What do you look for in comic icons? (before clicking on the series)

[radicles]

One thing i've noticed is that comic icons are basically like book covers, we say 'dont judge by the cover' but the most easy thing to do is skip a comic if the icon is not visually pleasing. In other times though, a perfectly placed light or nice looking drawing on the icon can drawn audience in- the question is: What kind of comic icons are the ones that call your attention?

i've seen the trend of putting the main character's face on it, putting only the logo, when its a romance theres always happy couple times on it- is using plot elements on the icon good? is there any particular color that is better? what are your favorite icons and why??

[MissMagicGirl]

Hmm, I think I most often fall for cute or interesting character designs. The art does not need to be super complicated as long as it is original and interesting. So I like when it is a picture of the main character. But a really well done logo can work as well.
I have the same picture for my comic icon ( https://tapastic.com/series/magicadvisor ) as for my avatar here in the forum. I am thinking about making a new one thought but I am not sure how it should look yet.... Any ideas?

Anyway I think it is very personal what catches peoples eyes when it comes to icons. I don't think there is any special motive that will attract all peoples attention... Unfortently...but maybe that is a good thing to. There is a comic out there for everyone to like

[joannekwan]

I'm more inclined to click on a thumbnail if I can see at least one character. They don't necessarily have to be facing the viewer. It's nice to see how well the artist can draw figures since that's what you'll be looking at in a comic most of the time.

[Ayomekum]

I like seeing a face too, especially one with some compelling emotion (smirks do it for me lol)
I've also noticed that thumbnails with two people showing some intimacy or spark between each other do well. Not like the generic romance novel poses, but something that makes you wonder about their connection

[Kayke]

I also like seeing at least one character! Character design is a big factor for me when it comes to art, so I enjoy seeing clear and interesting character design choices. I generally will not click on an icon that is just the title or a logo because that doesn't tell me much about what the style of the art is going to be.

[Michelle]

I look for nice art, because if the icon isn't well drawn, it doesn't really bode well for the comic itself. Don't judge a book by its cover, unless that book is full of pictures D;

I'm really drawn to icons that show not just well-drawn art, but stylistically unique art. If it looks like a style I've seen dozens of times, I'm less inclined to check it out.

And lastly I look for icons that relate to the genres I'm interested in, and avoid the ones I'm not into. So if it's cool or creepy or dramatic I'll probably have a look, but if it's fluffy or romantic I'll probably pass on it.

[WakaXO]

Icons depicting characters with glowing eyes get me everytime! 😅
I also like cocky smirks, and weapons to be shown in icons (I go for action comics mostly).

[nessiefynn]

Pleasant colors, fun art styles, and neat character design are what do it for me!

[eslameldeeb]

i usually open comics with well-done icons, no matter the art style, highly detailed art or wacky art, realistic looking or artsy, no matter the genre Drama, Fantasy, BL Romance.. etc.
as long as i feel that the artist is talented and experienced in that particular style, 'am all in, because that shows that the artist knows what he/she is doing.. which usually reflects on the series too.. that's what i mean with well-done icons

kinda agree with @ScampiCub on this in this topic

[rainbowolfe]

I like to see a lot of bright colors! I find most bright color combinations aesthetically pleasing, so they're sure to draw me in o3o

[katverwho]

After reading this thread I changed my user icon XD

[JessJackdaw]

Totally agree with everyone here. Close ups of the characters are great, and good character design is even better.

Hmm, what hasn't been said? Oh! Icons that depict a moment in the story that's interesting. This is quite hard, and rare to see, but it can be really cool if done right. Like I dunno, as an example, an icon shows a guy crying over a very dead unicorn. It really makes me want to click on it to see what happened. : > You get the best of both worlds, good depiction of art and a hint of story!

But ahh, don't force yourself to do an icon like this. It's hard to make such a tiny icon show enough detail to come across clearly.

[NickRowler]

I like having a character or two so that I can see the style and the quality of the comic.

I prefer comics that have a more western style over an anime style...And a prefer a more cartoony style over a more realistic comic book style.

I tend to not click on comics with an image that looks like a quick sketch drawing or a pencil sketch or anything which is over simplified (like just a smiley face or a solid color and some text)

In general, I noticed people tend to use blues, purple, reds (pinks) colors. And I notice people are less likely to use yellow-greens and oranges, plus yellows in general is less common. Colors can do a lot to set the tone of a series. A romance may use red or pinks, a drama may use blues, a comedy may use oranges. Red can also be used in horror. Green could help show "fresh green nature" but it could also be "gross and rotten". You can research colors and meanings if you feel like this is very important (don't solely take my word for it)

[ahkwardkat]

lol I have the yellow in mine as the main color, but I have blues too.

[Doubtcent]

To me, simplicity is oftentimes what I like to see. Something that gets to the point of what the comic is, what it will bring. A character is fine, but sometimes less is more.

It really depends on the theme of the comic.

[azureXtwilight]

To be honest, I would prefer if the comic icon has the same style of the comic. I mean, they should have same /similar artstyle to it. If I click on a comic with gorgeous art on the icon and the comic itself looks VERY different... I would be disappointed.

[jacintawibowo]

Yep, as everyone's pointing out, a comic icon with a character's face is the best way to go. It lets the reader know what style they'll be seeing in the comic and gives a quick glimpse of character personality :> when you have an icon with two characters, definitely try to show them interacting in a way that conveys their relationship/contrasting personalities!

[Tamanegi]

I think the icon should summarize what the comic is about. For example, draw your main character posing/doing something that shows his/her personality, or something that happens in the comic.

[TheVoidchildProject]

It's interesting to read all this. My comic icon shows my main character (who does have glowy eyes since someone above mentioned this =X) but not her actual face. More her posing, head down, cutting loose with her power. I imagined this was the kind of icon that would do my comic the most justice, but it seems it might be smarter to go with more of a close-up of her. Especially from what people are saying in here. Which I can kind of get though.

[TACOBERTO]

Hmmm
My comic icon /thumbnail and cover do not really feature any characters despite being a character driven narrative. I've opted to having the setting (the fictional city of New Hadden) as my go to background and cover with the logo of my comic ("Light and Dark") so as to not to give one character more importance over the other. Not to mention I tend to consider settings characters in of themselves.

That said I tend be put off by using the main character as the icon. I've seen it done many times and it's been done over and over with comics since the Golden age. Though from the looks of it I'm the odd one out here but I can understand why.