Level of Detail

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa511280.aspx#detail

• 16x16 size of many of these icons is still widely used and therefore important.
• The details in an icon of this size must clearly show the key point of the icon.
• As an icon gets smaller, transparency and some special details found in larger sizes should be sacrificed in order to simplify and get the point across.
• Attributes and colors should be exaggerated and used to emphasize the key forms.
• At 16x16, the icon for the portable audio device could easily be mistaken for a cell phone—so the ear piece is a key visual detail to show.
• Simply scaling down from the 256x256 size does not work.
• All sizes need relevant level of detail; the smaller the icon the more you need to exaggerate the defining details.