“OMFG” seems to be the current mood in the design community over the new set of Adobe Creative Suite icons which employ a “periodic table/color wheel remix” visual style.
Personally, I don’t mind the alpha-symbol approach but my concern is with the color choices. Why not group the image-editing applications (Photoshop, Illustrator, Freehand, Fireworks, etc.) and web-development applications (Flash, Dreamwaver, Cold Fusion) in similar hues to suggest a true work flow within each discipline?
Better yet, why not spend some real time (and $ signs) to design a simple yet recognizable icon on par with Adobe Acrobat. Clearly Adobe recognizes the value in the Acrobat icon because it’s the only non-lettered symbol of the bunch.
I imagine the Adobe folks were overwhelmed by the number of apps under their umbrella and arrived at the most sensible solution. Nevermind the icons, I just hope the apps are an improvement.
I was just listening to Interpol - Untitled