Poll: Things that do NOT feel quite right on user icons

[alexandral]

This is a follow-up from a post by meganbmoore. I have been thinking about these things for quite a long time and as an icon-maker I am really interested in what YOU guys think. I have compiled this poll using the icon trends that I find particular frustrating myself. I also added other icon trends that simply stand out but which I don't dislike..

[Poll #1068164]

PS Please feel welcome to add an opinion!

Comments

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

None of the things you listed bother me so long as they're well done. My pet peeves are 1) text that blinks too fast for me to read it, and 2) text that's meant to be read, not just as a design element, but is too small or scrolly or faded to be legible.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I am not very worried too - LJ users with less resources (Photoshop is an expensive toy, after all!) can make something less then perfect but! It is all just fun and it also all depends on POV. I wanted to ask for future icon-making purposes, though. :D

I agree with "too small text"/"fast flashing text" - I find it also difficult when I see and icon from which it is difficult to understand "what is going" on, for example, with too much texture used or when people are too "small".

[semyaza.livejournal.com]

This is a difficult question, because sometimes I like an icon in theory but I don't like it once I use it. I prefer textless icons. If the text is meant to be read then I don't want to get out a magnifying glass to read it.

At the risk of sounding facetious -- it depends on which half of the face. Sometimes it looks good, but I know of at least one icon maker who crops out the top of female heads in a way that makes me wonder if she doesn't like women very much. The balance of the icon is wrong, in that case.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

This is a difficult question, because sometimes I like an icon in theory but I don't like it once I use it.

Sometimes I really love an icon when I am making it but I end up never using it but some icons that I thought were "okay" end up to be my favourites.

I prefer textless icons. If the text is meant to be read then I don't want to get out a magnifying glass to read it.

I like text – but I like when the text is original and interesting. It is one of my biggest agonies – working with text, choosing it and positioning it right.

At the risk of sounding facetious -- it depends on which half of the face. Sometimes it looks good, but I know of at least one icon maker who crops out the top of female heads in a way that makes me wonder if she doesn't like women very much. The balance of the icon is wrong, in that case

I quite like when this gives an emphasis to some parts of "anatomy" which otherwise would have blended. But I know what you mean – in some of the artistic comms I see icon sets that consist purely of half-faces. It interesting but when there is too much of it my heart rebels. :D

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

The only thing I really hate is those really jarring ones that flip through images really fast or have almost seizure causing colours and lines.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I have strong intolerance to blinking images , but this is mainly due to my "decreasing" eye sight. :D It didn't bother me when I was younger but now it is noticeable. Oh, now I confess my pet hate - I do dislike web-sites with blinking banners. In fact, our Uni has has one of them, with around 4-5 images flicking through at the same time on the front page. If that was me - I would have changed it all as even if you don't dislike flicking concentrating on 4 blinking things at once is mind-boggling. But ou Vice-Chancellor must like it, I guess!

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

I rather like half-face crops, but of course in the end it depends largely on the icon-maker.

I'm also not a fan of text or heavily saturated colours (espcially when they tend towards the yellow side of the spectrum). I like my icons to have a clean, sharp feel - and often a simple composition. But, and this is a rather pivotal point for me, the icon must convey something - a mood, a character, a specific moment. It cannot simply be a pretty picture - it needs to stand out in some way. This is all in my opinion of course. A good example of what I like is the icon attached to the comment. (it's one of my all time favourites. ;D)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I rather like half-face crops, but of course in the end it depends largely on the icon-maker.

I like it very much when it is appropriate but it is good in moderation for me..

I'm also not a fan of text or heavily saturated colours (espcially when they tend towards the yellow side of the spectrum).

I like yellow in RL but it seems that I find it difficult to manage in LJ, the same goes for bright red. I used to own a "daffodil yellow" car and I often wear bright red , but when it is an icon I find it difficult to work with these colours.

On someone else's icons I usually get a feeling of "hmm, they all have a sun-burn" when people's faces are RED. But it is often may be just because the icon maker didn't have enough resources – not everyone can afford Photoshop.

For my own icons I usually prefer to stick with the colour scheme of the original film/TV show, may be just enhance it a little. Too much change I feel can change the whole mood..

Hee! You are so kind to me always!!!!

[fivil.livejournal.com]

LJ icons are such a weird thing. A lot of the times I will *like* an icon fine but it doesn't grab me and I wouldn't use it. Other times times I will love an icon but it's not me so I wouldn't use it, but will conclude it's a great icon.

