G-Unit (18) evaluation

The task set in unit 18 was that we were to generate an iPhone app icon that couldn't be seen as offensive or cause ethical issues.

I first began the project be researching popular apps in the app store and taking a look at the icons to see how they approached things, and as I expected - they all use there own icon that they created themselves. Such corporate companies like Facebook simply use there own self branding (in this case, an 'f' on a blue rounded square).

We were then given 5 themes that we needed to explore; war, fantasy, horror, sci-fi and something we could use in RClayton's unit.

For the war theme I decided to use an ancient weapon as opposed to a modern weapon; a spear. I thought it would be fitting to use an ancient weapon as a gun can also be used outside of war (e.g. gangs) but no one ever runs round with a spear impaling people with it. I think the icon could be offensive as it is seen as ‘promoting’ a weapon, so it is best to avoid using any icon like this.

For fantasy I decided to use Navi - Link's fairy. This icon can't be seen as offensive, but may breach copyright regulations. It also may not work as the only way you know who Navi is, is by playing a Zelda game before hand, so anyone who hasn't played the game before may be mislead.

For the horror theme I decided to use something linked to Zelda - Link and Link in wolf form. There is nothing that can be taken as offensive in the icon, therefore it would be a good Icon to use. However, it would breach copyright regulations and so, it would be wrong to use it.

For Sci-Fi, I couldn't think of anything to do with Zelda, so I decided to use the Plasma Rifle from the Halo series. Obviously, this has nothing to do with Zelda, so it would be pointless using this icon. Other than that, it would also breach copyright laws and mislead the client.

And finally, the icon I would use for RClayton's unit would be the Zelda logo. However, this isn't the original Zelda logo - this is a Zelda logo I created from scratch. I settled on using this as my icon in both units as it doesn't breach copyright laws and isn't offensive, so therefore fits both unit criteria's.

I then researched the specifications of the iPhone and here is what I discovered:

3.5 inch screen

480 x 320 resolution

600 MHz processor

256MB RAM

Fixed memory units (8GB,

16GB and 32GB)

Sensors- Accelerometer,

Proximity Sensor, Ambient

Light Sensor

3 megapixel colour camera

I then compared it to the HTC HD2, a competitor to the iPhone and found out that the HTC HD2 beats the iPhone in nearly every category, but due to Apple's app store and the fact that it is now seen as a fashion accessory, the iPhone still remains the more popular of the two.

The HTC HD2's specifications:

4.3 inch screen

480 X 800 resolution

1 GHz processor

448 MB RAM

Expansive memory

Sensors- G-Sensor,

Proximity Sensor,

Ambient Light Sensor

5 megapixel colour camera

with Auto focus and Dual

LED flash

My final 5 icon designs are as follows:

I also produced a document that reflects different file formats and where they are used. (bottom)

I think I met my original intentions. I set out to create an icon that looked like a Zelda logo, but managed to avoid copyright by starting from scratch, and produced an icon that cannot be taken to offence. Overall I think the icon was a success.