These could be the new icons for LiveJournal

    Surely, you have heard about the competition for new icons for LiveJournal, which was announced by Artemy Lebedev . Today the results were announced. I will not hide, we in Turbomilka are unpleasantly surprised, with all due respect to the authors of the works chosen by Artemy.

    Here are the icons we proposed:
    image
    Under the cat, a detailed story about how we painted these icons and why they should be just like that.


    Long ago, three Samara designers met each other in LiveJournal and began to communicate - to show their work and discuss strangers. So the company Turbomilk appeared. Therefore, when a competition for new icons for LiveJournal was announced, we revived and set to work.

    We thought a lot - what should be these latest icons. It was even believed that icons were not needed there at all - all control can be done through text links or context menus. (as done, for example, on flickr) Or one could make outline icons to make it simple and simple.

    But first, we decided to analyze how the icons are used in LiveJournal now. For example, you need to consider that many alternative schemes have been developed for LJ. Plus, there are already many service users who are used to icons and it would be wrong to force them to relearn. Well, the most important factor - this is a competition and we will not have a chance for a "second iteration", so we decided to draw what we know best - traditional, but beautiful and rich icons. (so that posts from all bloggers come out fun and positive)

    What did we decide to change? The most important thing is to abandon the buttons-substrates. What are they needed for? From them only visual noise. We suggested that the vast majority of users already know how to use icons without buttons attached to them. But now we can make the icons a little larger (24x24) and distinguishable. They lie "in the page plane" and are part of it. Plus, we suggest adding a little “air” between the icons, the benefit of the toolbar is not very wide.

    Do not worry that the icons will look bad on a background other than the standard blue LJ. Here is the proof:

    image

    Now the same icons are used for the post toolbar and for comments. We suggest using smaller icons (16x16) in the comments so that they do not distract attention from the text. This also corresponds to a logical hierarchy: post is more important than comment.

    image

    And here is how a casual conversation of two intelligent people will look like - much less visual noise:

    image

    We also suggest slightly changing the metaphors of standard icons. For example, it is not clear why the “follow the post” action is depicted by a button. If you follow, then with binoculars! Or why is the LJ user bald? Let's make him a thick head of hair!

    image

    And here are all the new icons for LiveJournal in one picture:

    image

    Unfortunately, the contest organizers did not appreciate our efforts. Winners' works can be viewedLiveJournal Artemy Lebedev. We will not hide, we are surprised.

    Also popular now: