DEX for Android
Brief from client
I was asked to create a new icon or update the existing one to fit the new flat Lollipop design of Android 5.
Below is the proposed one - flat, magnifier glass. Please see the old one in the comments.
The old icon belongs to my Android application, which is a Romanian monolingual dictionary based on the very well known Romanian Explanatory Dictionary - Dictionar Explicativ Roman (DEX). The link is here http://dex.adrianvintu.com/256.png
Elements:
1. The Romanian flag
2. DEX written with Scrabble tiles
3. some 3D lighting
I am a programmer not a designer, so no knowledge there :)
I have designed this icon 6 years ago.
I would go for a new design, and I was presented with the two options below:
http://dex.adrianvintu.com/proposed_icons/DEX-4.jpg
http://dex.adrianvintu.com/proposed_icons/DEX-4-b.jpg
http://dex.adrianvintu.com/proposed_icons/Screenshot_Dex.jpg
I would not go for any of those because:
1. I find that having a non standard icon (into the typical rounded square) is better visually identifiable by the users.
2. I find the magnifier with a gradient background is too generic and does not identify my product.
3. The gradient resembles not like the Romanian flag - red/yellow/blue. I feel people relate well to this colours and the application itself has as the main target the Romanian market.
The target people are school children, students, teachers, and people that want to improve their knowledge or have verbal arguments about the language that take place in the bar - for real! :)
4. I would not go for a major redo of the icon, as I feel after six years on the market, it has become an identifier of the product.
5. Someone has suggested to remove the DEX word from the icon as it is redundant with the label below it. I find this not to be the case, as mobile users do not really read the labels, but would rather have an eye catching visual representation.
There are four products on the Google Market, the first ones in this search https://play.google.com/store/search?q=dex&c=apps&hl=en
My free product outperforms by far any of the others, btw. The others are just clones with little to no features, some even include advertising and micro payments for something I already offer for free for six years.
My application web site is
http://dex.adrianvintu.com/Default_en.aspx
Please take a look and let me know what you feel :)
Thank you very much,
Adrian
6 Comments
Thank you David.
I had to update the description since it was not clear what I meant.
I have the old icon here and attached to this comment for visibility http://dex.adrianvintu.com/256.png
The new proposed icon is the one now in the brief dex.adrianvintu.com/proposed_icons/DEX-4-b.jpg
In the comments I describe that I do not agree that the new icon (dex.adrianvintu.com/proposed_icons/DEX-4-b.jpg) is better than the old one (dex.adrianvintu.com/256.png)
My apologies for the confusion, it's my first time I use this site/service :)
I like the flat look, simple but complex in the same time, but I see some green and orange in the gradient.
It is normal and specific to blured gradients, but try to make the gradient less smooth, to better distinguish the initial flag colors.
Thumbs up for: Idea, Symbol an Colors
The shadow on the bottom left of the magnify glass is off(not connecting to the object)
Your colors are all over the place, and instead of using a gradient, make the colors into blocks, then use a big eraser to slowly erase the edges so they look like the transition from one to the other.
I fear that the dex will be too small for readers to see it and you may just get rid of it.
Try uploading this design in the way it would really look on the mobile: in an app shape with some desktop background, to be able to tell how the colors look in a real situation.
I agree with David. Reupload this iwth some space around it, not so "in your face".
But I'd like to clear up something: this is not what we call "flat design". In reality, it's all about simple complimenting colors lay outs, no drop shadow effect and an no gradient. Here's a wuick Google search : http://tinyurl.com/mf95lxu
Also, when you' re icon will have it's normal size, "DEX" will be very hard to read.
Good luck.
Often times, a phone/tablet app icon will omit the name; it will instead be displayed beneath the icon. For this reason, I don't think "Dex" is necessary at all in the magnifying glass. As many pointed out, it's too small. If you MUST have it, a more logical place would be inside the glass itself. But it's best to leave it out.
I'll admit, it's a bit unorthodox to be critiquing app icons, since they tend to break the rules that would normally apply to general logos for companies.