Posted this on Tumblr. Now I'm posting it again! Revel in how anal Kat is when it comes to design!
I’m not a big icon hoarder, not when compared to probably most fans. I love my shows, don’t get me wrong, but it’s just that whenever I go on icon raids, I don’t save a whole lot. I chalk it up to saying I’m a lot pickier than most people are because I have a background in art and graphic design. But I don’t like saying that because then I sound like a pretentious buttmunch.
Anyhow, the point remains that I am rather small hoarder and save the ones I quite like. But there are just some ridiculously stupid trends I see with icons that bother me because I am a jerk.
1.) Text-only. What in the world is the point of this? Quotes taken out-of-context tend to stir up more confusion than recognition. I suppose if you’re using it in a fandom-based community, it makes sense, but really? The biggest offender of this would be MST3K, though that is a bit of a special starwhale.
2.) Hyper-saturation. This is HUGE. Icons are heavy offenders, but .gifs are even worse. Colors are pretty, I know, and sometimes a +15 in the saturation slider can make an image absolutely stunning. But you need to realize when to stop and take a step back.
3.) De-saturation. You can get some really nifty blending effects when you combine de-saturated layers with normally colored ones. I totes get this. And yes, a lack of color can be lovely. But there comes a point when you need to look at your stuff and ask why you want to make everyone have the same skin tone as Voldemort.
To sum up 2 and 3: Let the natural color shine every once in a while.
4.) Extreme close-ups. Icons are 100x100 pixels, for the most part. Therefore, I do not understand the need to make icons of characters/actors where their face takes up 90% of that tiny box. And I don’t mean their head, I mean their face. That flesh thing on the front of their head. Face. Lots of face. Matt Smith, I love your face, but I get creeped out when I see ONLY your face. Hair is lovely, a neck is better, and if you can get a peek of shoulders than awesome. Just…something more to frame it.
There are a few different forms this takes. Another that bothers me is close-ups of the mouth and chin. Why…why?
I can sorta understand eyes, as eyes have always and will forever be a big metaphor for stuff. That, and eyes can look really nice (or spooky or whatever mood you’re going for).
Also, I think this one applies more to live-action than animated stuff. Probably 'cause reality is creepy.
5.) Blurs. I love the gaussian blur tool as much as the next Photoshop junkie, and when used properly, it can really give a nice touch of glow to an image. But like every effect, there is abuse. I think an important thing to keep in mind, especially when making icons, is that, well, icons are small. In many cases, you may not be looking at a full-sized icon all the time. The more undefined edges and random crap you have in an image and the smaller it gets, the waaaay harder it is to understand.
6.) Squeezing images to fit that square. Don’t distort an image. Keep it at its original aspect ratio. ‘nuff said.
7.) Save in a high-quality format. High-quality .JPGs. .PNGs are the best. Icons are TINY. You can save them at the highest resolution you want and they will still not take up much space.
This is just icons. Wallpapers? That's a whole 'nother week.
