@CiberSheep said in address book icon:
Let me start joking: is called «address book»
I knew this would come up and my answer is renaming it to «contacts», what it is already labelled in the drawer. You know why. But let me explain to the wider audience, because the argument holds for the actual design as well:
The idea of '90s icon design – the time when there wasn't a computer in every household – is guiding the digitally inexperienced user by depicting real world objects that he can recognize and then click. Hence, the name skeuomorphism. The problem with those icons is that one and the same physical object can be arranged and coloured in so many different ways and no arrangement is better than another. (Do you remember nitty-gritty alternative '90s icon sets?) The way out is abstraction: turning away from physical objects towards non-materialistic objects or objects associated with an action, which can then be approached by a more abstract style.
An address book contains contact data associated with a person. There we have what UT's address book icon looks like with the bookmark removed. A superb example is the music app: a musical note and everybody knows what that's good for. Let's have a look at what skeuomorphism had to offer: speakers, headphones, a walkman, a gramophone, a vinyl record etc. and any of these in various designs. I like the note.
The problem with abstract design is that finding proper abstractions for an app can be is hard. I can't claim I'm good at that.
Final note, abstract design is not to be confused with flat design. The latter is about graphic minimalism. Whether an abstract or material icon, flat design tries to express that with a minimum of strokes and colours. I think, such design works well for in-app icons. But for the drawer, I'd prefer clear, but a little more sophisticated icons.
Having said that, I'd propose avoiding references to physical objects in UT core app drawer icon design where possible. As well as app naming, but that one may be even harder.
(Another argument for the address book app in particular. Currently, a user of the app labelled «contacts» in the drawer, shell, and in-app trying to file a bug, first has to learn that the app is actually called «address-book-app». Not ideal.)
and do business cards come with picture? 
It was just an observation that with the bookmark removed, the imaginary medium carrying picture and some text next to it changes from an old-style address book towards a business card. Just for the shape of the arrangement. I didn't mean to say a business card makes a good icon. That's skeuomorphism at its best. On the contrary, the missing explicit physical medium is what appeals to me and that might work out well for other app icons, too.
Now more seriously: I guess the ribbon is there because is in the imaginery
Said that we have new and old style when it comes to the address book symbolic icon
Stylistic inconsistencies in an open-source project? Never seen that before ... 
The truth is, the red ribbon is making the icon different from the rest of bluish ones but I wouldn't oppose to take it away.
I've tinkered with making the red more pale (less saturated). Even though, compromises in graphic design usually do not work out, this could be an intermediate step. Wait and see if people complain.
As for icons getting lost among similar ones, I do have an idea ... I'll open another topic for that (later).
