Personally, I like the current logo. That said, there's always room for improvement.
With all the competition going on nowadays — even among
freeware viewers — the first impression is crucial, and usually the potential new user gets that first impression from a screenshot or the icon.
If the goal is to broaden the user base for XnView, tweaking the looks would probably help.
So, what are the options? Leaving the icon as it is, updating it to make it more “XP-ish” or giving it a complete overhaul.
The main reason why I would go for the latter are the striking similarities to the logotypes of other graphics software, e.g.
Auto FX and especially
iView.
A
unique program deserves a
unique logo.
Unfortunately there are hundreds if not thousands of
corporate logos utilizing an eye or
spirals. It takes a really talented designer to create an eyecon that sticks out. One of the few good examples would be the logotype for
AlienSkin Eye Candy 5.
IMHO the designs for the logo, the filetype icons and the default skin should be carried out by the same
one artist.
As far as I can tell everybody agrees that the Mezich skin kicks some serious butt. Maybe we could set up a
PayPal tip jar to raise some $$ so Pierre can either hire them or use it as prize money for a
WinRAR Theme Contest kind of thing.
And while we're at it: I'd suggest to replace the default skin with it or at least put it on the
official screenshots (assuming there are no license or copyright issues involved).
+ + +
And now, Ladies & Gentlemen, brace yourself as it's time once again to throw in another one of my dreaded lists of related bookmarks:
... because a hyperlink says more than a thousand words, and a thousand hyperlinks... — well, you do the math.
