KompoZer 0.8 SVG icon
By Kazé on Thursday, September 10 2009, 12:05 - Permalink
Alain Lorieux (“chinon37”), my colleague on Geckozone, designed the KompoZer 0.7 icon in 2006. The idea behind this icon was quite simple: a globe for the web, a calligraphy feather for the editor. This icon has given KompoZer its visual identity and I like it a lot, but it has two drawbacks:
- it’s a raster file: it’s not easy to resize, it doesn’t look so good in big sizes and it’s very difficult to tweak;
- most people rather see a leaf instead of a feather.
The upcoming KompoZer 0.8b1 release is an opportunity to refresh this icon.
Three SVG variants
Joaquín Herreraz Goás (“joaclint” on Mozilla-Hispano) has recently contributed a very good SVG version of Alain’s icon, and he's proposed a nice improvement on the globe.
I’ve truncated the top of the feather a bit so it doesn’t stick so much to the globe. Joaquín, Alain, I hope you don’t mind. ;-)
Joaquín has also proposed to tweak the feather a bit, in order to make it look more like… a feather. This is the result.
I’ve found this icon so good that I’ve submitted it on Geckozone, to get some feedback from the guys who designed the first version.
Zéfling, another Geckozone user, has used Joaquín’s work to submit another variant.
Unlike Joaquín, he didn’t try to stick to the original feather shape: he designed a new one from scratch. Here’s the result.
Pick your favorite feather
I know some fine tuning would be necessary on these SVG icons (e.g. globe color and contrast, lighting, feather shadow), but we’d better pick a feather shape first. Please let me know which of these three feathers you prefer… or submit a new one.
| chinon | joaclint | zefling | |
|---|---|---|---|
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128px |
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64px |
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48px |
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32px |
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24px |
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16px |
Joaquín: thanks again for your work and your patience. You’ve done a great job!
Comments
Chinon has my preference.
Chinon +1
joaclint for me
joaclint too!
zefling
chinon
zefling +1
I have to say Zefling, for the primary reason that that blatantly looks like a feather. Joaclint was a step in the right direction but Zefling really completes it. It even continues to look like a feather at 24px.
There may be a bit of a colour tweak required so that the spine of the feather shows up better at the smaller sizes (something closer to Joaclint or Chinon) but that's a minor thing.
zefling
Joaclint, for the beautiful and simple feather
chinon
zefling++
Just two small notes:
* The yellow color of the feather is misleading: if you take goose feathers, for example, then it should be rather white (or at least a very light color).
* Writing feathers have been used for writing with ink, thus: mark the feather's end with a blob of ink.
Just my two cents.
zefling
The dark stem color of joaclint works far better when tiny as it helps the eye make out what that blob of yellow is suppose to be at 16px, but the feather on zefling looks better.
Zefling's version for shape, but with a much darker colored stem (joaclint's version is too black, imo, but something halfway in between might work well)
Chinon
I like Zefling's feather shape, but the stem doesn't stand out as much (especially on the smaller versions) as Joaclint's.
So I think Zefling feather's with that change, and you've got it!
zefling
I too find that the other feather designs look a lot more like leaves:
1. because of the color (yellow)
2. because of the stem
I think brecopol has a great idea when suggesting to mark the feather's end with a blob of ink, or anything that reminds more of writing feathers.
zefling
joaclint's makes it look more like a leaf than a feather but it does look the most distinct at small sizes
Zefling...
...together with the named changes.
joaclint or zefling would be fine, much more "feather-like", though I think I like zefling the best.
Isn't that supposed to be a feather *pen*? None look like one, really, especially because of the tip.
joaclint
Zefling +1
When will be released Kompozer 0.8b1?
zefling
"Chinon" has an awful shadow and the yellow thing looks more like maple leaf than feather.
I'd suggest to make KompoZer icon look more like Firefox one. It means: glossy planet, matt feather, and feather corners which turn around the edge of the planet.
So if we just take "zefling" icon and get rid of gloss on the feather (make it matt), it would be perfect icon. And totally matching Firefox one. That would be nice.
I vote for Chinon.
However, I will like whichever design gets the next revision of Kompozer released the soonest.
Some interesting comments, I'll take note.
Make a google image search on "feathers". The stem of the feather should be white & very few feathers are yellow.
I vote for zefling.
joaclint is my choice, this icon is better recognizable in small sizes and I like that feather.
In french, sorry:
Pourquoi vouloir absolument que la plume soit d'une couleur "réaliste". Nous sommes là sur une image logo/icône, et on peut rester dans le "symbolique" ;) ... et le chatoyant :o)
I agree with Chinon37: we don’t need a realistic icon, we just want it to be recognizable.
About the feather color: we did a few tries with white or gray feathers back in the KompoZer 0.7 days and it didn’t look so nice. On the other side, the MS FrontPage™ Express icon had a red feather, and still, everybody could see it was a feather.
