Looking for honest, constructive opinions

[hsapiens]

I'm looking for a community that offers brutally honest feedback on icons with an eye towards helping a person improve. I've reached a plateau and a sameness to my icons; I'd like to go further. I ask for constructive criticism on my icon posts, but I think people are too afraid I'll get pissy or that they'll hurt my feelings or something. The

Comments

[hsapiens]

*SMOOCHES*

I am finding this IMMENSELY useful. I'm planning to respond to all of your points. Not to be argumentative but to show what I am getting out of your efforts. Sort of proving that you're not wasting your time. :)

I'll go over the icons I have in the last row tonight and see if it might not be smarter to switch some out because I think they have a similar set of problems. Rather than having you critique the same problem over and over, I'd like to see if I can find some new errors. ;-)

One thing I've done purposefully is not give *my* take on an icon before you comment because I wanted to see if the same things that I disliked leapt out at you. Once I think something is "wrong," I can't see past it. Sometimes your critiques match mine but sometimes you noticed problems that I hadn't. I also want to play a little with your suggested cropping changes and see what you do. I really hadn't thought that cutting off as much of the heads as I have been, for instance, lessened the impact. I need to see the two side by side to decide what I think. I want to look at the 10 again with all of this in mind and give it at least as much time and thought as you've given me. I really, really, really appreciate it.

You're not helping a "tiny bit;" you're helping me a lot!

[paddies]

I also want to play a little with your suggested cropping changes and see what you do. I really hadn't thought that cutting off as much of the heads as I have been, for instance, lessened the impact. I need to see the two side by side to decide what I think.

That's great! Actually I was sorta going to suggest you to do that, but I didn't want to sound too..uhmmm...imposing?

Anyway, I think it's really important to actually play with the icons...see, I made all the suggestions "blindly", so to speak. I don't have the original photoshop files to play with, so I can only imagine how the icons would look like if I changed "this or that", but it's all kind of hypothetical...I can't actually be sure about how they'll look until I'll actually see them, you know what I mean?

So, basically I'm telling you what I think it would work, but the only way to know it for sure is to see the final icon. :-)

/ramble

[hsapiens]

That's great! Actually I was sorta going to suggest you to do that, but I didn't want to sound too..uhmmm...imposing?

Feel free to say whatever comes to mind without worrying about editing. I don't view these as commands but as suggestions. I'm good at deciding to do what I want to do. I threw open the door, looking for any and all ideas anyone offered, because I'd tried everything I could think of and had reached a deadend.

I know that what you're doing for me takes a lot of time and I totally appreciate it. Whether or not a particular suggestion applied to a particular cap would make a particular icon better isn't exactly what I'm worried about. For instance, maybe the head was cut off in the original cap and I can't do what you suggested but your mentioning it means I know to look for a better cap. Or, whatever. The point is I wasn't satisfied with my end product and that is what you're looking at and helping to identify how it could be better.

You're helping me develop an eye for composition, pointing out some of my weaknesses; you're giving me awareness and tools for improvement. That is invaluable. *smooches*

[paddies]

You're helping me develop an eye for composition, pointing out some of my weaknesses; you're giving me awareness and tools for improvement. That is invaluable.

OMG OK. :-)

And btw, if you have questions about anything I say, or even, you know, random questions, feel free to ask...I'll try to answer if I can. :-)

Also, because I was alone at work - and bored out of my fucking mind - I played around with one of your icons...;))

I couldn't do much (since I didn't have the original file), but still...


.....

/random

[hsapiens]

Yes! See, that's what I think text should look like and...continually fail to do on my icons. I know that if I did it (and, actually, I did *snort*), I'd think, "but is it legible?" and I'd continue to make it bigger until it almost covered the image. I can read it, yes, but I worry it's because I know what it says and that others won't.

Sorry work is so boring -- but for my sake I hope you're still there and can peek at the file. What size font is the bottom line? I'd like to get a better feel for sizes. If not, don't worry about it. I've got some memroeis devoted to text and I can compare to the examples there and guess. :)

I'm sure, as I play around, I'll come up with questions. Again? Thank you for taking the time to tutor me. I am grateful.

[paddies]

I know that if I did it (and, actually, I did *snort*), I'd think, "but is it legible?" and I'd continue to make it bigger until it almost covered the image. I can read it, yes, but I worry it's because I know what it says and that others won't.

Big text is cool too, I love it when it's properly placed and when it "suits" the icon. The secret - imo - is that if you know you're going to make an icon with text, and you want the text to be legible and "prominent" (so to speak), you have to make (crop, especially) the icon to fit the text, not the other way around. ;-)

What size font is the bottom line?

Ack, I'm home now and I don't have the psd file... but I seem to recall that it's "times new roman" 9 or 10 px.

*smooches* ♥