I am pondering about this for a while

[mad_tenshi]

I am working on simple coloring technics I haven't seen before and so far I am quite pleased with what I achieved *points at icon*. But when you make icons, do you think it's more important to follow trends and get a lot of people using your icons or making your own thing and not being someone who does what the others do, even though you wouldn't

Comments

[joyfulsong]

I think it's important to try to please yourself first and foremost, and not just try to get people to like your icons. If you like the look of a trend, then go ahead and follow it! But just try to make yourself happy when you look at your icons.

[jovially]

I agree with joyfulsong, It's not like we're marketing something. The only time I'd do something I didn't particularly like would be if a friend asked for it specifically.

Not that I'm in the habit of making icons all that much any more. Woe...

[skalja]

In all honesty, I tend to ignore trends because I make comic book icons, so 90% of them aren't applicable to my corner of the iconmaking world anyway and I can't really answer your question. XD I do follow trends sometimes simply because I tend to try out things that people who make tutorials or resources that I really like do, and sometimes they do follow (or create!) trends, but that's often months after the fact, especially by the time I actually upload my icons. Whups!

... LOVE the framing of your icon, btw.

[maytel]

The important thing is to have fun by making graphics, whatever they are.
They start sucking the second you are feeling pressured into doing something you don't want to do.

It doesn't really matter if you follow trends or not, as long as you're happy with what you create. There's nothing wrong with liking trends.

I don't know what starts a trend. Normally it's something out of the ordinary that catches the person's attention and then spammed everywhere to become very popular.

[tirwen_star03]

Seeing as icon-making isn't my livelihood, I'm much more interested in creating icons that I like than in seeing legions of people using them. Besides, doing your own thing doesn't necessarily mean you'll be less successful. I think if your icons are of good quality, people will like them, even if they aren't "trendy". Maybe some people even prefer to use good, non-trendy icons because they get tired of seeing the same styles everywhere. I don't know. And really, I don't think there's much point in so many people making icons if all of them are going to crank out things that looks the same, without investing their own creativity in what they do.

You're right that trends change rapidly. But I find it useful to occasionally keep an eye out for what's popular. Sometimes it gives me ideas. If I like how something looks, I'll try to emulate it and combine it with my own style, and sometimes the outcome works quite well.