Choosing an icon

To ease deployment and installation on mac os X, we have decided to create a single object (an application) which you can simply drag or give to friends. The application will install a few files to work from the command line but all the examples/documentation/libraries will be in the resource folder.

To build this application, we need an icon. Nicolas Joos has been working on an icon some time now and after settling for the four rounded shape, we have to build an “Application” icon.

Before diving into the sketches and propositions, here is what I think this icon should convey (most important first) :

  1. stability (we can rely on lubyk: it works)
  2. organic (“ecosystem”, sharing, alive)
  3. strangeness (arty)

Logo

Here were some of the propositions for the icon:

all_lubyk

first ideas

lubyk_logo_V2

developments over the ‘animal’ idea

We settled for the four circle shape (cells, ecosystem, proximity, etc):

v4_bleu

logo and font choice

Application icon

Now that we have the logo, it is time to build the actual “app” icon: something that has to live in a dock, a filesystem, etc. We want an icon that stands out a little by it’s strangeness, something appealing but not too candy.

Here are the last contenders for the application icon in different contexts:

all

in a large filesystem icon view

all_list

small version when listed in the Finder

dock

in the dock

open_apps

in the application tab

Final choice

Not decided yet…

Gaspard Bucher

comments

  1. 2011-09-03 15:11 daniel reichmuth

    hi gaspar,
    i like the shape of the icon and i like the black and white one, (or grey and white?) for my eyes, it is pure and direct like realtimeprocessing, without any design of color mix or shiny shadows.
    best daniel

  2. 2011-09-04 20:11 dimitri

    white version, second in the docks! love love it, and still haven’t a white icon around!

    very clear and visible.

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