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Re: KiCad New Main Icon proposal

 

Hi Wayne,
I would strongly advise to get rid of the idea of having to put a pencil to
teach people that the program that they are going to open is going to be an
"editing" software and not a "viewing" software. In my opinion this
differentiation is not necessary and quite old style. Just click on the
Linux Menu button and have a look around.

Using the same reasoning, it might not be really necessary to teach people
that the library icon is a symbol library icon and not some sort of
library. You are right, we do have two kind of library editors (symbol and
footprint) and that is a little problematic. Ideally we should have only
one icon (one program) that allows to do both editing. But we dont.
Naturally the look of these two icons might have to look similar. I find
the footprint editor a bit of secondary editor since packages are less
prone to change. I get your point anyway.

Human footprint is a little inappropriate. Maybe this example could be more
likable.


cheers
Fabrizio






On Wed, Jul 6, 2016 at 11:22 AM, Wayne Stambaugh <stambaughw@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

> On 7/6/2016 3:20 AM, Fabrizio Tappero wrote:
> > Dear All,
> > few years have passed since the last main Kicad icon restyling. In my
> > opinion, the current icons are serving us quite well except for very few
> > which could use a little face lift.
> >
> > The few icons that make me particularly itchy are the main Kicad icons
> > for which this very imposing pencil does not play very well. I know that
> > some of your really want a pencil to suggest that those tools are for
> > editing. The truth is that now a days icons can be a little more subtle.
> >
> > I'd like to propose these new set of icons for the main KiCad toolbar.
> > Please let me know what you think and please if there is anybody who
> > wants to help out please, now is the moment.
> >
> > Cheers
> > Fabrizio
> >
>
> Fabrizio,
>
> The symbol library editor bitmap is too generic.  We have two library
> editors, a symbol library editor and a footprint library editor.  Your
> proposed symbol library editor icon is ambiguous (it just an icon for a
> library metaphor).  If it had a symbol such as and op-amp superimposed
> over the top of the books, that may be more clear.  I may also need some
> edit metaphor (such as the pencil in the current icon) as well because
> it could be confused as library viewer rather than and editor.  Although
> our current icon is also ambiguous.  It looks like you are going to open
> a text editor.
>
> Your footprint library editor icon could be confusing as well.  Most PCB
> layout users are familiar with the concept of component footprints.
> It's what they do.  The human footprint may be more familiar to
> non-technical users but I don't think that is relevant for KiCad users.
> There is also no edit metaphor.  Perhaps you should use your symbol
> library editor icon with a component footprint and some edit metaphor
> (pencil?) superimposed over top of it for the footprint library editor
> icon.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Wayne
>
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