Best method to make an icon for web and phone application - icons

I want to make an icon for both my website and phone application. So what is the best way? using adobe illustrator or any other suggestion?

I think that Gimp seems the most reasonable option, as it is available for free. The web is full of tutorials for it, so I think it's worth searching there. For example: Creating Icons

Using a vector graphics application like Adobe Illustrator would be the best way to go, although if you've not used it before you have to invest some time getting familiar with the tools such as Bezier curves. If you're an iPad user I recommend iDraw, a vector illustration tool for the IOS. It's easier to use than illustrator and allows you to prototype graphics at the correct screen resolution on the retina screen. If you're designing for IOS then I suggest looking at Apples guidance material on the correct image resolutions to use.

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Android play store icon development software

I'm trying to develop an icon for my app, specifically the play store icon which is 512 x 512. I've Google for days now and only find Photoshop stuff, which is too expensive for me and the learning curve just for one icon is not worth it.
Do any of you know of cheaper software that I can buy and use, specifically something that just help you create high quality icons?
I am also open to courses for Gimp and Paint that can teach you, but not Photoshop please. I know they are the best but they don't think of guys like me that are starting out.
I'm not sure whether this is the proper place for this kind of question, but I think Gimp seems the most reasonable option. The web is full of tutorials for it, so I think it's worth searching there. For example: Creating Icons

What Tool for creating, experiencing new layouts and designs?

I am developing WebApps with Backbone, node, jQuery and so on.
In my beginnings I have used Twitter Bootstrap for designs.
Then I started to use own designs which I have created with the Chrome Addon Stylebit which allows to modify CSS in real time.
Unfortunately this is very time expensive at the end.
So I decided to develope the design by side with some editor and then rewrite this design per hand as CSS. I have read this is a common practice and most use photoshop for this task.
Is photoshop still recommend or are there other tools which should be used?
(I actually do not want a full WYSIWYG. Just something to test designs and layouts in general)
Cheers and happy new year,
Bodo
For the short answer no. There isn't a tool that I know of that will allow you to build layouts in code easily that isn't a full WSIWIG solution like Dreamweaver, Aptana etc.
For testing out designs you would normally build wire frames such as the ones you see from Balsamiq. There are other tools as well, Axure, Pencil and others. Do a search for wire frame software.
As a Sr. UX Architect I've heard and seen people mockup what they're building in Html and CSS. While this can work. You might as well continue and just build it if you're going to invest the time, effort and money into writing code.
Spin over to my "User Experience" group on Linkedin and ask the question there. Your going to get a ton of answers.
If you're searching to find Wireframing and Mockup tools.Then you can use Balsamiq Mockups
It's having features like
Low-Fi Sketch Wireframes
Click-Through Prototypes
UI Components & Icons
Export to PNG or PDF etc
You can get more details from Balsamiq Mockups Here
I hope this will help you.
You can try out ForeUI (http://www.ForeUI.com/), which allows you to build layouts visually and export your design to HTML5 simulation. You can also manually modify the generated code to fit your needs.
Some interesting examples are available on http://www.foreui.com/store/
I'm working for Pidoco.
It's a german company based in Berlin and we develop a online prototyping tool.
We have nice features like:
Interactive prototypes
Collaboration and invitations
iOS App to simulate mobile prototypes (Android is coming soon)
You can start with a 30 days free trial and then plans are starting at 9$ per month.
Here is the complete list of mockup tools:
http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?GuiPrototypingTools

Adobe Flex ToggleSwitch alternative for desktop applications

I am looking for a ToggleSwitch alternative for a Adobe Flex desktop application that I am working on.
For ref:- http://help.adobe.com/en_US/flex/mobileapps/WS7dd5c1363434bb70-30e3f7e3131b54bf0ee-8000.html
This functionality has been released for Mobile development, but I couldn't find an alternative to build/have such functionality for desktop environments.
The closest alternative is ToggleButton (which is same functionally, but it doesn't look anywhere similar to the ToggleSwitch.
Any help on this is greatly appreciated.
Found a solution:-
http://yonaskolb.com/blog/2012/1/18/flex-toggle-switch-spark-skin.html
Adobe still hasn't released this for desktop themes, so one would need to use the mobile component (by including them in the build path)
I didn't see the ToggleSwitch for non-air apps but you could simulate it pretty easily by doing an owner draw with the two button-states as images: http://blog.flexexamples.com/2009/02/11/styling-specific-states-in-an-fxtogglebutton-control-in-flex-gumbo/

How about using SVG(Scalable Vector Graphics) on desktop applications?

I am working in Train Traffic Controller software project.
My responsibility in this project is to develop the visual railroad GUI.
By now I am using some svg graphics in that GUI.
I prefer them because of their scalability talents.
Is it good or bad idea to use svg in a desktop application?
Any suggestions?
nothing wrong with it!
things like WPF are effectively the same thing, except a lot more optimized for UI.
I guess the tricky thing is hooking into the elements of the svg to give it extended functionality.

I need to design usa interactive Map in flex

i need of simple UsA map in flex ,all Area need to be click able as button .
Is there any tool available for designing buttons in various shape in flex or any build in free map is available in flex.
As vector format so that zoom in will not affect the quality.
i need to design like as shown in this site
http://www.futurevision.com.ua/products/usa_flash_map.php
This is the Degrafa Map Demo. It is still in the samples section so perhaps the site was down at the time.
data viz sample page here:: http://www.degrafa.org/samples/data-visualization.html
Load the "Map Dashboard" sample and Right click/View source to get at the code.
Cheers
Jason.
I posted a similar question a while ago but needed more customization.
I used SVG path data in Degrafa to create custom maps of the world, continents, USA.. for a customer. Degrafa used to have a nice US map demo (with source code) as part of its samples, but it disappeared from the web. I don't know of any tool that would help to design clickable Flex shapes. I have no doubt though that Degrafa will provide more support and tools for converting and using SVG.
Some products I found: ilog, ArcGis
And also found this open-source library : GeoVis (birdeye)
But it's very unstable and haven't seen many changes recently.
I'll do that (or, I'll have a designer to do that) in illustrator, and then import the vector format in flex, with the [Embed] metadata.
I don't know if it is a downside for you (for me is a plus), but in this way you have to do everything in code, not with the FlexBuilder UI.

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