Icon Submission
From ReactOS
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Art is always a difficult medium to judge. As an open source project, accepting code patches is fairly easy. If a patch has substantial advantage over existing code, such as it fixing a bug, or adding a wanted feature, the only condition is that it abides code guidelines, and doesn't create a myriad of new bugs. If you did that with icons, you'd have some icons in style X, some in style Y, some created very well, some moderately amateurish, etc. That's not what we want, that's not what our users want. This, however, implies a selection process be needed, and this is what's so hard. It is like a theater audition. Turning down people's work because it isn't up to par is a difficult and painful thing to do. Effort, perhaps soul is put in.
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Selection
First off, judge yourself. Are you a graphics designer/artist with icon experience? Have you ever made icons included in other projects, such as at your day job, an open source project, or made custom icon sets for OS customization websites? If you answered "no" to ANY of these questions, please do not attempt to submit icons. Save yourself humiliation, and save me the difficult task of turning you down. It's not because I want to be mean, honestly. If you answered "yes" to all of the above questions, please read on.
Conditions
Icons must be consistent in style. The current established style is a mix of Win98, Mac OS X, and some originality. The goal is realistic looking icons, which are sufficiently recognizable at 16x16 pixels, with enough "symbolicality" to be considered an icon in the classic sense. Realistic means using photos, and I highly suggest using royalty-free stock photos before reaching for your own camera. Some icons, like the document icon, or the dialog box icons, cannot be made from photos. Try 2-dimensional and pseudo-3-dimensional image editing first. See if you can make the icon using simple gradients, bevels and shadows. You can create perspective using the raster deform tool. If all else fails, reach for a 3D modeling app. Example:
Guidelines
See if you can borrow the perspective/viewpoint of a Win98/OSX icon. Some other OSes and themes have interesting ideas as well. Windows XP only has two viewpoints, head-on or some standard defined perspective grid. Try to use what looks best and fits the personality of the icon instead of limiting yourself in rules too much. Lighting on the other hand should be consistent. Use a white light source originating from the top-left of the icon. When using photos, adjust your photo to match. Try to use tints and hues that are easy on the eyes. Silver for example, creates a slick and clean look. When working with marking colors, use the color picker and select a color from the ReactOS logo. Work in the highest resolution as you can comfortably work with, this assures the icon won't have any visible flaws at 64x64. Example:
Formats
All icons that are to be displayed at multiple sizes should be made in 12 formats: 64x64, 48x48, 32x32, 16x16, each in truecolor (32bit/alpha), 256 colors, and 16 colors. The only exception is for icons that are only to be displayed in 16x16 (example: idi_tt_warn_sm.ico). I trust you know how to optimize for small sizes and low bitdepths. If you don't, I can teach you. Try to derive as much from the original as possible, and only create (for instance) a different viewpoint for 16x16 if it would be rendered unrecognizable otherwise. Example:
FAQ
Why use this style? Why not clone XP?
Everyone has a different taste in which OS they see as prettiest. The currently chosen style is a compromise in styles that is familiar enough for people switching from almost any OS, be it Windows, MacOS, or Linux.
Who decided on this look? It sucks!
The ReactOS developers did. I polled multiple people for their taste in icons, came up with a style, and asked around what people thought of it. The majority agreed or could live with it, and thus it became default. If you think you can do better, repeat this same process, and see if you can get acceptance. Beware though that if you want to take over my position, you will be expected to fabricate over 500 icons, so think twice before deciding you want to be in my shoes.
Who are you to decide what gets accepted and what doesn't?
I am the resident icon designer (there are no others in the project at the moment that I know of), and more importantly the User Interface Coordinator. Icons are an important part of the visual interface, and thus fall under my coordination.
This article leaves ambiguity over how I should make X, or how I am to go about Y.
Please forward your question to mf@mufunyo.net. I will be glad to add anything missing to the guide.
This article contains portions written in first person. Who is this "I" ?
I am mf.
