🎨Icon Contest #22 - Poll

[Footman16]

Create 3 ability icons for a neutral creep of your choosing (you can only choose one.)
(Examples of Creeps. ) "Neutral Creep Ideas"
Please state your chosen neutral creep in the comments so others know which you have chosen. Lastly, 2 users can choose the same neutral creep but please do not copy each others works for the same outcome.

CONTESTANT	ENTRY
@AnyNameYouWish​ ​	Death Revenant Icons
@Panda​	- Wildkin's Abilitys -
@Snake Akuma​	Infernal Abilities
@Villagerino​	Succubi Abilities
@PrinceYaser​	Faceless One Deathbringer Abilities
@Darkfang	Salamander

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• No submission may violate any of the site rules.
• Your work must be mostly (50%) freehand.
• You must show at least 2 unfinished previews (WIP) for each of your submissions, before the deadline, as proof that they're yours. Minimum canvas size is 256 x 256 pixels.
• The icons must be made specifically for the contest. No previous works are allowed.
• Submissions must follow the contest theme.
• The icons must be physically attached to a post when complete and uploaded to the icon section. Icons mustn't be updated once uploaded, until the contest poll is over.
• Judges may not participate in the contest.
• No irrelevant, non-constructive or off-topic posts will be tolerated in this thread.
• Teamwork is not allowed.
• Final works need to be a set size of 64x64 not reforged size parameters.
• Copy and Pastes, trace-overs, AI use, or stealing anyone's artwork is not permitted.
• Referencing photos is permitted as long as you show those images in your final post.
• Use of textures and filter work is permitted.

-->Breaking any of these rules may lead to punishment in the judgement score, up to disqualification from the contest, depending on the weight of the issue. In case of doubts towards a certain rule you are very encouraged to discuss it in the contest thread so others and judges may help with sorting it out.<--

• 1st place: 850 experience points and $10 (courtesy of @Diegoit)
• 2nd place: 650 experience points
• 3rd place: 450 experience points
• Entry: 150 experience points
• Judge: 45 experience points per entrant

The three winners will receive an Award Icon representing the winning entry.
Winning a contest also unlocks Demon Rank icons (at least two wins is required).

• Footman16

Technical Note	How well-drawn the submissions are, in terms of quality & artistry. Elements such as the colour, shape, definition, clarity, shading, realism, proportions, details, and expressiveness will be considered.	/10
Creativity	How unexpected and creative are the ideas? How original and unique?	/10
Blizzard Style	Is the style similar to standard Warcraft 3 icons or is it different in some way?	/5
Theme	Are the icons following the contest theme? Does the icons represent the neutral creep that they have chosen?	/5
/20

Results calculation

• Judgement: 70%
• Poll: 30%

Final Score = (30*Reached_Votes/POSSIBLE_VOTES) + (70*Average_Judge_Score/POSSIBLE_SCORE)

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The poll shall begin on June 1st, 2026 and conclude on July 1st, 2026 GMT (day is included).

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Assigned Staff: Footman16

Contest | Results

 

[Kyrbi0]

Excellent work all, great turnout. For my vote I'll be going with Villagerino; simply the most Warcraft-y of the bunch by a lot, and very cool to boot.

Thanks for setting up the poll Footman!

 

[Barbafire]

Well well, quite difficult to choose. This poll doesn't let us easily choose a winner xd.

 

[Panda]

Happy voting!

 

[Hotel]

These all came out great! Def a hard one to pick.
I gotta keep an eye out for the next one so I can join in on the fun.

 

[Panda]

These all came out great! Def a hard one to pick.
I gotta keep an eye out for the next one so I can join in on the fun.

Once this ones done id like to do another maybe a month or 2 down the road but well see.

 

[bi_a_op]

Excellent work all, great turnout. For my vote I'll be going with Villagerino; simply the most Warcraft-y of the bunch by a lot, and very cool to boot.

Thanks for setting up the poll Footman!

Exactly my reasoning as well.

 

[Panda]

Poll will close soon, we should see results sometime soon!

 

[Lethal Styles]

I've got to vote for Villagerino. His whole presentation along with the artwork is really impressive.

I had PrinceYaser as a close second but perhaps too much detail for an icon that size.

Also inspires me to continue learning digital painting. (Just started dabbling) I'll try and level up so I can participate one day.

Great job guys!

 

[Villagerino]

I'd like to play the critic for a bit (before I become a super-duper expert in this field ) and evaluate the submissions.

