Add Guides for Icon Editors

[Hamster45105]

About this discussion

There are various icon editors available for designing icons for Lawnicons. However, some people may not want to create icons because they think it would be too complex, it would take too much time, or they are uncertain about how to begin.

To simplify the process and encourage more contributions, I suggest adding Markdown files to the repository for different editors (e.g: Inkscape, Figma, etc). These files could include:

• Download Links: A link to download the software or a link to the webpage
• Getting Started Guides: Include step-by-step instructions, with images, to demonstrate basic tasks such as setting canvas size, adjusting stroke widths, and rounding
• Tips and Tricks: Any editor-specific tips or things to be aware of that can help users design icons more efficiently and with less basic mistakes

While there are already general guides available for this software, designing Lawnicons icons requires a very specific set of features. By having having simple, easy to access guides focused on the specific set of tools needed to design Lawnicons, there would probably be more contributions.

[x9136]

In short, this is a hypothesis that raises great doubts and requires verification.

Now the Lawnicons guidelines have all the basic info, which is enough to Google to find answers to the rest of the questions. There is no point in copying here what is available in a couple of clicks. If someone can't google or ask in our Discord, then it is better not to start making icons, because such people create a result that cannot be accepted: both they and reviewers waste their time uselessly. Consider this a time-saving moment for reviewers and potential contributors who might have made an inappropriate result anyway.

Adding answers to any possible question to the guidelines will in no way simplify it and will not be easily accessible simply because of the volume of text. Even now, some people cannot carefully read the TL;DR section, which takes no more than 2 minutes. Why would they read the guidelines that would take a couple of hours? There is no reason. When there is no reason, there is no point in describing everything.

I would not make such an addition, because I consider it useless, given that all information is available on the Internet in any format convenient to you. But if someone proves that we have hundreds of potential contributors who do not make icons because they have read the current guidelines and did not understand anything, but really wanted to — then there is a point.

What could really help is if the guidelines are available in several languages, since we have many contributors from China and countries where English is not the main language. But it is impossible to organize this until there are people in the Lawnchair team who know the necessary languages well.

In general, there are issues in the guidelines that should be improved, but they relate to clarifying and simplifying what is there, as well as improving the style of Lawnicons. I will leave the issue open for now in case of discussion, and after some time I will close it as not planned.

[x9136]

It would be more effective to record a video in which the process of creating and adding icons will be shown from beginning to end.

[Hamster45105]

It would be more effective to record a video in which the process of creating and adding icons will be shown from beginning to end.

I agree, this could certainly be more helpful for some people.

I think it addresses the issue of some people just completely not reading the guidelines - if they are not willing to read maybe the are willing to watch a step by step video. It may also help with language boundaries in some cases.

[abhishek-junghare]

Would it be better to just provide a template zip which will include:

1. A Figma file with placeholder icons (both square & non-square), containing the design guidelines within the file itself.
2. A custom issue template in GitHub to make it easier to upload icons, which will have fields to upload SVG file, app name, package name, etc. Similar to the current "Update an existing icon" and "Icon Request" templates.

This will make it easier for designers who can design icons easily but may find it confusing to provide these icons.

[x9136]

A Figma file with placeholder icons (both square & non-square), containing the design guidelines within the file itself.

Exists.

A custom issue template in GitHub to make it easier to upload icons, which will have fields to upload SVG file, app name, package name, etc. Similar to the current "Update an existing icon" and "Icon Request" templates.

No one will create a PR from an issue with svgs, then do a review and call the author of the issue to fix the svgs.

Video is the best option, but there is no time to record it. At the same time, there will be little benefit. If you have a desire to understand how to make icons correctly, then the guidelines provide enough information. The video will not make you want to make icons suitable for Lawnicons.