Update Hand Icons

[jamiemlaw]

Package

• [X] lucide
• [ ] lucide-angular
• [ ] lucide-flutter
• [ ] lucide-preact
• [ ] lucide-react
• [ ] lucide-react-native
• [ ] lucide-solid
• [ ] lucide-svelte
• [ ] lucide-vue
• [ ] lucide-vue-next
• [ ] Figma plugin
• [ ] all JS packages
• [ ] site

Description

There's something that's always felt a little off to me about the hand icons. I think they look a little wide and stubby. I'm not sure if it has to do with keeping a good optical volume, or because it's the only way to include all five fingers. I've also noticed that on icons like pointer, the overlap of the thumb make it look like we're seeing the palm of the hand, but the fingers are curled away, so I guess it's the back of the hand?

So, I've had a go at designing some alternatives that only have four fingers, giving the hand a more slender shape.

As well as all the current hand-related icons in Lucide, I've included a few others just to show off the repertoire of the new style. I personally feel they're quite expressive. It also includes some ideas requested in issues #1330 and #1740.

CodePen: https://codepen.io/jamiemlaw/pen/xxogQwG/a2c4b71d0628cc9988adaa898e762855

I'm just interested to hear your thoughts. One possible criticism is that certain icons, particularly, grab have a small optical volume, just in order to keep them to the same scale as the other icons. I'm also willing to accept that not all of the icons need to be added; some of them are just there for flavour. But it's been fun designing them nonetheless.

Use cases

n/a

Checklist

• [X] I have searched the existing issues to make sure this bug has not already been reported.

[jguddas]

Those are just lovely, very lucidy IMO.

The thumb feels a bit long in the not curled up icons to me.

[karsa-mistmere]

Hi @jamiemlaw, excellent work on these, they're really nice and crisp.

That being said, I share @jguddas's criticism of there being something not quite right about the thumbs, personally, I'd add more rounding to the base or even shorten it as Jakob suggested:

Ultimately, while these do mitigate some issues we have with our existing set, I'm not quite convinced about going this route, for the following reasons:

• I kind of feel they're a bit (too?) cartoonish. This is, of course, just my personal preference.
• I've tried to find precedent of four fingered hand icons, but they're really uncommon, as for their emoji counterparts, not a single design uses four fingers, so I have my reservations about straying off the well-trodden path.

[jamiemlaw]

I think that's fair.

The particular rounding at the base of the thumb I chose because the starts and ends of the arc ended on integer values, which I found quite pleasing. You're right that it could probably be more rounded.

I'm personally okay with the length of the thumb as I designed it—it's surprising how long thumbs are when you look at them!—but I wouldn't be against adjusting it for stylistic purposes.

The one previous example I saw of four-fingered hand icons was in the Phosphor icon set, Whether or not the more cartoony four-finger hand icons are a fit for Lucide, I'm happy to have explored that avenue with them. I might have a go at refining the icons a little and see what comes of it. :-)

[jguddas]

I want to get this merged, can you @karsa-mistmere share the third variant using lucide-studio?

Open lucide studio

[karsa-mistmere]

I want to get this merged

I'm more against this than for it, to be honest. hand-metal looks weird, and any future icons relying on middle, ring or pinky fingers would (also) be sabotaged.

[jamiemlaw]

Here are a few revisions to the plain hand icon:

My original proposal
Open lucide studio

Variation 1: thumb higher and base of the thumb more rounded
Open lucide studio

Variation 2: my reconstruction in Lucide Studio of @karsa-mistmere's suggestion
Open lucide studio

Variation 3: Same as above but the tip of the thumb is slightly better aligned to the pixel grid
Open lucide studio

Of the four, my personal favourite is variation 1, then variation 3.

[jguddas]

I feel like v3 has a nice palm + thumb, but the fingers are too long.

[jamiemlaw]

So, more like this perhaps?

Open lucide studio

I think maybe I just have freakishly large digits as I've been looking at my own hand somewhat to gauge what proportions to use for this icon! 🤣

[jamiemlaw]

This would be the full set in the latest style, with the rounded palm, and shorter thumb and fingers:

[jguddas]

This would be the full set in the latest style, with the rounded palm, and shorter thumb and fingers:

Can you make a PR for this or share the icons in a way that I can create one for you?

[dhruvkb]

Consider the Vulcan salute 🖖.

That one doesn't work on a hand with 3 fingers, and requires 4. Thus for consistency, 4 fingers is the way to go.

[jamiemlaw]

I have one extra thing to add to this PR before I put it to bed. It's been a fun journey; but despite my best efforts. ultimately I don't see this style of icons making it into Lucide; it didn't have the universal appeal I thought it might. :-)

But, the things that did kinda bug me about the existing hand icons are that a) the fingers are a bit stubby; b) the crotch of the thumb is going in the wrong direction if it's supposed to depict the back of the hand.

So, I just wanted to hear your thoughts on a less major proposal, this time with no finger amputations:

left to right: old; new; new (palm)

The index and ring fingers are a bit longer, and the thumb is redrawn. And for those who do still want a hand palm, there's a new version of that, but flipped.

Open lucide studio

Open lucide studio

Any merit to this, or nah?