works for 2022. Where would I get that info? A random and still very vague and cryptic Twitter post? A blog I've never heard of before meant for publishers? I had no idea that 2.0 was happening until I read it on a post in this thread. To be made clear by Serif it would have to be on a sticky post in these forums if they only want the hardcore users to know, or on the Affinity Spotlight blog if they wanted it to be more commonly known. The last patch with new features was 1.9 and that was more than a year ago with no public beta available for the next one. The betas themselves often take a couple of months. So if you don't know that the next patch is a really big 2.0 patch, it seems like we're waiting a little long for a more standard 1.11 patch. 
I think part of the cause of this is that it has seemed that Affinity Designer and Photo have seemed to had their development slowed since they began working on Affinity Publisher. It does feel a bit like Serif is stretched to their limit and it's been unclear if they can develop 3 apps +3 Ipad versions of those apps at more than a glacial pace. 
I think there wouldn't be any negativity here if it had been made clear by Serif that 2.0 was coming this year. The problem is that wasn't made clear. And of course it's up to Serif when the best time to start marketing that is. But I think a quick "Hey this is happening" earlier would reassure the most dedicated users. I'd bet most users are aware that the 2.0 patch is a big deal and should take longer than the usual patches and are perfectly fine with that. 
What it really comes down to is that people don't really need this or that specific feature. They want reassurance that the Affinity Suite has a bright future and they are right to stick with it. Honestly when I found out yesterday that 2.0 is coming this year I felt a lot of reassurance. 
In any case I think you're probably right about the announcement next month and I'm guessing there will be a lot more positivity then. 
 

I agree that the Affinity programs are a huge value for the money and anyone who says they haven't gotten their monies worth is just being hyperbolic. I do think the negativity is somewhat understandable though. I don't at all think that it has been made clear by Serif that a major upgrade is in the works for 2022. Where would I get that info? A random and still very vague and cryptic Twitter post? A blog I've never heard of before meant for publishers? I had no idea that 2.0 was happening until I read it on a post in this thread. To be made clear by Serif it would have to be on a sticky post in these forums if they only want the hardcore users to know, or on the Affinity Spotlight blog if they wanted it to be more commonly known. The last patch with new features was 1.9 and that was more than a year ago with no public beta available for the next one. The betas themselves often take a couple of months. So if you don't know that the next patch is a really big 2.0 patch, it seems like we're waiting a little long for a more standard 1.11 patch. 
I think part of the cause of this is that it has seemed that Affinity Designer and Photo have seemed to had their development slowed since they began working on Affinity Publisher. It does feel a bit like Serif is stretched to their limit and it's been unclear if they can develop 3 apps +3 Ipad versions of those apps at more than a glacial pace. 
I think there wouldn't be any negativity here if it had been made clear by Serif that 2.0 was coming this year. The problem is that wasn't made clear. And of course it's up to Serif when the best time to start marketing that is. But I think a quick "Hey this is happening" earlier would reassure the most dedicated users. I'd bet most users are aware that the 2.0 patch is a big deal and should take longer than the usual patches and are perfectly fine with that. 
What it really comes down to is that people don't really need this or that specific feature. They want reassurance that the Affinity Suite has a bright future and they are right to stick with it. Honestly when I found out yesterday that 2.0 is coming this year I felt a lot of reassurance. 
In any case I think you're probably right about the announcement next month and I'm guessing there will be a lot more positivity then. 
 

I agree that the Affinity programs are a huge value for the money and anyone who says they haven't gotten their monies worth is just being hyperbolic. I do think the negativity is somewhat understandable though. I don't at all think that it has been made clear by Serif that a major upgrade is in the works for 2022. Where would I get that info? A random and still very vague and cryptic Twitter post? A blog I've never heard of before meant for publishers? I had no idea that 2.0 was happening until I read it on a post in this thread. To be made clear by Serif it would have to be on a sticky post in these forums if they only want the hardcore users to know, or on the Affinity Spotlight blog if they wanted it to be more commonly known. The last patch with new features was 1.9 and that was more than a year ago with no public beta available for the next one. The betas themselves often take a couple of months. So if you don't know that the next patch is a really big 2.0 patch, it seems like we're waiting a little long for a more standard 1.11 patch. 
I think part of the cause of this is that it has seemed that Affinity Designer and Photo have seemed to had their development slowed since they began working on Affinity Publisher. It does feel a bit like Serif is stretched to their limit and it's been unclear if they can develop 3 apps +3 Ipad versions of those apps at more than a glacial pace. 
I think there wouldn't be any negativity here if it had been made clear by Serif that 2.0 was coming this year. The problem is that wasn't made clear. And of course it's up to Serif when the best time to start marketing that is. But I think a quick "Hey this is happening" earlier would reassure the most dedicated users. I'd bet most users are aware that the 2.0 patch is a big deal and should take longer than the usual patches and are perfectly fine with that. 
What it really comes down to is that people don't really need this or that specific feature. They want reassurance that the Affinity Suite has a bright future and they are right to stick with it. Honestly when I found out yesterday that 2.0 is coming this year I felt a lot of reassurance. 
In any case I think you're probably right about the announcement next month and I'm guessing there will be a lot more positivity then. 
 

