Icon howto?

[Máirí­n Duffy]

Jonathan Roberts wrote:
> Hey, thanks for the reply :D
> 
>> Some answers to your questions:
>>
>> file formats - png for most icons, svg for scalable icons
>>
>> sizes - 16x16, 22x22, 24x24, 32x32, 48x48, the bigger you will probably
>> not need
> 
> I figure producing them as svg means I can just export to whatever
> size I want? Only thing is, when I've exported icons I've already
> created, or simply viewed them as svg (thumbnail previews) they
> haven't looked as sharp as when I've produced them, instead looking
> slightly blurred. Is there any reason why this is? (using inkscape)

Yes. You need to align them to the pixel grid. You can't simply draw it 
once and export it to whatever sizes... you have to align the artwork to 
the pixel grid for every size. Some references:

http://www.firewheeldesign.com/sparkplug/2006/April/icon_design_bitmap_vs_vector.php

http://mezzoblue.com/archives/2007/07/11/icon_design/

http://www.gimp.org/tutorials/Creating_Icons/

~m