How to make an Android menu icon using Inkscape

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The Android 2.3 Gingerbread menu icons have a standard look and feel to them, according to the Android Menu Icons Design Guide at http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/ui_guidelines/icon_design_menu.html. It is possible to use Inkscape to create menu icons for Android as illustrated in the steps below.

Create and setup the document

  1. Run Inkscape. Select File | Document Properties.

    The Document Properties dialog box appears.
  2. In the Width and Height fields, type in the largest menu icon hdpi size e.g. 72 pixels. Close the dialog box.

  3. Use the Create Rectangles and Squares (F4) command and place a square on the page to serve as the recommended bounding box 48x48 pixels for the icon.
  4. Select the rectangle. Change the Width and Height to 48 pixels.
  5. Select Object | Align and Distribute.

    The Align and Distribute pane appears.
  6. Set the Align Relative to Page. Click on the Center to Vertical Axis and Center to Horizontal Axis buttons.

  7.  Select Layer | Layers.

    The Layers pane appear.
  8. Rename the layer to Guide 48x48.

Construct the icon
  1. In the Layers pane, add a new layer above the Guide layer and name it as Star.

  2. Click the Create Stars and Polygon (*) command. Place a star on the page.

  3. Select the star. If necessary, change the fill to black and remove the stroke.
  4. In the Align and Distribute pane, click the Center to Vertical Axis and Center to Horizontal Axis buttons to align the star to the center of the page.

  5. Select Object | Fill and Stroke.

    The Fill and Stroke pane appears.
  6. Click the Fill tab. Change the type to Linear Gradient. Click the Edit button.

    The Gradient editor dialog box appears.
  7. For the first stop, type in 8c8c8cff in the RGBA field.
  8. Select the second stop in the combo box. Type in b2b2b2ff in the RGBA field. Close the Gradient editor.

  9. Now click the Edit Paths by Nodes (F2) command. Click on the star.
  10. Move the gradient handles so that the dark stop is at the bottom and the lighter stop is at the top.

  11. In the Layers pane, make a duplicate of the star layer below the Star layer. Lock the duplicate layer. Turn off the Guide layer. 
Create the shadow and highlight effects
  1. In the Layers pane, click the Star layer to make it active.

  2. Click the Create Rectangles and Squares (F2) command. Place a rectangle which covers an area larger than the page.

  3. Select the star and the rectangle together.
  4. Select Path | Exclusion.

    An inverse of the icon is created.
  5. Select the inverse icon and change the fill to black and the stroke to white.

  6. In the Fill and Stroke pane, click the Fill tab. Change the Blur to 4.0. Change the Opacity to 50.

  7. Use the arrows in the X and Y fields to nudge the shadow a few times to the right and bottom.

  8. Now select the copy of the star icon. Press CTRL+C to copy it to the clipboard.
  9. In the Layers pane, select the Star layer which contains the shadow and highlight effects to make it active.

  10. Select the star and the shadow and highlight effects.
  11. Select Object | Group.

    The icon and the effects are grouped together.
  12. Select Edit | Paste in Place.

    A copy of the star icon is placed on top of the group.
  13. Select the star and the group.

  14. Select Object | Clip | Set.

    The menu icon is created.
Export as PNG
  1. Select File | Export Bitmap.

    The Export Bitmap dialog box appears.
  2. Select Page.
  3. In the Width and Height fields, type in the appropriate pixel dimensions for the Android hdpi, mdpi, ldpi resolutions.
  4. Select the output folder and filename. Click Export.

    The Android menu icon is created

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