Download Nemish
Latest version: 2.0a   (March 31, 2001)

I'd been out of ideas for a new Winamp skin for a while, and I'd also been busy with classes, so I didn't see this one coming.

On December 5, 1999, while browsing skinz.org, I noticed a desktop screenshot from a fellow who went by the alias of 'dethvader.' Deth's screenshot featured something on the order of 50 instances of Winamp, all running simultaneously with different skins on them. I looked at each of the skins in this picture carefully - they were all cream of the crop, and the designs were incredibly diverse... and as I looked at them all, there was a skin that I began to see in my mind - something that bore similarity to none of the skins in the picture, but that seemed like it would belong. I quickly sketched it out, then turned to Photoshop to realise it.

In about 7 hours, I'd basically completed the Main window. The chrome frame just seemed cool. The key-like panels beneath the frame were inspired by my little MIDI keyboard. The colors and materials for the inner face were inspired by my Casio Tri-Graph watch, which were also the inspiration for the PL/EQ/Mono/Stereo status quad.

After finishing the Main window, I began work on the Equalizer. Initially, it was designed as a single entity, with everything as LED elements within the chrome frame. I decided for various reasons that I didn't like it. The final design came from a sketch I did while bored out of my mind in a Short Story course I was taking.

The Playlist and Minibrowser share basically the same design, and also came from a sketch I did that afternoon.

I'm really proud of this skin. It came so easily, and seems solid.

As for the name: I tried, from the moment I sketched the Main window, to come up with a great name for this skin. The skin seems like a 1980's conception of something futuristic... like a prop from a sci-fi show or movie. I couldn't think of a pre-existing movie or show that I could lift a cool name from, and neither could any of my friends (and they had well over a week to try). Finally, I gave up. On the night I finished the skin, and with nothing seeming more suitable, I made an arbitrary choice to call it 'Nemish.' To me, it was just kind of a gibberish word, the way 'shabadoo' and a host of others function for Adam Sandler.

I've since been chastized by a number people whose last name happens to be Nemish, insisting that it is not a gibberish word.

I don't care.