Not-So-Transparent PNG

By Ethan Head, Interactive Art Director

In an oft-quoted line from Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, Alfred says to Bruce Wayne, “…some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.” 

I was reminded of this line when I encountered something today that, I have to assume, almost every designer has come across at some point in their career. Like a slithering snake that bit me in the ass when I was least expecting it.

It probably played out like this: You are combing through Google Images (rock bottom already), desperately trying to find a transparent PNG for one reason or another (likely a client logo), when you see it: It's large enough, it's the right format, and most importantly of all, it has that sweet, gray-and-white checkerboard pattern.

Feeling accomplished, you close your search window and pull up your design software of choice. You grab your newly downloaded file, drop it into your art board and--

Bitten. 

It’s a not-so-transparent PNG.

That gray-and-white checkerboard pattern stares right back at you, a smug defiance of, “Well, I didn't lie, did I?”

It's at this point, through gritted teeth, that the question pops into your head—the question that begets this inane post: “Who, on God's green earth, would do this?”

Someone out there has gone out of their way to create a fake transparent image to waste the time of someone they don't know and will never meet. This mystery person knows about that damned gray and white checkerboard pattern. They know what to name the file to get your attention. They know the type of content for which a designer might be looking. They know too much to plead ignorance. 

Designers, I believe this is one of our own.

Maybe this designer has been hurt. They're jaded. They got asked to make the logo bigger one too many times, and it broke them. Maybe it's a person who never matured beyond middle school computer discovery. Or, maybe, some just want to watch the world burn.

Perhaps it’s you. It could be you’re reading this blog, smiling, proud of yourself. If that's true, stop it. Get some help.

If you or someone you love has become jaded enough to plant PNG landmines across the internet, Mad Genius can help. Reach out to one of our geniuses to discuss your design disillusionment. Let’s get you and yours back to a happy place. Together, we can make PNGs transparent again.