aMule Forum

English => Skins & GUI => Topic started by: mischamajskij on February 14, 2008, 02:06:11 AM

Title: Started working on a new app icon
Post by: mischamajskij on February 14, 2008, 02:06:11 AM
I've started drawing a new app-icon for aMule. It will be tango-styled (but freely adaptable to a different style) and will feature Alice's White Rabbit as drawn by Tenniel in his famous illustration (which is out of copyright).
You can see a preview (which I'll try to keep updated) here: http://mischamajskij.deviantart.com/art/WIP-new-aMule-icon-77308316 (http://mischamajskij.deviantart.com/art/WIP-new-aMule-icon-77308316)
If you have any suggestions or critics, feel free to post here (or at dA).

@any developer in the aMule team: If you don't think it's a good idea, please let me know before I waste too much time on it. Thank you ;-)
Title: Re: Started working on a new app icon
Post by: Xaignar on February 18, 2008, 12:59:20 AM
Looks pretty neat. :)
If the source is in public domain, then surely you can get it included in aMule.
Title: Re: Started working on a new app icon
Post by: mischamajskij on February 18, 2008, 10:09:38 AM
Thanks!
Of course the source will be public (when released), but I was thinking of GPL, not PD. Or, better, a double license as "GPL or CC-by-sa at your choice". Isn't it enough?
Title: Re: Started working on a new app icon
Post by: mischamajskij on September 18, 2008, 01:48:44 PM
EDIT: new file uploaded. Some last-minute fixings on gradients and layer positioning. Sorry.

I've finally completed my proposal for a new app icon in Tango style (it's been a loooong time, I know...)

Do you like it? If you do, I'll draw the remaining sizes (it'll take shorter this time) and I hope this will become the new official icon for aMule!
Title: Re: Started working on a new app icon
Post by: lfroen on September 18, 2008, 08:00:00 PM
Anyhow, I like the rabbit, but since icon is transparent and cut at the bottom, clockwatch looks detached. Moreover, you didn't tell me about origins of icon, I would never guess that this floating item is clockwatch.
Title: Re: Started working on a new app icon
Post by: mischamajskij on September 18, 2008, 09:04:51 PM
Oh, finally we are talking a bit about my icon! I'm expecting critics and suggestions, so you're welcome!

The watch is in fact quite an issue: at the beginning I tried to render it exactly as in the original drawing, i.e. carried by the Rabbit's hand, but it was far too small for a 48x48 icon and looked really unrecognizeable. The hand was difficult to render, too. So I decided to make it bigger and put it "floating", since many things have a strange behaviour in Wonderland... It was a bit of a challenge for me to draw (I don't have that much experience with vector drawing after all) but it seemed to work. Then I added a reflection to make it look more "glossy", but I think this may be the cause of the fact you state, because it makes it look blurry.
I'm posting here a version without that reflection: better now?

The watch will be obviously removed in 16x16, 22x22 and probably also 32x32 icons. If you prefer, I can try and remove it from the 48x48, too, but it looks too empty to me.
Any suggestions?

As for the cropping, I was thinking of fading the lower part of the rabbit, but I didn't find the way to do this in Inkscape, does anyone know?

P.S.: somebody on deviantArt liked it and also appreciated the metaphor of the watch for the long waitings when downloading a huge file...

http://mischamajskij.deviantart.com/art/New-Tango-Icon-for-aMule-98278315 (http://mischamajskij.deviantart.com/art/New-Tango-Icon-for-aMule-98278315)
Title: Re: Started working on a new app icon
Post by: wuischke on September 19, 2008, 02:24:10 AM
What a pleasant surprise! You're back! And you bring presents! :)

Could you by chance make a bigger image of the clock?

Regarding the fading: See point 4 here: http://www.freewally.net/blog/?tag=inkscape

Ciao, ciao
Title: Re: Started working on a new app icon
Post by: mischamajskij on September 19, 2008, 12:18:18 PM
Hi Wuischke!
Yes, Mischa-Santa is back and today has a big present for you: a fading (cheshire ;D) rabbit with a huge watch!
Thank you for the suggestion and the tutorial, it was just what I was looking for!

