XnViewMP new icon

Ideas for improvements and requests for new features in XnView MP

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budz45
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Re: XnViewMP new icon

Post by budz45 »

JohnFredC wrote:
Here's one approach:

Image
Yes and if Thibaud agrees with this and he or someone remake's it proper then this should feature as the top banner image on a new design of the XnView website IMO
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budz45
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Re: XnViewMP new icon

Post by budz45 »

What about the semi 3D utorrent logo in this picture:
http://i49.tinypic.com/292a8tw.png
..Would the semi 3D logo idea look nice as an 'eye'
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Re: XnViewMP new icon

Post by VuDu »

xnview wrote:Sorry but i don't understand anymore :-)

You would like to keep the current icon?
You don't like this one?
Image
For me, at the final stable release of the XnViewMP's projects stage (the V1.00), the XnViewMP's projects should be renamed to the XnView v2.0 versions (For: Windows, Linux and MacOs)
I don't think because xnview win will have a 2.0 before i finish the XnViewMP project...
I love that last one of those, it's simple, it's colorful and has some depth.

I think it should be colorful (so forget the grayscale ones) and it should have some depth.

Image
This icon looks great, but it's too monochromatic and the vortex is barely distinct. Making the vortex more "visible"(a stronger red and making the vortex end in a "fang tip" because currently the center of the vortex is a plain circle) and giving it more depth would be great.

Image
This lettering is great, but it could get better if the 'n' and 'iew' were in small caps.
Image
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Troken
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Re: XnViewMP new icon

Post by Troken »

budz45 wrote:
JohnFredC wrote:
Here's one approach:

Image
Yes and if Thibaud agrees with this and he or someone remake's it proper then this should feature as the top banner image on a new design of the XnView website IMO
Im sorry, but that just looks bad. OK, it might be an early sketch, but so far its not enough IMO, uninspiring.

And about all the logos lately presented here: are they only adapted for a black/dark grey background? A logo will need to be working on light backgrounds as well.
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budz45
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Re: XnViewMP new icon

Post by budz45 »

Any new design insight that can be posted?

I was really excited about this topic and would like to see XnView get a revamped logo.
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Troken
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Re: XnViewMP new icon

Post by Troken »

budz45 wrote:Any new design insight that can be posted?

I was really excited about this topic and would like to see XnView get a revamped logo.
Maybe nobody dares anymore :wink: after all the debate? I agree, it is very exciting with a new logo!
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Re: XnViewMP new icon

Post by VuDu »

I think we already have great proposals. Now we should reach an consensus.
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Re: XnViewMP new icon

Post by JohnFredC »

Many of us have been well impressed (and justifiably so) by Thibaud's extremely fine renderings for a new XnView logo. They have many beautiful qualities (especially the text shapes) and I am envious of his skills. It is easy to be seduced by such professionally-made images.

However, I personally don't think any of the icons/symbols Thibaud proposed for his renderings improve sufficiently on the current XnView symbols to warrant a change to them...

...yet!

Further refinement (based on these examples, perhaps) is needed. Thibaud, where are you? Don't leave us hanging here! 8)

Also, I want to hear what Pierre thinks about MP and the new logo, what he wants to "say" in a possible new logo, what his plan is for the relationship between MP and "regular" XnView. His responses to these and other questions should (and will, of course) inform the new logo design.

It is possible to "beat this topic to death". We could propose variations forever without reaching an 100% consensus... but it seems to me there is yet time for new ideas and refinements of old ones before MP reaches v1.

Just my 2 cents.
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Re: XnViewMP new icon

Post by Dreamer »

Here is my and Pierre's statement for one of the logos:
oops66 wrote:I like this monochrome prototype version too, but maybe with the four XnView lashes as usual ?
Image
Dreamer wrote:
xnview wrote:I think that the new logo must be similar to the old one like first proposal. But i think that the text is now better in last proposal...
I wanted to say the same! It should use the same colors (orange/red), it should look like eye, I like the last one too - perhaps I'd add 4 "dots" like in the old icon, but it looks good even without it.
Some of the proposals look like a chicken and I don't like it.
Troken wrote:
Image
Im sorry, but that just looks bad. OK, it might be an early sketch, but so far its not enough IMO, uninspiring.
I agree with Troken, partly, it's not good enough for such a great program and it's not good enough for 2010. Logo is much more important than you think (for the new potential users of course, not for us), therefore it must look great, not just good and also similar to the old one - some users might know the old logo but they don't use xnview (maybe because of missing feature, Unicode...).

XnView is not very easy to remember, especially "xn", so it should be at least easy to read. It can't be "X.. what the...??".

Another thought - XnView MP is still beta, so I think the new icon should be used for the final version (without (most) bugs and with all important features) only.

Remember, XnView is a graphic viewer/converter/browser, so the logo is even more important. The current logo is very good, but small icon is not good - next to the other icons with my favourite programs (also freeware, one author..) it looks very bad - even worst.

Another important note - xnview mp should replace xnview win in the future, so this new logo will be the main logo for xnview!

