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The most typical errors in icon creation?
#1 Poor differentiation between icons Sometimes within a single pack of icons, we have icons that look alike and it is very hard to tell which one is which. If you miss the signatures, you can very easily get the icons mixed up. #2 Too many elements in the icon The cleaner and more laconic the image is, the better. It is preferable to set the number of objects in a single icon to a minimum. However, MicrosoftÒs designers, excited by the new icon format featured in Windows Vista, tried to go big and created bloated icons to justify their over packed budget. #3 Unnecessary objects An icon is an image that should be easy to understand. The fewer objects it has, the better. It is better if the whole picture is relevant and not just a part of it. Therefore, you have to think about the context of using icons. Take the database icons, for example. The pack may look fine at a first glance, but if this application (or a specific toolbar) deals only with databases, we can (and we must) delete the irrelevant part. #4 Lack of unity of style in a pack of icons It is a unity of style that turns several icons into a set. The uniting property can be any of the these: similar colors, layout, size, drawing technique or a combination of several such properties. If there are only a few icons in the set, the creator can remember the rules easily. However, if the icon set is large and there are several designers working on them (for example, icons for an operating system), then specific guidelines should be developed. Such instructions describe in detail how to draw an icon so that it perfectly matches the set. #5 Spare details in small sized images The progress is moving fast: GUIs have gained the potential to use semi-transparent objects, the number of possible colors to use became unlimited and there is now a move 3D icons. But is it actually all that useful? Not necessarily! Especially if we are talking about icons sized 16?16 or smaller. #6 Misusing original metaphors Choosing what is to be displayed in an icon is always a compromise between readability and originality. Prior to a symbol (image) is created for an icon it is advisable to consider how it is designed in other products. Maybe the most suitable solution is not in coming up with something unique but rather in adopting the common solution. #7 Ethnical or cultural differences not being considered It is always helpful to take into account the background in which your icon is going to appear. An important aspect here is ethnical characteristics. Cultural traditions, surroundings and gestures can vary dramatically from nation to nation. For instance, a mail box appears to be a great image for a ÓMailÔ icon. But you will find all the different types of mailboxes in different countries. In that situation, you should either make your icon resemble the mailbox that is common for the userÒs country or state, or select a more universal illustration like a post stamp. #8 Images of real interface elements in icons The manual on designing icons for Mac OS X tells us: ÓAvoid using Aqua interface elements in your icons; they could be confused with the actual interface.Ô But no use! We still have lost of icons that can be viewed as a few separate ones. #9 Text inside icons This fault is commonly seen in software icons. Clearly the first thing that comes to mind when working on an application icon is to use the applicationÒs logo. What is so bad about the text inside the icon? Firstly, it is directly language-related and so impedes localization. Second, if the icon is small, it is impossible to read the text. Thirdly, in the case of application icons, this text is repeated in the caption of the software. #10 Outside the pixel framework As a rule, this problem occurs if you use a vector format for creating your icons. In large size everything looks stylish and clear; but in real life the icons are small, and under rasterization anti-aliasing blurs the objectsÒ borders.
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Standard Toolbar Icons
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ArtIcons Pro can find, extract, edit and create Windows icons in color depths up to 16 million colors. Import and export icon images, create and handle icon libraries. It supports the new icon format introduced in Windows XP (8-bit transparency). Download it |
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IconXP can edit and create Windows icons in color depths up to 32-bit True Color. It supports the new icon format introduced in Windows XP (8-bit transparency). You can customize desktop and folder icons. Download it |
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Any to Icon allows you to convert multiple BMP, JPEG, GIF, PNG, WBMP and WMF images to Windows icons in one action. It also breaks down entire icon libraries into individual icons. You can change color resolution and size to create customized icons. Download it |
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IconUtils is a complete icon and cursor solution. IconUtils package can edit icons and cursors, manage icon and cursor libraries, convert icons into images (in various graphic formats) and vice versa, customize Windows desktop and folder icons. Download it |
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Icon to Any allows you to convert Windows icons and cursors into BMP, JPG, PNG, GIF, ICO, CUR, WBMP and RC formats. It has a wizard interface. It's simple to process multiple files at once. You can find icons and make images for use on Web pages. Download it |
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ArtCursors allows you to edit Windows cursors in color depths up to 16 million colors. You also can search files and folders for cursors, import and export cursor images and create cursor libraries for better and more efficient storage. Download it |
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AhaView supports all popular graphic formats, including JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, ICO, CUR, ANI, WBMP. You can browse images in thumbnail mode, view pictures full screen with zooming features, convert images to JPEG, PNG, BMP formats and manage files. Download it |
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CustomIcons is an ultimate tool for customizing the icons on you desktop, in Windows Start menu and many other locations. Using CustomIcons you can easily replace default Windows icons with the ones to your choice. Download it |
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