Need some help designing an icon.

[Engnome]

I'm working on a small project of mine, it's a sound player but it's not geared to the common user but for people that needs to be able to quickly reach a desired sound.

Anyway the program is coming along fine but I need a logo and an icon for it. Tried dabbling with inkscape but this really is not my stuff. Care to help me? You will of course be given credit for your work. The program will be licensed under the GNU GPL v.3.

I was thinking something along the lines of Audacitys logo, sound waves perhaps? Maybe the W in WAFE could be a sound wave?

Screenshot:
http://engnome.dyndns.org/WAFE/wafe_screenshot.png

//Yes it's written in Java, yes Python is superior, no I won't rewrite it in Python.

[days_of_ruin]

I'll give it a try.

[smartboyathome]

Something like this?

[Engnome]

I'll give it a try.

Much appreciated.

Something like this?

Hmm perhaps, but maybe not all around the W? If there are lines all around you often (at least I do) associate it with vibration. Look at the speaker icon in my app, those lines are clearly supposed to represent sound.

Originally I thought something along the lines of this (http://aura3.gaia.com/photos/14/139070/large/Sound_Wave.jpg) but formed as a W.

[days_of_ruin]

Much appreciated.



Hmm perhaps, but maybe not all around the W? If there are lines all around you often (at least I do) associate it with vibration. Look at the speaker icon in my app, those lines are clearly supposed to represent sound.

Originally I thought something along the lines of this (http://aura3.gaia.com/photos/14/139070/large/Sound_Wave.jpg) but formed as a W.
Lol I downloaded that image whilst searching for inspiration!

[Engnome]

Lol I downloaded that image whilst searching for inspiration!

Yeah looks cool doesn't it? (plus it's the third hit for "sound wave at images.google)

BTW if anyone wonders where I got the speaker icon from it's part of the Crystal KDE theme. It's licensed under LGPL 2 so I think it's compatible... gotta include the license text though.

[Crafty Kisses]

The W is awesome.

[Engnome]

Well I experimented some and here's the result.

One without effects,
one with some glow,
one with glow + gradient

Not really happy with the glow. Any pointers?

[days_of_ruin]

This isn't exactly what you wanted but...

[smartboyathome]

Why not use a w instead of 2 separate v's?

[Engnome]

This isn't exactly what you wanted but...

Didn't really start this thread with a clear Idea of what I wanted, (would have been pointless then wouldn't it?) except that I wanted a nice icon for my app.

That icon is pretty good, I took the liberty of modifying it into a 128x128 pixel big svg, (you painted on a 744.09x1052.36px canvas ;) )

What font did you use? When I select the text it says "ubuntu title" but it renders as Bitstream Vera. What fonts you have installed fonts matters to svg? :confused:

[smartboyathome]

He used the Ubuntu Title font, but you don't have it installed, so it renders wrong. He has to make the text a path via Path > Object to path.

[days_of_ruin]

He used the Ubuntu Title font, but you don't have it installed, so it renders wrong. He has to make the text a path via Path > Object to path.

will do:P

[days_of_ruin]

Does this work now?

[days_of_ruin]

Why not use a w instead of 2 separate v's?

It looks different.kerning to "v"s together makes a w but not as rounded.

[smartboyathome]

Does this work now?

Yes, it works now. And I would say it looks good, though may want to be a different color than black, so it cna be seen on multiple window border/panels.

EDIT: Took your svg, simplified it, and added color. Tell me what you think. :)

[days_of_ruin]

I don't really like the colors.Right now I am trying to add gloss to it
by putting a semi transparent circle over it.Is there a way to merge
the parts where they overlap and remove the parts where they don't?
Because right now if you put that on top of anything but white, it will
look dumb.

[smartboyathome]

I don't really like the colors.Right now I am trying to add gloss to it
by putting a semi transparent circle over it.Is there a way to merge
the parts where they overlap and remove the parts where they don't?
Because right now if you put that on top of anything but white, it will
look dumb.

You need to cut the semicircle so that it doesn't show up when on a black background.

[days_of_ruin]

You need to cut the semicircle so that it doesn't show up when on a black background.

Exactly but I don't know how.:confused:

[smartboyathome]

Use Path > Division while they are both selected.

[days_of_ruin]

Use Path > Division while they are both selected.

