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DHAGO | Time, Woven.
What if a video player could do more than measure time? What if it could give time texture, rhythm, and memory?
DHAGO began with that question.
Inspired by Dhago, the Nepali word for thread, I designed a Video.js v10 skin where the timeline becomes part of the storytelling itself. Chapters form sections of a woven surface, while a shuttle-inspired seek control follows the real movement of playback. Move forward and the story is woven. Move backward and the thread traces its way through moments already passed.
The idea was not to decorate a familiar player. It was to translate the logic of weaving into interaction while keeping play, seek, sound, captions, speed, fullscreen, keyboard navigation, and responsive behavior immediately understandable.
The same design language is expressed through three visual treatments, Linen, Ink, and Paper, without changing the underlying interaction model.
I also created Studies in Thread, an original four-chapter motion study designed specifically around the player, and a Studio Journal that places the same DHAGO skin inside a more editorial viewing experience. The journal connects written scene notes directly to moments in the film, showing that the identity of DHAGO belongs to the player itself, not only to a showcase page.
Behind the visual work is a reusable player architecture, a standalone woven timeline component, Mux support, chapter and caption handling, accessibility considerations, and extensive testing across narrow layouts and difficult playback states.
DHAGO is ultimately an exploration of how cultural inspiration can become functional design rather than surface decoration.
A single thread may seem insignificant. Woven together, threads create structure, memory, and meaning.
Most video players tell us how much time has passed. DHAGO asks what that time has woven.
Dhago, time woven like thread. Love the shuttle-inspired scrubber idea.
The idea I keep coming back to is moving backward and the thread tracing its way through moments already passed — scrubbing backward becomes retracing, not rewinding, which is a beautiful way to think about time in a video. And keeping the same interaction across the Linen, Ink...
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I wanted a video player that felt like it belonged in a museum, so I designed IWATO as a display case where every part of the case is a control.
It's part of a fictional Japanese game I came up with, built around the myth of Ama-no-Iwato, the rock door the sun goddess hid behind. So before the film plays, it waits behind that door. You press the bronze mirror and the door slides open.
The seek bar is a handscroll that unrolls as the film plays, with a painting for each chapter. The seals above it stamp red as you reach each chapter, and you can tap them to jump. The volume is a crest you turn like a dial, the captions button traces 字 in brushstrokes, and every press lets off a little fox-fire.
I made sure it works for everyone too: it's fully usable with a keyboard, passes accessibility checks, and tones down the animations if you have reduced motion on.
I painted the scrolls in Recraft, rendered the museum film manually in Blender, aided with Claude on Video.js v10.
A museum display case where every part of the case is a control is a wonderful idea, and tying it to the Ama-no-Iwato myth gives IWATO real depth. I'd love your take on Geiger if you get a minute ☢
Tactile — Paper Key: a Video.js v10 skin you can press.
Tactile treats the player as a desk object, not a screen overlay. Before drawing any UI, we modelled a small keypad in Blender: paper-white keys with an ink rim, a ribbed fader cap and a black status display. We pressed it, lit it, and flattened it piece by piece into CSS. Keys latch (1 px down, with a 2 px accent rim), faders scrub, and one display pill always says what the player is doing: PLAY 1.0×, PAUSED, LOADING or END. Play is the only orange key and everything else stays matte, so the dock reads the same over bright snow and a night street. Three glazes and one accent token let it fit someone else's site.
Keyboard-first with a visible ink focus ring, 44 px targets, Esc closes every menu, forced colors and reduced motion supported. Source (Apache 2.0): github.com/promoparkllc/tactile-paper-key
Luminary — Multi-Style Video.js Skin
(**Please respect the original work and do not copy this multi-theme skin concept.**)
An elegant, constraint-free UI built to elevate any production.
**13 expertly crafted styles to suit your taste
**Fully responsive across all screen sizes
**Ready to use right out of the box
**When designing the core frame, my goal was to create a versatile, eye-catching player that fits any project seamlessly. Across all 13 variations, I focused on blending popular, in-demand aesthetics with timeless themes so every creator can find their ideal match.**
Let me know which style is your favorite in the comments. Thank you!
13 styles in one skin, impressive range. Nice work.