Chapter 1. Introduction

1.1. General overview

This document describes the ideas behind the GNUstep standard icons, ideas which should be the foundations for the application's icons you will create.

High quality icon are a key part of the GNUstep user experience, so you should take the time to create (possibly with the help of experienced icons creators) carrefully thought, visually appealing and expressive icons, because they are the primary thing the user will see and interact with. Moreover nice icons are the easiest way to enhance your applications with a professional look.

The emotional quality of an icon reflects its capacity to convey informations even out of its context. You should create new icons with this philosophy in the mind: photorealistic icons with the expressivity of an illustration.

More importantly, your icons should follow as strictly as possible the guidelines described in this document, in order to enhance the user experience by providing the best consistency possible in the GNUstep environment.