I agree, when changing the size of a brush it's still the same brush, at least for the user, no matter what the app is thinking. And every other design and art app out there presents it in the same way.
Speaking of changing brush sizes, another of those low hanging fruits would be a brush size panel. Sometimes that just seems faster than using the size adjuster already in the app or using the dial on my pen tablet. It's an easy feature and it's pretty standard in competing software. 
Also adding the brush name in the history panel. Instead of "Paint Brush Tool" it would be something like "Paint Brush Tool: Chalky Brush 1" or something. Clip Studio Paint has that feature and it's great for remembering what brush you just tested out 3 brushes ago and want to go back to.
Just those 4 really easy features to add would enhance my experience with the program so much. Displaying the brush names in the brush panel on desktop, keeping the selected brush highlighted even when changing sizes, a brush size panel with different brush sizes already all laid out, and the brush name in the history panel. Super easy to add, super standard in design and art programs. And such a huge improvement to the brush experience. All without even touching the underlying brush engine. They're quick additions that add a ton of value. 

I would love to see that too. I feel like there's a lot of low hanging fruit that Serif could pluck that would make the overall brush experience a lot more enjoyable without them even touching the bush engine. The lack of a few simple features is really making using brushes in Affinity a painful and annoying experience for me. 

Yeah, that's my fear as well. That it's not even that they haven't gotten around to it because of more important priorities, but it's just some guy in the UI department who decided it looked better more streamlined like that rather than be practical and useful about the matter.
If you can see the names in the panel you're registering those names each time you use the brush, you're gaining muscle memory about which brush does what as you use them. It's easy to find them again in the list as well. Hovering over the item just gets in the way and as something that gets in the way the user isn't going to do that, and so they don't build that muscle memory. In the end it's just a list of different squiggly lines which mean nothing to me. 
 

I agree that the Affinity programs are a huge value for the money and anyone who says they haven't gotten their monies worth is just being hyperbolic. I do think the negativity is somewhat understandable though. I don't at all think that it has been made clear by Serif that a major upgrade is in the works for 2022. Where would I get that info? A random and still very vague and cryptic Twitter post? A blog I've never heard of before meant for publishers? I had no idea that 2.0 was happening until I read it on a post in this thread. To be made clear by Serif it would have to be on a sticky post in these forums if they only want the hardcore users to know, or on the Affinity Spotlight blog if they wanted it to be more commonly known. The last patch with new features was 1.9 and that was more than a year ago with no public beta available for the next one. The betas themselves often take a couple of months. So if you don't know that the next patch is a really big 2.0 patch, it seems like we're waiting a little long for a more standard 1.11 patch. 
I think part of the cause of this is that it has seemed that Affinity Designer and Photo have seemed to had their development slowed since they began working on Affinity Publisher. It does feel a bit like Serif is stretched to their limit and it's been unclear if they can develop 3 apps +3 Ipad versions of those apps at more than a glacial pace. 
I think there wouldn't be any negativity here if it had been made clear by Serif that 2.0 was coming this year. The problem is that wasn't made clear. And of course it's up to Serif when the best time to start marketing that is. But I think a quick "Hey this is happening" earlier would reassure the most dedicated users. I'd bet most users are aware that the 2.0 patch is a big deal and should take longer than the usual patches and are perfectly fine with that. 
What it really comes down to is that people don't really need this or that specific feature. They want reassurance that the Affinity Suite has a bright future and they are right to stick with it. Honestly when I found out yesterday that 2.0 is coming this year I felt a lot of reassurance. 
In any case I think you're probably right about the announcement next month and I'm guessing there will be a lot more positivity then. 
 