Things that annoy me that weren't on the list are texts that don't fit the picture. Like if there's a face that doesn't really look like "OMGWTF!" but the text on the icon says that anyway, it bothers me for wahtever reason. Also shoving text to icons that would be better textless. Call me nuts but sometimes a serene looking happy person in an icon doesn't need the text "happy" or "calm" or "happiness" or whatever. If I want to use it as a mood icon, it has to portray the mood, not necessarily say it. The obvious text icons bug me sometimes. I have a lot of icons that portray emotions "amused", "in despair", "determined" and I use them for those emotions (and also just whenever they're appropriately pretty), and I really don't even want for them to say those emotions.

Wow, icon rant. Sorry. :D

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

LJ icons are such a weird thing. A lot of the times I will *like* an icon fine but it doesn't grab me and I wouldn't use it. Other times times I will love an icon but it's not me so I wouldn't use it, but will conclude it's a great icon.

It is such a personal thing, isn't it? I find I can only use icons of my LJ friends (I am strange like this :D). If I don't know what an icon-maker's views are I find that the icon doesn't speak to me.

Things that annoy me that weren't on the list are texts that don't fit the picture. Like if there's a face that doesn't really look like "OMGWTF!" but the text on the icon says that anyway, it bothers me for wahtever reason.

Do you mean when it is just not well-done or when it is for the purposes of sarcasm, like "excited" on an icon of stone-faced fellow? I like funny icons like that and it is quickly becoming a trend..

Also shoving text to icons that would be better textless. Call me nuts but sometimes a serene looking happy person in an icon doesn't need the text "happy" or "calm" or "happiness" or whatever.

I don't mind when icon-makers do it to make an icon prettier (sometimes a corner feels empty) but for myself I try to avoid these. I used to make them but I became bored. It is fine but at the same time it is as if you are trying to add something what is already there..

Wow, icon rant. Sorry. :D

He-he! I appreciate very much that you responded – I am trying to improve my icons whilst finding new ways!!!!!

[revolos55.livejournal.com]

Photomanips bother me when they're not obviously a manip, if that makes sense. I can appreciate that a manip of Sirius and Remus in a steamy embrace is just good Photoshop work, but putting two actors/characters who weren't the same movie together bugs me because then I try to go find what movie the image is from.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I agree - I don't at all mind manipulations if not for the fact that they are confusing . Oh, I don't think I am expressing it correctly even now - I don't have anything against them it is just that I don't like doing them myself (if this makes sense)

[ginger001]

Interesting poll!

As a person who likes to make icons, just my two cents:

Personally, I prefer icons with no text, but sometimes I wonder if they're boring or close to a base :S so that's why I try to add something that makes them original, some light texture or so.

I agree with you that text is great when the text is an original sentence but I find pretty hard sometimes to come up with something cool, so that's why I end with a textless icon.

I have a pet peeve with text that in fact I'm a bit ashamed commenting because it's just a think that happens when people don't use Photoshop or their knowledge of it is that of a beginner, or maybe just because they want to put the text in that way, but for me it makes take my eyes of that icon instantly, and that is when in the text you choose 'none' in the option that also offers to 'smooth' the text or have it 'strong' or 'crip'. There are some fonts that just look awful when you choose none.

As I didn't like it from the very beginning, even when I was learning Photoshop, I tried every other single trick I knew (before discovering that option up there) *headdesk* ;)

About the manips. As I've tried my hand with those too, I don't mind manips if they are more or less well done, and as somebody said, I can't help but run from those with choose 'other people' to feature some pairings that hasn't been develop (i.e. Harry Potter). For example I don't mind an icon with images of Gary Oldman and David Thewlis when they were young put together to create a young Sirius/Lupin icon, but I don't like an unknown model/actor/actress to create an icon of young James/Lilly for an icon. Hope I explain it right.

Another thing that worries me sometimes is the fear to be stuck in a way of making icons and not evolve :S and also, as I love to use colors, the fear that I might use too much :S But I guess every person who makes icons has her/his worries...

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I agree with you that text is great when the text is an original sentence but I find pretty hard sometimes to come up with something cool, so that's why I end with a textless icon.

and that is when in the text you choose 'none' in the option that also offers to 'smooth' the text or have it 'strong' or 'crip'. There are some fonts that just look awful when you choose none.

