Bug 512486 - Circular app icons much smaller than square
Summary: Circular app icons much smaller than square
Status: CONFIRMED
Alias: None
Product: Breeze
Classification: Plasma
Component: Icons (other bugs)
Version First Reported In: unspecified
Platform: Other Other
: NOR minor
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: visual-bugs-null
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2025-11-22 19:38 UTC by edpeterson421
Modified: 2025-11-23 19:35 UTC (History)
4 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed/Implemented In:
Sentry Crash Report:


Attachments
in the picture, the k3b icon is smaller than the kleopatra icon (115.46 KB, image/png)
2025-11-22 19:38 UTC, edpeterson421
Details
here I’ve overlapped the two icons (25.28 KB, image/png)
2025-11-22 19:40 UTC, edpeterson421
Details
another example (30.25 KB, image/png)
2025-11-22 19:42 UTC, edpeterson421
Details
meanwhile the main "competitor" compensates for this correctly (33.69 KB, image/png)
2025-11-22 19:44 UTC, edpeterson421
Details

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Description edpeterson421 2025-11-22 19:38:45 UTC
Created attachment 187074 [details]
in the picture, the k3b icon is smaller than the kleopatra icon

SUMMARY
Circular app icons are much smaller in area than square app icons.

STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. go to apps.kde.org
2. scroll down to the row in the picture
3. observe the K3b icon is smaller than the kleopatra icon

OBSERVED RESULT
Both icons should appear the same size

EXPECTED RESULT
The K3b icon is visibly smaller

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Windows: 
macOS: 
(available in the Info Center app, or by running `kinfo` in a terminal window)
Linux/KDE Plasma: 
KDE Plasma Version: 
KDE Frameworks Version: 
Qt Version: 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Comment 1 edpeterson421 2025-11-22 19:40:10 UTC
Created attachment 187075 [details]
here I’ve overlapped the two icons
Comment 2 edpeterson421 2025-11-22 19:42:16 UTC
Created attachment 187076 [details]
another example
Comment 3 edpeterson421 2025-11-22 19:44:12 UTC
Created attachment 187077 [details]
meanwhile the main "competitor" compensates for this correctly
Comment 4 edpeterson421 2025-11-22 19:46:50 UTC
Please consider updating either the circular app icons to be bigger or the square app icons to be smaller. Thank you for your otherwise excellent work on Breeze icons!
Comment 5 edpeterson421 2025-11-22 20:01:24 UTC
I have also posted this to here: https://invent.kde.org/frameworks/breeze-icons/-/issues/39
Comment 6 Nate Graham 2025-11-23 19:35:57 UTC
Indeed, the optical sizes aren't balanced here.

This is a tricky issue, though, for a number of reasons:
1. If we do balance the optical sizes, then square and circular icons won't have edges that align vertically or horizontally anymore, which drives a different set of people crazy.
2. Optical balance requires margins for at least the square icons, so that the round icons can intrude into the margin area. This means closing the door to the possibility of margin-less icons. That in turn closes the door to the possibility of icons whose edges are aligned to margin-less UI elements. That's important when using flat ToolButtons which have no frame that aligns to anything, and this is something that people complain about.
3. Re-doing all of the circular and.or square icons would be a lot of work.