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As a software developer, you must realize how important a slick, vivid user interface is to your new project. Visual elements such as toolbars and icons play ever more important roles in modern applications running in all-graphical, heavily-animated environments with an abundance of special effects such as Windows Vista. In order to get ahead or at least stay even with the competition, one must have a modern, up-to-date user interface which looks sharp even on the highest resolution, high definition monitors. With the release of Windows Vista, your new and existing products need a facelift immediately in order to not look 'aged' in the eyes of the consumers. An update to old XP-style icons is an urgent necessity.

When it comes to icons, I face the same challenge as many other software developers. Should I get the icons done by a professional designer? Or is it better to order a set of stock icons? Or should I draw the icons myself?

That's a tough question that does not have a definite answer. Each approach has its pros and cons. As a software developer, I would probably go with a matching set of ready-made icons, such as 777 Icons (http://www.777icons.com) has to offer. But what if you have a set of icons, but one or two objects are simply missing? Or what if you have an icon that looks almost, but not quite, the way you need it to be?

In that case, you'll need the right tool to retouch your existing icons or allow you to draw a new one, just like I did. After searching, I found Icon Craft by Icon Empire (http://www.iconempire.com/iconcraft/index.htm), a small yet handy utility that seems perfect for me.