I agree that the Affinity programs are a huge value for the money and anyone who says they haven't gotten their monies worth is just being hyperbolic. I do think the negativity is somewhat understandable though. I don't at all think that it has been made clear by Serif that a major upgrade is in the works for 2022. Where would I get that info? A random and still very vague and cryptic Twitter post? A blog I've never heard of before meant for publishers? I had no idea that 2.0 was happening until I read it on a post in this thread. To be made clear by Serif it would have to be on a sticky post in these forums if they only want the hardcore users to know, or on the Affinity Spotlight blog if they wanted it to be more commonly known. The last patch with new features was 1.9 and that was more than a year ago with no public beta available for the next one. The betas themselves often take a couple of months. So if you don't know that the next patch is a really big 2.0 patch, it seems like we're waiting a little long for a more standard 1.11 patch. 
I think part of the cause of this is that it has seemed that Affinity Designer and Photo have seemed to had their development slowed since they began working on Affinity Publisher. It does feel a bit like Serif is stretched to their limit and it's been unclear if they can develop 3 apps +3 Ipad versions of those apps at more than a glacial pace. 
I think there wouldn't be any negativity here if it had been made clear by Serif that 2.0 was coming this year. The problem is that wasn't made clear. And of course it's up to Serif when the best time to start marketing that is. But I think a quick "Hey this is happening" earlier would reassure the most dedicated users. I'd bet most users are aware that the 2.0 patch is a big deal and should take longer than the usual patches and are perfectly fine with that. 
What it really comes down to is that people don't really need this or that specific feature. They want reassurance that the Affinity Suite has a bright future and they are right to stick with it. Honestly when I found out yesterday that 2.0 is coming this year I felt a lot of reassurance. 
In any case I think you're probably right about the announcement next month and I'm guessing there will be a lot more positivity then. 
 

I agree that the Affinity programs are a huge value for the money and anyone who says they haven't gotten their monies worth is just being hyperbolic. I do think the negativity is somewhat understandable though. I don't at all think that it has been made clear by Serif that a major upgrade is in the works for 2022. Where would I get that info? A random and still very vague and cryptic Twitter post? A blog I've never heard of before meant for publishers? I had no idea that 2.0 was happening until I read it on a post in this thread. To be made clear by Serif it would have to be on a sticky post in these forums if they only want the hardcore users to know, or on the Affinity Spotlight blog if they wanted it to be more commonly known. The last patch with new features was 1.9 and that was more than a year ago with no public beta available for the next one. The betas themselves often take a couple of months. So if you don't know that the next patch is a really big 2.0 patch, it seems like we're waiting a little long for a more standard 1.11 patch. 
I think part of the cause of this is that it has seemed that Affinity Designer and Photo have seemed to had their development slowed since they began working on Affinity Publisher. It does feel a bit like Serif is stretched to their limit and it's been unclear if they can develop 3 apps +3 Ipad versions of those apps at more than a glacial pace. 
I think there wouldn't be any negativity here if it had been made clear by Serif that 2.0 was coming this year. The problem is that wasn't made clear. And of course it's up to Serif when the best time to start marketing that is. But I think a quick "Hey this is happening" earlier would reassure the most dedicated users. I'd bet most users are aware that the 2.0 patch is a big deal and should take longer than the usual patches and are perfectly fine with that. 
What it really comes down to is that people don't really need this or that specific feature. They want reassurance that the Affinity Suite has a bright future and they are right to stick with it. Honestly when I found out yesterday that 2.0 is coming this year I felt a lot of reassurance. 
In any case I think you're probably right about the announcement next month and I'm guessing there will be a lot more positivity then. 
 

I agree that the Affinity programs are a huge value for the money and anyone who says they haven't gotten their monies worth is just being hyperbolic. I do think the negativity is somewhat understandable though. I don't at all think that it has been made clear by Serif that a major upgrade is in the works for 2022. Where would I get that info? A random and still very vague and cryptic Twitter post? A blog I've never heard of before meant for publishers? I had no idea that 2.0 was happening until I read it on a post in this thread. To be made clear by Serif it would have to be on a sticky post in these forums if they only want the hardcore users to know, or on the Affinity Spotlight blog if they wanted it to be more commonly known. The last patch with new features was 1.9 and that was more than a year ago with no public beta available for the next one. The betas themselves often take a couple of months. So if you don't know that the next patch is a really big 2.0 patch, it seems like we're waiting a little long for a more standard 1.11 patch. 
I think part of the cause of this is that it has seemed that Affinity Designer and Photo have seemed to had their development slowed since they began working on Affinity Publisher. It does feel a bit like Serif is stretched to their limit and it's been unclear if they can develop 3 apps +3 Ipad versions of those apps at more than a glacial pace. 
I think there wouldn't be any negativity here if it had been made clear by Serif that 2.0 was coming this year. The problem is that wasn't made clear. And of course it's up to Serif when the best time to start marketing that is. But I think a quick "Hey this is happening" earlier would reassure the most dedicated users. I'd bet most users are aware that the 2.0 patch is a big deal and should take longer than the usual patches and are perfectly fine with that. 
What it really comes down to is that people don't really need this or that specific feature. They want reassurance that the Affinity Suite has a bright future and they are right to stick with it. Honestly when I found out yesterday that 2.0 is coming this year I felt a lot of reassurance. 
In any case I think you're probably right about the announcement next month and I'm guessing there will be a lot more positivity then. 
 