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If I look at the icons from a distance, so to speak, without knowing the ability descriptions, I see the following:

AnyNameYouWish features a soul-pulling effect, then a sort of spinning of the spirit, and... another instance of soul or life extraction.

From Panda I observe a sort of howl/roar, then a distinct claw swipe, and then a kind of rage - judging by the bright red glow around the eye.

I find it hard to make out the first icon from Snake Akuma; the second one I adentify as a stomp - that's pretty obvious - and the third as some kind of clap or force disc.

In the first icon from Prince Yaser, I see slightly writhing tentacles surging in one direction, and I interpret this as a form of penetration or piercing. Next, I observe a brain - from which certain waves emanate - (and what appears to be an eye), and I associate this icon with some form of interference with the mind. I find the last icon hard to decipher; to me, it looks something like tentacles wrapping around an object in the center. The underlying meaning isn't entirely clear, and I'm at a loss to say exactly what action is being depicted.

For me, Darkfang's icons are defined quite clearly: a sort of lava-like shell or coating; then a stomp (here, I feel the impact of the foot hitting the ground lacks emphasized dynamism, specifically a trail effect like the one seen in the standard Stomp icon for the Tauren Chieftain or Sea Giant); and, of course, a tail swipe.

Here, I briefly finished going over readability, definition and clarity.

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In terms of variety and creativity, almost everyone largely opted for similar tonal and color schemes; therefore, to ensure the meaning of the icons isn't lost, I feel it is necessary to make the main objects stand out more clearly.

In AnyNameYouWish's artwork, the effects depicting the extraction of power from the skulls look rather blurry; the energy barely stands out in terms of tone or outline, and the objects themselves are similar, differing mostly in scale. Consequently, if a single unit possessed all three icons, I would find it difficult to distinguish between the ability effects. The presence of similar objects with rather blurred effects prevents me from arguing in favor of diversity and creativity.

Panda's icons also feature similar tones, but with more dynamic colors and greater clarity - specifically a clear distinction between the main objects and the effects. This makes them much easier to read, even though the unit's face appears in two of them. The combination of claws and the first face - or claws and the second face - seems like a logical way to showcase the unit's ability set; however, one of the face icons strikes me more as a supplementary element than an attempt to identify a third unique trait that would justify using a different visual element.

It seems Snake Akuma had the tougher task, since the subject itself is just essentially a humanoid heap of smooth, solid-colored stones without a range of additional distinct elements like armor, weapons (or even team-color ). That definitely called for some creative effort, and I respect the fact that he actually sought out a specific model to demonstrate this very effect (and ended up using my model without even realizing it

). The stomp icon seems logical and essential to me, but unfortunately, I still can't make out the first icon. I think that instead of an impact or a clap, I would expect some kind of fiery rain of similar fel-stones, or a massive, super-intense ignition featuring a black silhouette inside and a powerful blaze surrounding it (a.k.a. Illidan's Immolation).

Among Prince Yaser's icons, the first and third somewhat undermine each other's distinctiveness and compete for uniqueness; only the shapes of the objects set them apart. The scale and high level of detail hinder quick, easy visual recognition. For me, this manifests as a feeling that it makes sense to scale up the objects and their details, and to use outlines that vary in color and thickness to highlight details and convey dynamism before we seek to unleash a creative approach.

The DarkFang's icons approach the unit from every angle: there is a distinct head, a foot, and a spiky tail. Thanks to the clear outlining of objects, we do not get lost in a sea of uniform red. The approach to icon variety is logical rather than abstract, yet the first icon - featuring a lava-like coating - hints at something visually unconventional. With the second and third icons, I felt a lack of dynamism - specifically, a sense of a trail that would convey the movement of the objects.

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A quick word on the "Warcraft feel" and authenticity: the icons that come closest (after my own ) to my ideal are the works of DarkFang and Panda. I'm talking about the scale, overall composition, perspective, the tilt of the main objects, and how they stand out against the background effects; as well as colors and certain features - including how the ability's effect is conveyed compared to standard Blizzard icon-based means of visualization.

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Ultimately, a combination of factors and the emotional impact of Panda's icons led me to cast my vote for Wildkin. Next up is the judge's evaluation (wishing you good health and enough time for all the projects on Hive, ha-ha), good luck to everyone!

 

[Footman16]

OK the full poll is wrapped!

Now that means I need to stop procrastinating and get around to writing up my judgements. I'll try and get it done within the next couple of weeks.

I'll also try and not look at the poll results until I've finished my write-ups so as to not bias myself. Once I've got my judgements written, I can lock this thread and post the results with a lovely excel spreadsheet.

 

[Kyrbi0]

inb4 thread lock