Joplin icon

Hey @etho201, thank you for your hard work, looks fantastic. Can you share the og color icon please if it is not too much trouble?

I moved this topic to a separate thread since the other one is to discuss the 5 top icons. For new icons, please create new threads. Thereā€™s currently no plan to add new icons to these top 5.

Such a beautiful piece of workā€¦ Could you share the png that has the ā€œofficialā€ Joplin colours please? Iā€™m going to replace existing one with yours in my local installation. Thanks!

It depends on which app - easiest is to search for *.png and *.ico as all the icons are there in the repo and can be changed.

Here is the paperclip icon with the original Joplin colors. I moved the paperclip down just a bit to make it look less like a backwards C, and I added a slight shadow to it as well. Enjoy!

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I think I liked the original color palette from your first attempt better. I mean the sheets of paper. But Iā€™m afraid none of it matters. Unless Laurent goes for round 3 or adds several options to the app itself.
(I know apps where people can pick an icon from a few given choices in preferences. However, I doubt that itā€™s worth the effort.)

The original colors came from the Nord color scheme, but it may not have been obvious due to the gradient that was used. With that being said, I'm happy to make it whatever color everyone likes.

The current icon candidates are only at round 2 -- What happened to 3 strikes and you're out?? :sweat_smile: With the number of people that have shown support for this paperclip concept I think it's fair to say this one has a good shot at contending against the winner of the current top five. What's wrong with one more round? If changing the icon and brand image is so much work then it's important we get it right! @laurent -- what do you say? :pray: :smiley:

I think this one easily stands its ground among other nicely designed logos in the system dock. I have it set as my Joplin logo and it feels so appropriate for that -- a nice and neat paperclip that holds all of my notes. :wink:

Preview:

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I love this one. Iā€™m in favour of reopening the polls or having a third round.

I like the paperclip idea. If possible, let's decide on the best variant of the designs here from etho201 and then have a final round with the other icons :slight_smile:

While I appreciate that quite a bit of effort went into this icon, and objectively it looks nice, we also need to wonder what it is meant to convey. Itā€™s a paper clip over two post-it notes - is that what Joplin does, or is that related to the goal of the project? To handle a few post-it-size notes?

Obviously the app does more than this and the long term goals include collaboration and sharing documents, which is more than displaying post-its. Recent improvements for example makes it possible to have large documents, like entire Wikipedia articles, as notes.

Even if an icon looks good, it wonā€™t necessarily give a good idea of what the app does. For me, if I see this icon, I think of a small app to quickly write a note (like the Note app on macOS) or to display post-its over the desktop.

Thatā€™s why I prefer more open-ended icons, that donā€™t restrict the scope of the project. We set the scope of the project ourselves of course but thatā€™s an on-going process, which should not be set in stone by the icon.

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Sadly (because I like the logo) I have to say that you are right @laurent (at least to me). Logo is cute and modern, but doesnā€™t match 100% with what Joplin does.

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While some other dev might be able to make the argument you just made you donā€™t get to make it. Why? because your idea of a good icon for a note taking app is single half rolled up page.

I was also thinking that the poll suggestions A, B & C also failed the test applied to the suggestion @etho201 made. Though I am not sure that I would have made it quite as stridently as @AlucardNoir did.

Anyway, if what is wanted is a completely non-constraining, open-ended icon which identifies the application in a simple, clear and effective way, the current icon fits the bill very well. It does not limit the project to anything and is instantly identifiable as Joplin amongst a desktop full of icons.

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Before the current pole these were the ideas Laurent came up with. Options E and F in the current pole are as a result of people not liking his original ideas all that much.

I have a new favorite. It canā€™t be used and was posted as a joke, but the blue elephant with the white J is PERFECT! That is now my desktop icon!

Alucard, I never came to with these ideas, but regardless do you think Iā€™d bother making polls if I had such a firm idea about what icon is good or not?

My apologies, but your original post was filled with nothing but variations and iteration on just one idea, an idea that survived in the form of 3 of the 5 options in the currently running new icon poll. An idea that, at least from my point of view, falls short of the aspirations you have for this little project of yours and which you gave as reason for not even considering the icon presented here.

Iā€™m not saying you should consider it, but your critique sound rather hallow and hypocritical given the past few weeks and the limited new icon choice selection you have presented us with.

If anything, you should be honest with yourself and ask yourself if the half rolled up page icons you presented actually fit your vision for the future of Joplin. Now that you actually sat down and wrote that icon critique you at least have an inkling of what you donā€™t want in a new icon and at the end of the day, yours is the deciding vote.

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Notion: Block with a captial N (emphasizing block oriented database)
Evernote: Elephant mascot (emphasizing the longevity, thus their motto)
Google Keep: Light bulb (emphasizing robustness of capturing of the ideas)
Onenote: Notebook (emphasizing the hierarchy within the app)

and there are some other competitors for Joplin but I wonā€™t list all of them. In design of these app names and icons, there is a common essence of capturing userā€™s attention and associating that vision with the product itself. As much as Joplin is capable as a product, neither the name nor the icon fit the requirements. I understand that the community decided to change the icon in order to catch up with the field, but there has to be a logic to any change that is made. Otherwise, it would be too easy to alienate not only the potential users, but also the current users.

Personally, I donā€™t see a connection with a single J with what the app offers, especially when the name itself is arbitrary. At the beginning, there might have been an inspiration for this decision, but it is hard to justify that for the masses. A rolled up document sounds cliche to gently put it. It doesnā€™t raise curiousity, nor an urge to use the app. Therefore, I donā€™t really see it as a viable option.

The new icon proposed by @etho201 approximates the idea of ā€˜Joplinā€™ very well. It is just two papers joined together by a paper clip. The meaning is deep but easy to understand. Joplin has a very capable markdown editor, its notebook/note/tag structure is robust and has good syncing options. But I think what makes Joplin a good app is also its web clipper. With variety of options, it provides a good alternative to its competitors. Notes + Clipping ability is a good one-two punch to capture the attention of its users, and other than a re-branding of the app, in my opinion, this is a good as it gets.

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@biscuittoman I couldnā€™t have put it better myself. I have a few other things to say about the 5 proposed icons, but Iā€™ll be nice. Letā€™s just say that Erik is the most talented graphic artist here. Youā€™re not going to find more professional work without paying for it. I was also an Arts major in college, many many years ago. While Iā€™ve forgotten more than I learned over the years, I know it takes much more than an understanding. It takes talent, which is something that cannot be taught. You either have it or you donā€™t. Unfortunately, I do not. Erik has proven his. I would highly suggest we work with him. He can help create something to be proud ofā€¦ something that looks as good, if not better, than any other professional product. Heā€™s offering his service free of charge. It would be foolish to not take advantage of the opportunity.

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