iconfu beta

On evolution of icons in graphical interfaces

"The article describes the background and the detailed history of computer icons featured in graphical interfaces ??? complete with visual examples and short descriptions of 21 interfaces (from 1981???s Xerox Star to upcoming BeOS Zeta). There is also a breakdown of various icon properties (such as size, style or number of colours). The article ends with a quick glimpse into the future and a conclusion that the icons are not necessarily evolving into the most desirable direction, focusing more on the visuals than the functionality."

10 mistakes in icon design

The classic "don't do this" icon design guide by Denis Kortunov from turbomilk. Headlines:

- Insufficient differentiation between icons
- Too many elements in one icon
- Unnecessary elements
- Lack of unity of style within a set of icons
- Unnecessary perspective and shadows in small icons
- Overly original metaphors
- National or social characteristics not being taken into account
- Images of real interface elements in icons
- Text inside icons
- Outside the pixel framework

Read the article for more detail and illustrations.

7 principles of effective icon design

Sean Hodge lives on the beach in Venezuela and writes tutorials about icon design. I'm jealous. In any case, the title of this article says it all. It's photoshop-oriented, but the principles are generic.

Designing An Iconic Language

A 2007 article by Yegor Gilyov describes the concept of building an icon language as a preliminary step to developing icon sets for applications. The approach improves usability as well as simplifying the process of creating new icons - the grammar of your language guides you and the words are your pre-existing icon components.

Beware of Ambiguous Icons

Sometimes, word are just better than icons. I hate to admit it. This article explains why and when with insightful examples.

Anatomy of an Icon

"I can't tell you how to create an icon - but I can tell you the steps I take to create an icon. There may be easier ways. There may be better ways. Here's a quick look at the methods and techniques I used to create an icon from the Overcast set." - simplebits author

Design Melt Down: Icon Usage

"The use of icons in design is not likely to ever end. The practice of summing up lots of information in a little package will never go away. It all boils down to the most rapid form of communcation possible. Design is in fact all about communication (even if you don't realize it or belive it). These fine examples of icons put them to work in interesting and useful ways." - Patrick McNeil (read all 3 sections!)

Bitmap is Better than Vector

Josh from Firewheel Design explains why for small icons, bitmap formats (.png, .gif etc) are a superior choice to vector formats.