EXO Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 (edited) I was gonna say the same thing. maybe if you enlarge the skull to fit the circle... and mybe if the colors weren't so washed out and pastelish... you know, keep them primary but yet non imposing. Looks great though. Here's a copy of the skull if you need a better one. Edited March 31, 2006 by >EXO< Quote
JsARCLIGHT Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 I can goose the colors to any palate people want... personally I always go with muted pastels. Especially when looking at the default skin of MW, which itself is a bevy of muted pastel blues. I just think the current red kites we have are a tad too RED if you know what I mean. Anyone know the by icon size we need? I swiped one of the new kites and it is I think 27x27. I can scale down some of my icons to that size and GIF-afy them to see how they read and post them here. Also if folks could give me pantone color ranges they like or just post a picture of a color and say "make the -blank- icon THAT color". Quote
Hurin Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 Yeah, sorry if I didn't seem to be taking the perils of shrinking them into account. When making our little kite symbol (), it was hell trying to get it to look decent at 27x27. You often need to go in there and manually alter pixels to "suggest" familiar shapes. . . and the viewer's mind does the rest. Assuming of course, the image is familiar to the viewer! Though, if you haven't already, try various resampling methods. I've had better results with trilinear rather than bicubic resizing in a few cases. Though, in Photoshop, "bicubic smoother" seems to work out best the majority of the time. But what am I saying. . . from the looks of things, you are much better at this stuff than I am! But maybe other budding Photoshoppers out there will benefit from my rambling. Best, H Quote
promethuem5 Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 I like them ALOT! Only thing I would change is to use the Skull Squadron symbol for locked topics, simply because it looks cooler. Otherwise, I'd say your version of the icons is perfect. Quote
JsARCLIGHT Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 (edited) I don't have the same tools at home that I have at work... currently this little bugger is my test icon: It's losing a good deal of detail in the shrink and I think I accidentally saved it off center so the alpha is messed up a bit. Edit: sorry, had to post this reply to see for myself what it looked like on the cream blue field. Yeah the alpha is dorked... damn... but I can fix that. I'll also need to make a tiny line between the kite sides to boost that reveal some more. This is about the best I can generate at home at this tiny of a size. I fear the skull and crossbones will be recognizable but very "off" at this small size. I'll try nonetheless... give me a few more minutes here. Edited March 31, 2006 by JsARCLIGHT Quote
EXO Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 I can goose the colors to any palate people want... personally I always go with muted pastels. Especially when looking at the default skin of MW, which itself is a bevy of muted pastel blues. I just think the current red kites we have are a tad too RED if you know what I mean. 386015[/snapback] too much Miami Vice! Quote
JsARCLIGHT Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 (edited) Here is the "fixed" icon: That is about as good as I can get these little guys at home with the tools I have. Before I turn in for the night I'll try to shrink some of the others and see what they look like on here. Edit: Here is Lockeroo Skully I need to book for the night, everybody jump on these... give me color suggestions, icon suggestions, you name it. Hell, other people get down on this. Let's get a nice new icon scheme cooked up before the weekend is out if we can pull it off. Edited March 31, 2006 by JsARCLIGHT Quote
Skull-1 Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 Why not make them RED, YELLOW, AND GREEN with a SKULL FOR LOCKED? UNDF KITES: RED = HOT YELLOW = NO NEW REPLIES GREEN = NEW REPLIES Or in keeping with what we see in the animation and toys: RED = HOT GRAY = NO NEW REPLIES BLUE = NEW REPLIES Quote
azrael Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 JsARCLIGHT, those are much better. When you downsize the "Go-to-new-reply" arrow, see if you can get it down to around 12 or 15 pixels. Quote
Guest Bromgrev Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 Oops, should have come in here first instead of shooting my mouth off in the 'site updates 2' thread. Those buttons look smart, JsARCLIGHT! I would vote for keeping similar colours to the ones already in use: Blue = normal thread Red = hot thread Green = poll Black = locked thread Grey = moved thread Just my 2p. Quote
Sundown Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 JsARCLIGHT, love your icons! Much better than what we've currently got. I am so anal about icons having a cohesive theme. Quote
