icon samples
Because the technical themes are often hard to explain, this post will show a list of them and provide examples. This way, people can come here to find details and hopefully will be more helpful overall. When it comes to technical themes, the idea is to practice and try out new icon-making skills that you might not have used before. This means that for a theme like faceless, the theme is not asking you to find an image that already hides the face but to create the crop, for example, by moving the face out of the frame.
These are just the ones I've thought of, if you know of any other icon techniques, let me know in a comment. ♥
Examples come from previous disney2020 winners and from wd_awards.
COLOURING TECHNIQUES.
high contrast; The icon has very high contrast.
absolutelybatty | rainbowishes | raiindust
desaturation; The icon uses desaturated colours.
lovedbyahero | mimimouchi024 | deadly_lemonade
one colour; The icon can only show one colour other than black & white.
axelsonfire | chacusha | hoplessinapril
black & white; The icon is in black & white.
aniss_laura | filmowe | theboxingbutton
bright; The icon is bright.
fulminant8 | raiindust | chacusha
opposite colours; The icon uses complimentary colours.
absolutelybatty | piracy | estrellasdeamor
COMPOSITION TECHNIQUES.
out of the box; The subject must be "popping" out.
absolutelybatty | ewanfan1 | starsburn
rotate; The subject must be rotated.
juanxyo | caramelmilk_t | hopeitallaway
negative space; The subject must be in less than half the icon.
absolutelybatty | princessbloomy | willowcanne
close-up; The icon focuses on the subject's face.
gruver26 | sandyeyes | easels
wide; The image is shown from far away.
funkytrain | nasirah | ambersolace
blending; At least two images are blended together.
crazydd | filmowe | mariarita
blocking; Multiple or duplicated images are placed in blocks.
crazydd | gruver26 | spiffydaze
duplicated; The icon uses the same image at least twice.
hipokras | caramelmilk_t | deadly_lemonade
inset; The icon features another image inside it.
chacusha | hopeitallaway | chacusha
faceless; The cropping hides the face of the subject.
constantlonging | ewanfan1 | _virsaviya_
body-less; The cropping hides the body of the subject.
caramelmilk_t | ewanfan1 | starsburn
back/profile; The subject only shows the back or profile of the subject.
lancelotfan | anothertrauma | mimimouchi024
half/half - Your icons must be split in half, horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
filmowe | russian_hotness | spriink
sidebars; The icon uses vertical or horizontal sidebars (not a border).
minutesto12 | rainbowishes | starsburn
TEXT TECHNIQUES.
(all text must be added by iconmaker and not part of original image)
lyrics; The text must feature lyrics from a Disney song.
grain_de_beaute | fightclubs | nasirah
outlined; The text has a stroke outline around it.
tilottamaa | xmaidelx | spud66cat
large text; The text is large, not that there's a lot of text.
anaklazaro | easels | raiindust
small text; The text is small but still legible.
gruver26 | deadly_lemonade | wrthy2bluvd
tiny text; The text is small and illegible.
chimera_x | smelltheflowers | caramelmilk_
curved; The text is in a curved shape.
raiindust | grain_de_beaute | selenespain
reference; Your icon must reference a fandom or trend.
filmowe | starsburn | princessbloomy
all caps; The text is written in all capital letters.
mimimouchi024 | proverbsun | rainbowishes
background; The text is located behind the character.
spiffydaze | hexkun | chacusha
MISC. TECHNIQUES.
patterns; The icon must use at least one pattern, not part of original image.
fulminant8 | absolutelybatty | smelltheflowers
textures; The icon must use at least one texture.
deadly_lemonade | caramelmilk_t | fancifull
minimalistic; The icon is simple and clean. No textures, no text, nothing complex.
smelltheflowers | filmowe | dallowayward
removed background; The icon's background is removed.
filmowe | raiindust | that_was_cheesy
geometric - Use geometric shapes in your icon.
smelltheflowers | grain_de_beaute | apologizeg
These are just the ones I've thought of, if you know of any other icon techniques, let me know in a comment. ♥
Examples come from previous disney2020 winners and from wd_awards.
COLOURING TECHNIQUES.
high contrast; The icon has very high contrast.
absolutelybatty | rainbowishes | raiindust
desaturation; The icon uses desaturated colours.
lovedbyahero | mimimouchi024 | deadly_lemonade
one colour; The icon can only show one colour other than black & white.
axelsonfire | chacusha | hoplessinapril
black & white; The icon is in black & white.
aniss_laura | filmowe | theboxingbutton
bright; The icon is bright.
fulminant8 | raiindust | chacusha
opposite colours; The icon uses complimentary colours.
absolutelybatty | piracy | estrellasdeamor
COMPOSITION TECHNIQUES.
out of the box; The subject must be "popping" out.
absolutelybatty | ewanfan1 | starsburn
rotate; The subject must be rotated.
juanxyo | caramelmilk_t | hopeitallaway
negative space; The subject must be in less than half the icon.
absolutelybatty | princessbloomy | willowcanne
close-up; The icon focuses on the subject's face.
gruver26 | sandyeyes | easels
wide; The image is shown from far away.
funkytrain | nasirah | ambersolace
blending; At least two images are blended together.
crazydd | filmowe | mariarita
blocking; Multiple or duplicated images are placed in blocks.
crazydd | gruver26 | spiffydaze
duplicated; The icon uses the same image at least twice.
hipokras | caramelmilk_t | deadly_lemonade
inset; The icon features another image inside it.
chacusha | hopeitallaway | chacusha
faceless; The cropping hides the face of the subject.
constantlonging | ewanfan1 | _virsaviya_
body-less; The cropping hides the body of the subject.
caramelmilk_t | ewanfan1 | starsburn
back/profile; The subject only shows the back or profile of the subject.
lancelotfan | anothertrauma | mimimouchi024
half/half - Your icons must be split in half, horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
filmowe | russian_hotness | spriink
sidebars; The icon uses vertical or horizontal sidebars (not a border).
minutesto12 | rainbowishes | starsburn
TEXT TECHNIQUES.
(all text must be added by iconmaker and not part of original image)
lyrics; The text must feature lyrics from a Disney song.
grain_de_beaute | fightclubs | nasirah
outlined; The text has a stroke outline around it.
tilottamaa | xmaidelx | spud66cat
large text; The text is large, not that there's a lot of text.
anaklazaro | easels | raiindust
small text; The text is small but still legible.
gruver26 | deadly_lemonade | wrthy2bluvd
tiny text; The text is small and illegible.
chimera_x | smelltheflowers | caramelmilk_
curved; The text is in a curved shape.
raiindust | grain_de_beaute | selenespain
reference; Your icon must reference a fandom or trend.
filmowe | starsburn | princessbloomy
all caps; The text is written in all capital letters.
mimimouchi024 | proverbsun | rainbowishes
background; The text is located behind the character.
spiffydaze | hexkun | chacusha
MISC. TECHNIQUES.
patterns; The icon must use at least one pattern, not part of original image.
fulminant8 | absolutelybatty | smelltheflowers
textures; The icon must use at least one texture.
deadly_lemonade | caramelmilk_t | fancifull
minimalistic; The icon is simple and clean. No textures, no text, nothing complex.
smelltheflowers | filmowe | dallowayward
removed background; The icon's background is removed.
filmowe | raiindust | that_was_cheesy
geometric - Use geometric shapes in your icon.
smelltheflowers | grain_de_beaute | apologizeg