LeWolfYT's Guide to Weather Icons

So you want to make fanmade weather icons, but you want to know what makes a good icon. I'm here to show you what to do, and especially what not to do.

When do I need a new icon?

If a situation is particularly common and there isn't an icon that describes it when paired with other basic context (such as temperature), then an icon is warranted. That's the basic reasoning for making any icon.

Note: If you are making an icon, having a night and day version can be good if it makes more sense within context, but if a sun or moon doesn't help with understanding then it isn't recommended.

When do I absolutely NOT need a new icon?

Now that we have the relatively short list of DOs, the rest is a list of what not to do.

1. Esoteric Icons

The most common issue I've seen is icons that have a meaning that would be impossible for the average onlooker to decipher. As an example, placing clouds or the sun/moon differently depending on the time of day makes it hard to tell what the difference is unless the person is specifically told what it means.

2. Redundant Icons

Generally, icons should only show the main condition they are trying to describe. In the case of icons such as Partly/Mostly Cloudy, adding the sun or moon is okay because it gives viewers a comparison between the amount of sky and the amount of clouds. However, having a night and day variation for an icon such as basic rain is redundant since the rain is the main condition at play.

3. Hyper-specific Icons

Sometimes, a text description somewhere else is better than a specific icon for a scenario.

Much like redundant icons, hyper-specific icons describe many different conditions at the same time, usually ones that are unlikely to occur together. Usually, this ends up being dead weight as it will either never be shown, or could be replaced with a different icon and text to describe it further.

3.1. Variations

If two icons exist for the same scenario but with one difference (e.g. hot+rainy vs cold+rainy) that is easily shown by other common weather data (such as a temperature report), then it's usually a bad idea. This is fine, however, if the two different scenarios are for extreme conditions going either way.

Remember that there are always going to be some exceptions to these rules, but generally sticking to these will help you not create too many crazy icons.