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the open-source vector editor Inkscape and are exported in the open standard Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG) format. SVG icons are rendered by the software to display as bitmaps and are resolution independent which make them a popular choice of format for mobile devices. The style of the Oxygen icons is based on the notion that each icon category - such as Toolbar, Application or System icons - should have subtle design differences to improve identification. Oxygen also adopts two color sets, Normal and Vibrant. The Normal set is for document icons, system applications and actions. The Vibrant set is for Application and Toolbar icons. The use of two color sets is to focus users' attention and subliminally link the appearance of the icons to the tasks they represent. The Toolbar icons are rendered in a "shelf" view, but in a slight variation from Microsoft and Apple, the designs float a few pixels above a soft drop shadow.

Oxygen icons are made as SVG images with transparency and embedded bitmaps to create high quality and scalable designs.

2007 Windows Vista

Windows Vista was the first incarnation of the Aero theme (later refreshed for Windows 7 in 2009) and was a complete transformation of the Windows desktop environment. Using the Desktop Window Manager (DWM) and video memory, Windows Vista is able to render visual effects such as the Aero style glass UI elements and 3D window transitions. To accommodate the expanding market in high resolution display devices, Vista has added support for 256×256 pixel icons. Vista icons move away from the stylized look of Windows XP and take on a semi-realistic style that is similar to Mac OS X. Windows 7 was released in 2009 as a better version of Windows Vista which had drawn criticism for its User Account Control that restricted user experience with numerous alert boxes and dialogues regarding security of the PC.

Icon Factory was again asked to contribute to the design and styling of the Windows icons, this time for Windows Vista. It took two years of design proposals before Icon Factory produced a prototype of the Aero icon that was in line with the vision Microsoft had for the Vista interface. Once the design choice was made and documented it was passed onto Microsoft's design team who completed the remainder of the icon suite. With the style already planned out, the Microsoft design team made additional tweaks and edits to the Aero icon set for the release of Windows 7. The major difference between Windows Vista and 7 is the direction the icons are facing. There's no official documentation on the change, but many members of the UI design community were left pondering why the change was made.

The Aero theme was created to provide an elegant and professional user experience for Windows Vista and 7.

2011 GNOME 3.00

GNOME is an open-source desktop environment that was started as an offshoot of KDE in 1997. The first major release of GNOME was in 1999. GNOME 2.0 (2002) implemented the Tango icon specifications and the GNOME Human Interface Guidelines to create a consistent design for programs and interface elements built for GNOME. The GNOME icons have a style based around a palette of 32 colors with two perspectives, "Table" for desktop icons and "Shelf" for Toolbar icons. GNOME 2.4 (2003) added accessibility support with icon themes made for users with visual disabilities. The Accessible icon themes are Large, Low Contrast (which is set programmatically), High Contrast and Inverted High Contrast.

GNOME 3 was launched in 2011 and was a move away from the traditional desktop environment. GNOME 3 has an interface based on a technology called GNOME Shell which uses an application dock and search functionality to locate programs and processes rather than nested folder structures and desktop icons. A move forward in user experience, GNOME 3 has streamlined the UI to take advantage of touch screen technologies and deliver an unobtrusive interface that's easy to use. The icons in GNOME 3 follow the same color and perspective guides as in GNOME 2, but include slightly more realism