The Paper website describes Paper.js as “an open source vector graphics scripting framework that runs on top of the HTML5 Canvas. It offers a clean Scene Graph / Document Object Model and a lot of powerful functionality to create and work with vector graphics and bezier curves, all neatly wrapped up in a well designed, consistent and clean programming interface.”

This is not the first rodeo for Paper’s creators Jürg Lehni and Jonathan Puckey, who collaborated on several iterations of Jürg’s plug-in for Illustrator, Scriptographer. Jürg is also the creator of Bootstrap, a more general Javascript library for web development. (Think jQuery, but cleaner; more elegant.) The pair bring those years of JavaScript experience and wisdom to Paper.js, placing it far ahead of other entries in the field.

Both Jürg and Jonathan also boast impressive graphic design portfolios, and that visual sensitivity not only makes them empathetic toward the needs of Paper users but trickles right down into their code’s precise typographic whitespace and the uncompromisingly consistent naming of variables. Design is not merely visual after all. It is a problem-solving and organizational process that can and should scale comfortably from arranging visual hierarchies to crafting the inner gears of complex software. Particularly when those inner gears act as the signage that a new generation of visual makers will have to navigate in order to truly take advantage of the tool. This gem from authors Abelson and Sussman is often shared amongst coders: “Programs must be written for people to read, and only incidentally for machines to execute.”