After reading Footnote's overview it is supposed to be a note-taking application.
A new user or my granny definitely wouldn't recognise this icon as a note-taking application.
It looks rather like an application for managing books.
For me a note-application icon should contain distinguishing marks like a pen/pencil, a yellow/white paper and maybe some handwriting on it. Footnote's actual icon has none of these elements.
Scratch's icon would be perfect for a note-taking application but to avoid confusions with the icon as a code editor, a light modification should be done like for example a yellow background with another pencil. Furthermore it would avoid confusion with the perhaps future elementary word processor icon bouquin.
BTW Scratch's icon isn't good for a code editor, i reported this as a bug too.
We really need a better icon, because the current icon, in no way gives the feel that it is a note taking app. It looks more like a briefcase