Besides, we alreay have an icon and a color scheme. Unless somebody submits a *much* nicer icon, I’d prefer to stick with the current color scheme.
Thank you all for sharing your opinion about this new icon and helping us to improve it!
I posted this in the irc channel. it's Zéfling's version with a touch of green added to the globe. comments?
http://localhostr.com/files/7a3842/...
My last revision :
PNG : http://ikilote.net/Galeries/Autres/...
SVG : http://ikilote.net/Galeries/Autres/...
I vote for Zéfling
camouflage1984
Zefling.
vote for Zéfling
a new revision of the Zéfling's work: http://www.geckozone.org/forum/view...
About the feather's color: yes, white is not suitable for an icon -- I worried about myself. But yellow does not cut it either. So instead of gooses let us go with raptors: they often have brownish feather colors with stripes of lighter and darker colors. So, could this provide much better contrast while avoiding the "tree leaf" effect?
joaclint +1
It's not the shape that determines "feather-ness".
It's the color.
We identify white or black shapes as feathers because that's the most common feather colours.
Yellow we identify as a leaf because its the colour of autumn leaves.
So if you want to increase the "feather-ness",
(a) change the color
(b) add an inkwell to strengthen the calligraphy association
(c) add some visible text "maybe just a cursive K" at the tip of the feather, to increase the "feather pen" association
chinon
I vote for chinon :)
zefling
I second cat's comment:
"I have to say Zefling, for the primary reason that that blatantly looks like a feather. Joaclint was a step in the right direction but Zefling really completes it. It even continues to look like a feather at 24px."
+1 vote for zefling
Another vote for zefling
I like Zefling's new version from comment 36 with the darker stem.
chinon
zefling looks the most like a feather. +1
Zefling
another vote for Zefling's version for shape;
but I'd like a darker colored stem
Zefling looks more realisitic so Zefling +1
++Zefling, i have download kompozer 0.8a4 plus Zefling icon.
chinon +1
good highlight in the earth and curve of feather. i like it.
but,i like contrast of Zefling..
Definitely Chinon!
I like the shape of zefling's feather, but prefer the outline, shading and darker spine of chinon's.
chinon's just perfect (in my eyes)! :)
(and i just noticed, i'm using it since months in my task bar - thought, it *was* already the official logo^^°)
yes, zefling's work looks fetherlier^^, but chinon's version ... i find it a little bit more 'dynamic'
I vote for Chinon.
I vote for Zeflig, it definitely looks like a feather at every size.
I disagree with those suggesting a more contrasty stem; actually that's what makes the others look like leaves in my opinion.
About this leaf/feather thing.
Just compare two pics:
1) Leaf scheme - http://www.infovisual.info/01/008_e...
2) Feather scheme - http://www.infovisual.info/02/058_e...
Leaves have veins all over the blade, which go left and right from the midrib, here and there divide in two, forming a tree-like structure.
Feathers have strong central stem (we already got it in our logo). Barbs are straight, they do not divide, and they are clearly visible as parallel lines.
So just draw some barbs on the yellow thing! It won't help in low resolutions, but try it on larger pics. Here is (very roughly) what I mean - http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/... - I'm bad at drawing, but you are not!
Fisk > Maybe for 0.9. ;)
I don't really care - unless this is the only decision left before releasing KompoZer 0.8b1.
In that case, then I vote for the most popular one.
I mean, while they are all quite lovely, I spend about a millisecond interacting with the icon.
What I'm really interested in is the application.
I so very much enjoy the work that Kaze has put into it, and I'm really looking forward to the next release.
definitely Chinon :)
I agree with #64 Solanus.
Don´t waste too much time on eyecandy like icons. I´m so looking forward to Kompozer 0.8.
Zéfling
Reason: I feel it stood out against the two others. The feather is much clearer in color and because it is also a bit lighter, the whole icon feels lighter as well.
zefling
zefling - by far
I choose chinon
Very much I wait the version 8b1
I wish to change the choice with chinok on zefling it the most realistic
zefling - the quill is more distinct (less leaf-like). I think it makes the logo more attractive.
Zefling, but it would be improved if its stem was darker, as the joaclint one looks more like a feather at 16px. But feather-wise zefling is a lot sharper.
Hey anymore kompoZer updates? I've been waiting for a new update to the program!
anyway I hope a new version will be released soon! Please let it happen!
zefling has a nice sparkle added to the pen makes it a little more exciting! I really want to submit my own icon but yeah I don't know how much more I could improve on zefling's icon without over doing it.
I vote for Zefling
I like joaclint, I vote for this
Zefling
zefling here
My vote goes to Zefling, definitely the best!
My vote goes to Zefling.
I like the nicely defined leaf.
Zefling. Yes, Zefling. Most feathery of the quills. I like the ink blob (drop?) suggestions. Also, the "twinkle" near the end of the quill is a very nice touch.
I vote for zefling too. It's stylized, it gives the impression of a fether.