David Hingtgen Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 (edited) IMHO the kite works because it's small, round/simple shape, and only 2 colors. Icons shouldn't be complex. Just triangles, circles, and squares. And simple colors. A skull and bones or Minmei is just too much to have on a page 2 dozen times in a row. Also, here is (I think) a bit better version of the basic kite, 27x27 .gif ::edit:: Ack, forgot to make the background transparent, give me a while, that's always hard for me. Edit 2. I just can't get it to SAVE transparent. I can get it to look transparent, and all the previews are transparent, but when I actually open up the final version, it's still got the white background. I spent way too long trying to get around it, something to do with Indexed vs RGB. If someone can give me a transparent version of the original larger one, I do believe I could nicely shrink it. I just can't get transparency tonight. Edited March 31, 2006 by David Hingtgen Quote
Mr March Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 I like them ALOT! Only thing I would change is to use the Skull Squadron symbol for locked topics, simply because it looks cooler. Otherwise, I'd say your version of the icons is perfect. 386021[/snapback] I agree 100% Quote
Guest Bromgrev Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 (edited) On second thoughts, I think maybe the skull should be reserved for locked topics. The shield would make a clearer 'general' icon: EDIT: This is for illustrative purposes only - these are very 'quick-and-dirty'. I don't have the Photoshop skills for this kind of thing. Edited March 31, 2006 by Bromgrev Quote
JsARCLIGHT Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 OK, I'm back in business here. I've read through the responses so far and it seems the consensus is: - no pastels or at least cut down on the pastel hues - change main color scheme to "more macrossy" blue for new, red for hot, green for poll - make the grey skull the locked thread icon I guess I'll keep the grey arrow as the moved thread icon unless someone can think of something more "macrossy" for a moved thread icon. Here is a thought... does the board still have pinned thread icons? I didn't see any last night and thus didn't make any icons for that. When I get home from work tonight I'll see if I have time to make some revisions and GIF-afy all these icons into tiny versions and post them on here. Oh and a note about GIFs: Make sure your icon has an alpha layer and convert it to indexed color. GIF images only support indexed color and require an active alpha for their "transparency". Also watch the bottom and right edges and don't crowd them too much as GIFs tend to alpha cram on those corners which causes the image to look cut off sometimes. Quote
Metal_Massacre_79 Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 I guess I'll keep the grey arrow as the moved thread icon unless someone can think of something more "macrossy" for a moved thread icon. Why not use a missile pointing to the right? Maybe an RMS-1 or a UMM-7? Quote
JsARCLIGHT Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 (edited) Too small, you'd never make out what it was. Edit: in a nutshell this is my biggest nemesis with these icons, their size. I come from the world of package design... I'm used to working HUGE and working small is not my strong suit. We can't get really goofy-ass detailed with these little guys. Simple shapes, simple forms with color is the best route we can take. Also at some point we may need to just keep certain icons pictoral representaions such as a simple arrow for moved topics. Anything too far outside the box will confuse people... like the current selection seems to be doing. What I might be able to do is make another VF Head arrow for the moved topic arrow rather than a simple stick arrow. Edited March 31, 2006 by JsARCLIGHT Quote
Amped Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 (edited) Just my 2 centavos... Simplicity is better, especially for a forum's graphics. The current proliferation of kites and Minmays is a bit... much, IMO. A simple black & white Skull & Crossbones for locked topics - and only locked topics - is genius tho! Someone mentioned too much visual clutter, or something to that effect earlier on in this discussion, and I tend to aggree. The kite logo is just too complex of a grahic to have repeated everywhere. Add gradiants, and shrink 'em down.. and I think it just becomes a case of '10 lbs of poo in a 5 lb bag' as my old design instructor used to say! Great efforts by everyone, btw; I'm all for constructive criticism! I think you have to look at the basic theme of the forum... a monomchrome blue and gay... and build off of that. Less is more. Add too much color or actually animation-style stuff and it will devolve into a kiddie fan site-look fast... rather than the suave and sophisticated hangout for vintage anime connoisseurs that it currently is. Edited March 31, 2006 by Amped Quote
Metal_Massacre_79 Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 What I might be able to do is make another VF Head arrow for the moved topic arrow rather than a simple stick arrow. Didn't even think about that, but I like the idea. It would be fitting. Quote
Roy Focker Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 Writing in Bold cause don't want this post to get lost I placed a few more. Consider them a temp place holders. Next two weeks will be busy for me. Next week especially. There are few more tasks I need to do here besides watching the boards and this project. In the mean time please live with these for the next week or two. If people want to make better ones or suggestion where certain ones should be assigned feel free to but please organize and finalize the suggestions in one post for me to review. On a side note but 'Locked Topic' and 'Moved Topic' ones. Unless the custom macro has an 'x' or a pointing 'arrow' those will most likely be left the way they are. I want the meaning of those two to be pretty clear without having to resort to a key. [/n] Quote