I have to agree with this. For example let's take a super simple feature. Some really low hanging fruit. Just showing brush names in the brush panel. This functionality is already in the IPad versions. It should be really easy for them to add it to the desktop versions. But nothing. Is it because they intend to do a major revamp of the brush panel and so don't want to bother fixing the old one? Is it because they think it will look cluttered? Some other reason? We don't know. They could probably fix this super annoying thing over the course of an afternoon but instead it's just left the way it's always been and using brushes in affinity software kinda sucks as a result. And what's worse we have no dialog as to why it's that way.
You can take that example and use it for every other feature or quality of life addition. 
I think tackling the IPad apps and Affinity Publisher have really reduced the momentum Affinity had when it was just Designer and Photo on desktop. I'm guessing they know that too and have delayed the DAM app to work on 2.0. At least I hope so. 
It'd be nice if they told us though. And maybe started previewing some features. 
My theory is everything is quiet because they want to go big with Affinity 2.0 and so until we get close to it's release we can expect a quiet time. 
 

I'm really loving the Affinity Suite, they are fantastic products. But it's become frustrating that my biggest pain point with the desktop software is seemingly something so easy to fix. I'm talking about how you can only see the brush names in the brush panel by hovering your cursor over the brush. For someone who has bought a lot of brushes for the software this is really painful. This has really hampered my ability to find a brush, or even remember what brush I had used previously. It seems like a small thing, but it really isn't. Seeing the names in the panel helps greatly with memory retention and creates a much stronger user experience. Right now I either have to hover over the brush, taking an extra second to let the name pop up (getting me out of my artistic flow and annoying me, and that annoyance meaning I'm unlikely to bother), or I have to not register the name in my consciousness at all, leaving me to hopefully remember later which in a long line of squiggly shapes is the brush I used.
While I realize this isn't the most important feature in the world, it's also really low hanging fruit. And doesn't the ipad versions of the suite already have this (I don't have the ipad versions but I'd swear I saw in a video that they do)?
Is this a result of someone in UI wanting to make the panel look prettier and more streamlined and thinking it doesn't hamper our workflows? Because if so please, please put that strange notion aside. You are most definitely hampering my workflow. 
Please don't tell me we have to wait for 1.9 for this. It's such a small thing but so important. 
 

What I would find really usefull is being able to see what brush was used for a stroke.
 Can we allready see this?
I am trying to find which brush was used on a stroke in AFD.
I can select the stroke in the layers but it won't tell me which brush.
I know I should have noted it but there...
 

+1 for vector free transform, perspective, and warp tools. 

Power Duplicating aside, I would like to see a live transform tool that allows me to control the PRECISE size, position, angle, copies, horizontal and vertical flip of vector shapes. This ONE thing is keeping me from completely abandoning my use of Illustrator. I use the transform tool (under the FX button in the Appearance Palette), together with the Appearance Palette, to apply transformations to individual layers, paths, fills and strokes. The Appearance Palette allows me to add multiple strokes and fills to a single path which can then be transformed individually, grouped or in any number of combinations. In the screenshot I've included, the tornado image was created from a single ellipse. 

A lack of a roadmap (before anyone asks, I know why it was removed) or a priority list (what I’d prefer) does not give clear communication to anyone on the outside looking in. There’s no reasoning as to why certain features are/aren’t made, what milestones to get to certain features, why development seems slow, etc. There’s a lot of “We’re listening!” but not a lot of “Here’s what we’re up to/no longer up to and why.” So much of communication is just about being transparent.
I don’t care if they veto some popular request so long as we’re not left guessing as to why. And without a central place to discuss this (like a roadmap of sorts – you don’t even need to give out dates!) the same requests are going to keep popping up.