So again, the proposals are good, but not good enough for XnView IMHO.
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budz45
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Re: XnViewMP new icon

Post by budz45 »

this minor rotation of the eye image is what I was getting at
Image

These are nice colours
http://i39.tinypic.com/2ch9y0k.png
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budz45
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Re: XnViewMP new icon

Post by budz45 »

OK I have been doing some basic editing of Thibaud's earlier logo and created a new mock drawing with minor editing. I liked this earlier logo from thibaud because I thought of moving away from the swirl which did it no favour in making it more of an informative 'eye'

These are the transformation steps I took (remember it's just a mock-up):
Image
=================================================

I then further played with the Hue after resizing down to 16x16. Now with the grey one I wanted to make the eye centre more red than pink and do the same with the eye lashes too. These:
Image

The latter 16x16 icon I surrounded a blurred grey which gives it a slight glow effect (glow was not the intention). I did that to give the icon emphasis against lighter backgrounds. I then easily gathered some screenshot collections of application GUI sessions on Windows and placed this 16x16 icon in each screenshot to see what it would look like. Have a look:

displaying next to XnView MP window title - Win XP
Image

win system tray, next to other icons - Win XP
Image

displaying on a vista context menu (btw 'xnview enqueue all' does not currently exist)
Image

on a Vista Aero window, besides a title
Image

displaying on Opera 10.5 as a favicon
http://i43.tinypic.com/35j9gzk.png

[non-outlined standard version] displaying on Opera 10.5 as a favicon
http://i42.tinypic.com/20v175h.png

---------------------
This a comparison, to the existing, somewhat archaic XnView logo:
(of course mine is pixel since it's a mock-up from Thibaud's)
Image
---------------------
I would be happy to use Adobe Illustrator with best attempt possible and recreate this as a proper vector.

Any first opinions on what I have done?
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VuDu
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Re: XnViewMP new icon

Post by VuDu »

I think it shouldn't stick too much to the old look. The older icon has a 90s look and it has too much complexity which makes a good looking 16x16 icon pretty lame.

Personally I think this two ideas are great:

Image

and

Image


The first has a great font which might be great for all sizes and all backgrounds but the icon may be too common and easy to replicate (it's probable to already be many icons that look like that)... but I gotta say that love it.

The second has a nice original icon but it looks more like a bird's head than an eye. The atempt of and eye from the last doesn't seem as good looking.
The font is good too, be might be hard to use on smaller sizes and with other backgrounds.
Image
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Re: XnViewMP new icon

Post by oops66 »

Hello, personally I like the mixed budz45 & thibaud logo idea too, because it is "on the air", clear&simple, and especially keeps the XnView spirit.
Image
Or maybe a mixed with this mock-up too ?
Image
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JohnFredC
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Re: XnViewMP new icon

Post by JohnFredC »

Image

No offense Budz45, but even after your modification that still looks like a chicken to me, albeit now it's a chicken on methamphetamine with two beaks. Or a cyclops with a punked red hair-do. Also, most animal eyes are not symmetrical. Human eyes certainly are not.

There is no hint of the all-important photo viewing/management meme, either. Shouldn't the logo at least imply something of XnView's functionality/purpose?

My favorite so far is this one:
Image

The eye would work OK for an icon and I think the monochrome is cool, but only if XnView's default colors are also monochrome.
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budz45
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Re: XnViewMP new icon

Post by budz45 »

VuDu wrote:I think it shouldn't stick too much to the old look. The older icon has a 90s look and it has too much complexity which makes a good looking 16x16 icon pretty lame.
Yes the old and existing XnView icon looks quite poor at 16x16 and overall all sizes, looks outdated.
VuDu wrote:Personally I think this two ideas are great:

http://www.thibaud.be/dropbox/xnview_logo_05_d_A.png

and

http://www.thibaud.be/dropbox/xnviewmp_icon05.png


The first has a great font which might be great for all sizes and all backgrounds but the icon may be too common and easy to replicate (it's probable to already be many icons that look like that)... but I gotta say that love it.
Creative font typo has got to be the easiest to do. It's the graphic logo/symbol/icon which is the tricky part to get right for designers and customers alike. I roughly cut out Thibaud's other attempt, that some of you agreed liking, just to see what it would look like if used. I just don't know about this one:
Image
What about Pierre is this something he would use?

oops66 wrote:Hello, personally I like the mixed budz45 & thibaud logo idea too, because it is "on the air", clear&simple, and especially keeps the XnView spirit.
Image
Or maybe a mixed with this mock-up too ?
Image
Yes thanks, that's what I was attempting to do. That golden/red one of Thibaud's had the right colours and inclusion of center swirl but still wasn't enough for a win. Now with my recent one, it's just a mod of Thibaud's other early design here, so that is what makes me vote for my own recent modded design.

JohnFredC wrote:Image

No offense Budz45, but even after your modification that still looks like a chicken to me, albeit now it's a chicken on methamphetamine with two beaks. Or a cyclops with a punked red hair-do. Also, most animal eyes are not symmetrical. Human eyes certainly are not.
Oh I don't know anymore on this topic. I'd say my modded one is the best looking at 16x16 but others can disagree.


I still have a lot of faith in this topic and want to see a new XnView logo as result.
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