nightmareB4macross Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 The new buttons are pretty neat. But how about adding a green for the locked threads. It would be like Kakizaki and how he dies in SDF and DYRL. Quote
JB0 Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 While amusing, the green for locked threads would be confusing. I'm still seeing a generic IPB folder icon or 2(the "Which Console Pt. 2" thread has one, for a quick example). Does anyone know what those are actually tied to? Quote
Wes Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 I think the kite sybol rotated 90 degrees clockwise would be good for a "moved" button, and the skull and crossbones is good for "locked." You people complaining about the icon signs need bigger screens. There's plenty of room for them. Quote
David Hingtgen Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 (edited) Now I'm thinking it's actually my viewer, and not the .gif. I'll try this: And I think the kite should be the main logo seen/used, both aesthetically and "importance to Macross". The kite is for the whole UN Spacy, skulls are just one squadron. ::edit:: Yup, that seems to work, at least viewing it here. Nice simple kite with no effects or anything. I must admit I do not like the shine/flare on some of the proposed ones. Also, the "less intense" ones are not "less intense enough". New vs no new posts need a greater difference. Or actually, I think it's the opposite--the "new posts" ones aren't bold/intense enough, the flare/shine adds too much white, washing them out. Just my opinion, but I liked it best when we had ONLY the two kites like 2 days ago, for new posts and no new posts. Leave everything else the board default. People understand them, and they're small and distinct. Edited March 31, 2006 by David Hingtgen Quote
JsARCLIGHT Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 (edited) OK let's take a quick tally here. Roy has a point about locked and moved threads, I purposely left those grey and plain with simple arrow and lock graphics in my original workup because those two sort of need to be understood without a key. I personally like the skull squad logo but it's a tad busy for my tastes at that small of a resolution. Also using different colored icons for "you have posted in this thread" might also cause some confusion. My original attempt was minimalist, keeping with the current pastel flavor of the board and trying to keep everything in harmony but a lot of people seem to want harder colors... personally I find those colors distracting when the board is so monochrome except for those bright icons. But that is just one man's take on the situation. Edit: On second thought making a poll will have far too many options... I'll do another quick workup of my original icons as kites and another set as skulls with non-pastel colors and post them here for folks to look at. Locked and Moved topic icons will remain grey pictographs per Roy's request. Edited March 31, 2006 by JsARCLIGHT Quote
JsARCLIGHT Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 OK, Here is my first new setup. This time they are all sized right and in brighter colors. First batch are the UN Spacy Kites: NEW TOPIC NEW TOPIC (That the user has posted in) NEW TOPIC With NO NEW POSTS NEW TOPIC With NO NEW POSTS (That the user has posted in) Quote
JsARCLIGHT Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 HOT TOPIC HOT TOPIC (That the user has posted in) HOT TOPIC With NO NEW POSTS HOT TOPIC With NO NEW POSTS (That the user has posted in) Quote
JsARCLIGHT Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 POLL TOPIC POLL TOPIC (That the user has posted in) POLL TOPIC With NO NEW POSTS POLL TOPIC With NO NEW POSTS (That the user has posted in) Quote
JsARCLIGHT Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 GO TO LAST NEW POST (Replaces the infamous "Minmay Wraith") MOVED TOPIC LOCKED TOPIC Quote
David Hingtgen Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 I personally still find the "new posts" icons pastel overall and not enough difference between new posts and no new posts. Especially the green ones, they look very similar. And the white shine in the upper right bugs me, but I think that's just me. I like the 3 final ones---moved, locked, etc. But again, don't like the shine effect. Too strong in the upper right corner, especially the locked icon. Quote
JsARCLIGHT Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 That is the problem with "glassy button" style icons... they just don't work at such low resolutions. On the flip side the flat icons just look so flat and unappealing. Quote
JsARCLIGHT Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 Crap... the skulls are not turning out well... too much detail for too small of a package. I'll just leave off here for now and see what everyone thinks. I just wish the space for icons was larger. Quote
Agent ONE Posted April 1, 2006 Posted April 1, 2006 The new icons look good. Not as good as me of course. Quote
promethuem5 Posted April 1, 2006 Posted April 1, 2006 I think that those new ones look great J. You're really working hard on this, and it shows. Quote
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