It is as important to know about the mistakes as it is to know tips for designing icons.The criteria for Icon design is changing rapidly. Screen resolutions are increasing which is resulting in enhanced icons. Icons sized 16×16 and even smaller are needed more and more .
Here are some mistakes which must be avoided when designing an icon design.
Different look
Icons should look different even within same family otherwise it gets too confusing. In this way icons can get confusing and can often get mixed up.
Few elements
The more simpler the icon then better the look. Keep the number of objects depicted in the icon as less as possible. This will make the icon look smart.
Relevent idea
The idea behind the icon must be understood easily. The concept behind the icon must describe the function of the icon with ease and immediately.
Unity of style
Every set of icons must have a common thread. The thread of unity can be anything- color, perspective, size, drawing artwork or a combination of all. If many designers are working on the icon then its best to define the unifying aspect of the icons of the set. This makes the family of icons unique.
Avoid special design effects
Avoid transparency , gradients or 3D effect in icons specially if the icons are 16×16 or smaller. Limitation of colors is important so as not to clutter the icon.
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Too much original idea
The idea behind an icon must be easily understood. Too much original idea would result in lack of understanding. Its better to study existing icons to develop the idea so that it is not too strange to understand.
Traditional effect to the icon
Reference to cultural or traditions symbols or ideas can give a recognizable feel to the icon specially if the icon is being design for a particular region or country.
Don’t use real images
Avoid using real images inside the icon as it must make too busy and complicated. Its best to sketch the logo concept to make it more easy to integrate and understand.
NoText inside icons
Icons with text are language based and are difficult to integrate. If the icon is small then its difficult to read. Also the text gets repeated making it difficult to read. So avoid any letters or text in the icons.
Outside the pixel framework
If Adobe Illustrator is used for drawing icons.then in large size everything looks clear; but in reality the icons are small, and under rasterization anti-aliasing disturbs the objects’ borders.