It does look untidy indeed! I think may be this happens because new icon-makers don't know about this feature yet. I remember it was you who told me about this feature - I was really thankful! But some of the fonts look bad when they are too small even with this feature, some fonts work for one thing and not for another..

but I don't like an unknown model/actor/actress to create an icon of young James/Lilly for an icon. Hope I explain it right.

I don't have anything against manips when someone else does them – it is their "right" to make anything that is interesting for them personally but I haven't made them myself .
I guess this is mainly because though I am not strictly a follower of canon (in a sense that I don't have anything against non-canon pairings), but for myself I never liked a pairing that wasn't a canon pairing. ( I hope this makes sense)

Another thing that worries me sometimes is the fear to be stuck in a way of making icons and not evolve :S and also, as I love to use colors, the fear that I might use too much :S But I guess every person who makes icons has her/his worries...

Oh, I worry about this too. A LOT! I am trying to use textures more at the moment, exactly for this reason – I am afraid I am doing the same thing again and again..

[mr-kit.livejournal.com]

I think anything goes regarding image composition, though I always think the less text the better.

I'm bothered by very intense contrast and/or colors; they're hard on the eyes and crush the life out of an image.

Artefacts are my other pet peeve. Either too much sharpening that leaves nasty halos (which obscure detail) and gives the image an unpleasantly hard texture, or the mess of noisy pixels and jaggies you get from resizing a lot of fine detail into a small area.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I'm bothered by very intense contrast and/or colors; they're hard on the eyes and crush the life out of an image.

This depends on an icon for me, one thing I have a pet dislike is red/orange faces but sometimes these things work well too.

Artefacts are my other pet peeve. Either too much sharpening that leaves nasty halos (which obscure detail) and gives the image an unpleasantly hard texture, or the mess of noisy pixels and jaggies you get from resizing a lot of fine detail into a small area.

Oh, sharpening is so difficult to get right – I am always agonising so much with it! Also sometimes I see an image I really really like but when I re-size it all the magic is lost. ** sigh **

BTW – welcome to this LJ! I don't post too much but try to do it regularly. :D

[mr-kit.livejournal.com]

BTW – welcome to this LJ! I don't post too much but try to do it regularly. :D

Howdy.

I'm not too keen on icons of body parts that aren't faces. It's not a political thing; when there's no face there's no soul to the image, and the icon feels like its had the energy sucked out of it.

Funny images seem to be an exception, I suppose because they have a different sort of energy to them. A hand poking out from underneath a giant fake donut that's rolled down the road and squashed someone, say.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I'm not too keen on icons of body parts that aren't faces. It's not a political thing; when there's no face there's no soul to the image, and the icon feels like its had the energy sucked out of it.

I agree.. For me it is also perplexing when I can't recognize to which show an image belongs too. I rarely can when an icon has nothing but hands. The only exception is may be Dr. Who - he has a big thing about "hold my hand"..

[teh-haley.livejournal.com]

While making icons, I think balance is the watchword. I mean, if one crops out half of the face, there must be a reason, maybe that's a way to make your icon convey a message, a feeling, so I generally love weird croppings with a meaning. But I don't like things that looks like it's made by default, totally random. And I think colouring should enhance what pics are originally - I hate strange & weird colourings, especially weird usage of selective colouring. But who am I to tell this kind of things? :D It's just my opinion ;)

Personally, I like your icons because they sort of 'respect' original colouring and meaning of the subjects they portray, that's not so easy to find out there :)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

While making icons, I think balance is the watchword. I mean, if one crops out half of the face, there must be a reason, maybe that's a way to make your icon convey a message, a feeling, so I generally love weird croppings with a meaning.

** Nods ** I do too. Sometimes it feels like atrend but still , there are so many good examples out there!

And I think colouring should enhance what pics are originally - I hate strange & weird colourings, especially weird usage of selective colouring. But who am I to tell this kind of things? :D It's just my opinion ;)

I am arther on a cautious side of curves and selective colouring for my icons too – these features are MAGIC but in moderation. :D But again, there are some good examples too and I not saying that everyone must think in a way I do. :D

Personally, I like your icons because they sort of 'respect' original colouring and meaning of the subjects they portray, that's not so easy to find out there :)

** Hugs ** Thank you so much, dear!!! You are such a darling!