PUBLIC MARKS with tags webdesign & icons

It is much easier to criticize somebody else’s work than to create something cool yourself. But if you apply a systematic approach to criticizing, make a numbered list and prepare illustrations, it will be regarded as a fully-fledged analysis! In my opinion, icon design is undergoing a transitional period. On the one hand, screen resolutions are increasing, hence enhancing icons. On the other hand, we still have good old pixels. Icons sized 16×16 and even smaller are still widely used. And so, here are the most commonly observed mistakes in icon design…

The trash can. The happy mac. The bomb. The visual language of point-and-click computing came to life in the imagination of Susan Kare, a fine arts curator hired by Apple in 1983 to design the look and feel of the Macintosh interface. Her whimsical, easy-to-grok icons tempted even nontechies to pick up a mouse, and her sleek screen fonts — with jet-set names like Geneva and Monaco — launched the first wave of elegant digital typography.

The Pixel Implosion is a small, Denver-based graphic factory. It's so small that, in fact, Bobby Andersen is the sole employee. Despite this lack of manpower, the 'implosion and Bobby Andersen have been known to create all sorts of things for clients, such as interfaces, web sites, icons or anything else that has been thrown at them. The company has built its foundation on the pursuit of pixel perfection and a never-ending ambition.

Founded in 2000 by rogue interface enthusiasts with a bold vision and a passion for all things GUI, The Skins Factory has quickly grown into the world's premiere service provider for truly innovative graphical interface solutions. Our reputation has been built by an unprecedented commitment to excellence in all aspects of the interface development process - from start to finish our clients quickly realize that they've made the best possible choice in deciding to work with The Skins Factory.

The last time I wrote about icon design, I explained why it’s necessary to produce variations of an icon at different sizes. At small sizes in particular it’s important for icons to respect the pixel grid, enough so that extra work modifying the basic icon outline is usually required.

New sweetie icons