Let's see how you people like it this time...
Title: Re: Started working on a new app icon
Post by: phoenix on September 19, 2008, 02:55:50 PM
Looks great. Congratulations!
Title: Re: Started working on a new app icon
Post by: Stu Redman on September 21, 2008, 11:52:44 PM
Sorry, but I don't like it. I prefer something like the cute little one hopping at the top of the page or wuischke's avatar. This would also fit the shape of an icon much better. But looks like I'm outvoted here.  ;)
Title: Re: Started working on a new app icon
Post by: Kry on September 22, 2008, 01:23:38 AM
I'm with stu. It's cool but.... not really the "style" we have always used for our rabbits.
Title: Re: Started working on a new app icon
Post by: GonoszTopi on September 22, 2008, 12:11:35 PM
I'm with Kry and stu. I really appreciate your work, and it may be included as a secondary (alternate) icon, but not as the default application icon.
Title: Re: Started working on a new app icon
Post by: mischamajskij on September 23, 2008, 11:29:24 PM
Ok, so it seems that this icon hasn't been approved, for different good reasons: doubts about copyright and being too "exotic" for aMule, mainly. No problem, it's ok when there are reasons.  :)

So please let me try and be propositive about what is to do now.

First, I think aMule needs a good icon -- it deserves it: a good app like this one can't go on borrowing a mule from another application when what it is inspired to is a white rabbit. Then the current mule looks terrible at lower sizes and it can create confusion among users.

Then I must admit I am not good at drawing something from scratch. I'm not a designer, I always need a starting point (as in my real life work, after all... as you could guess from my avatar I'm a classical musician, I usually work on interpretation, not on composition). I create icons for fun (since a year more or less) in my spare time, so let me say I am quite proud of my White Rabbit anyway -- it was the first non-geometrical icon for me, it wasn't trivial to render and it came out better than I'd have expected. It will always remain in my deviantArt page (http://mischamajskij.deviantart.com (http://mischamajskij.deviantart.com)), and probably the lower sizes will come in the near future.

Another point is that I'm a specialist in the Tango style because I really like it and it is becoming a standard in *nix systems and more and more popular among win and mac users, too. IMHO aMule's icon should be in Tango style, as a cross-platform app it is by far the best solution. Maybe someone will be of a different advice, I know. This is my point of vue.

So what I can propose at the moment is to contact the Tango Artists via their mailing list -- there are many good designers there -- asking them for a simpler (but cute) white rabbit in Tango style. Some are even specialists in pets and co. (see for example hbons's icon for Pidgin or his cute firefox alternate icon (http://www.bomahy.nl/hylke/blog/firefox-icon/ (http://www.bomahy.nl/hylke/blog/firefox-icon/)). I'm sure they can do an excellent job.

So I'm ready to join the Tango Artists ML and ask them, I wait for your permission.
If they happen to be too busy to draw it, then I can take another chance by drawing a simpler rabbit. I think I could start from wuischke's avatar, which I like very much.

These are my reflections. Maybe I should have posted this as a new topic, please move it for me if you think it's worth it.

P.S.: I'll consider my Tango skin unfinished until aMule has a new icon, because the small Client_aMule will match the new one. I'm also going to tangofy all remaining client icons (that won't take so much time, now that I'm more familiar with inkscape).

P.P.S.: I'm always waiting for more small icons to be skinnable. I already have Tango replacements for most of them on my HD. ;)
Title: Re: Started working on a new app icon
Post by: GonoszTopi on September 24, 2008, 09:46:45 PM
Then I must admit I am not good at drawing something from scratch. I'm not a designer, I always need a starting point
You may have a look at alc's icon. At least it IS a rabbit. ;)

About asking others - if you can get anyone to draw an icon for us (and we accept it), it will be at least credited in the Changelog.

PS: The firefox icon is really cute.
Title: Re: Started working on a new app icon
Post by: eisa01 on September 24, 2008, 09:47:02 PM
Just wondering, what's wrong with the current icon?