I figured that part out but how do I merge all the black parts into one path?Otherwise it doesn't work.

[days_of_ruin]

lawl, there was like ten different layers of the curvy lines.
problem solved!

[smartboyathome]

That still has the problem of being on a black/dark window border.

[days_of_ruin]

That still has the problem of being on a black/dark window border.
You probably shouldn't be using an svg for a window icon though.

[NullHead]

I'm a n00b at this kind of stuff, but here is my two cents.

[natehall]

Here's my version.

[smartboyathome]

You probably shouldn't be using an svg for a window icon though.

I thought this was going to be the program's icon, and if so, then it should be used as the window icon.

[Engnome]

Yes the "winning" icon will be the official icon for the 1.0 app, the winning icon being the one I happen to like the most. Or maybe I'll post a poll in the cafe or something. If more people get involved there will definitely be a poll. (Nice and democratic ;) )

I plan to release an alpha as soon as I have the time, I'm a bit loaded with studies now and I have only a few days left to decide what to continue studying (should I try computer science or go for a master of science in engineering?)

On topic I like both natehall and NullHead's design. days_of_ruin's icon is coming along pretty good to. Just remember that it has to look good when it's 22x22 pixels so it has to be a really simple design. (Which I guess rule out my design :-|)

Edit: oh and yeah it should preferably be a scalable vector graphics (.svg)

Window icon? you mean the small java coffe cup in the corner then yes that would be replaced by the icon for WAFE.

[days_of_ruin]

I thought this was going to be the program's icon, and if so, then it should be used as the window icon.

I know but you could export a 22x22 png and then add white around it or something.It will look better that way no matter what color it is.

[days_of_ruin]

Added white glow, tell me what you think.

[smartboyathome]

I like. That also takes care of the dark background problem.

[Engnome]

Added white glow, tell me what you think.

Looking good :D

I wonder if there is an accepted standard when it comes to the gradient (direction, colour etc.) to make your desktop look uniform. Human eyes are good at detecting things that are out of place such as shadows coming in from different angles.

Edit: looks even better when added on a .desktop file, works great in dark themes, like the one my laptop which is a must. (That it work in a dark theme, not on my laptop with my specific theme ;) )

[days_of_ruin]

Looking good :D

I wonder if there is an accepted standard when it comes to the gradient (direction, colour etc.) to make your desktop look uniform. Human eyes are good at detecting things that are out of place such as shadows coming in from different angles.

Edit: looks even better when added on a .desktop file, works great in dark themes, like the one my laptop which is a must. (That it work in a dark theme, not on my laptop with my specific theme ;) )

Window icons are never consistent so I wouldn't worry about it.Did you try adding it to your program to see how it looks as a window icon?

EDIT:oh you already did.Care to post a screenshot?

[Engnome]

Window icons are never consistent so I wouldn't worry about it.Did you try adding it to your program to see how it looks as a window icon?

EDIT:oh you already did.Care to post a screenshot?

Much obliged.

You can see it in the apps top left corner, on the grey default sidux background and as a button on a KDE panel.

Looks great :D

Oh and by the way WAFE stands for WAFE ain't Fast Edit. FastEdit was a program for quickly editing files or something, never used it but my father did and so when it didn't work on XP (it came on something called a "floppy disc":confused:) he asked me to do something about it. He didn't use any edit functions, only the preview function or something like that so I set out to make a replacement for that feature only, hence my program is not FastEdit. :)

[days_of_ruin]

Much obliged.

You can see it in the apps top left corner, on the grey default sidux background and as a button on a KDE panel.

Looks great :D

Oh and by the way WAFE stands for WAFE ain't Fast Edit. FastEdit was a program for quickly editing files or something, never used it but my father did and so when it didn't work on XP (it came on something called a "floppy disc":confused:) he asked me to do something about it. He didn't use any edit functions, only the preview function or something like that so I set out to make a replacement for that feature only, hence my program is not FastEdit. :)

Haha fits right in!
I was thinking wafe was for WAvE Find

[days_of_ruin]

Bad news, google "wafe".
Looks like its already used a lot.

[Engnome]

Bad news, google "wafe".
Looks like its already used a lot.

Yes but i haven't found any program called WAFE or anything related to sound. Might not be the first hit on google but I can live with that.