When we design a set of icons, they should feel like a family. Go easy on the little parts and make sure your icons read clearly, even at small sizes. When you design, be strategic about the kinds of detail you choose to include. As things get small, too much detail begins to get lost. We’re often slapping icons in tiny places, like the tab bar on an iPhone. As long as the icon and its function is still instantly recognizable, it’s perfectly OK to add your own design flair! 3. If it is, we can still give it a creative twist. Does this mean there is no room for creative freedom? Fortunately, it doesn’t! If the icon isn’t representing functionality governed by standards, we can let our creative juices flow. This is not so conducive to a smooth user experience!īefore designing your icon, look around to identify any standards you might need to keep in mind as you work. Using a different icon requires the user to learn something new, slowing them down as a result. We’ve become familiar with specific icons that signify standard functionality.Ĭonsider the little magnifying glass we see everywhere that says “search.” Magnifying glasses aren’t the only item that can say “search.” However, we’ve used them so frequently that they have now become the standard search icon. We’re creatives, after all! However, we’ve got standards we wish to adhere to. It’s tempting to want to design a brand new, crazy novel icon or set. In these cases, we make sure the starting and end points that make up the diagonal sit on the grid. We wouldn’t be able to make them fit because the grid is made up of vertical and horizontal lines, no diagonals. Now, let’s look at the diagonals that make up the roof for a sec. You can tell by looking at the lines that make up the pixel grid-they cut right through the stroke. On the right, the stroke falls slightly off. On the left, you’ll see an icon made up of strokes that fit perfectly into the pixel grid. Let’s take a look at what this looks like in practice.īelow, I drew a simple house icon and left the pixel grid turned on. Avoid decimal points at all costs-these guys yield blurry edges. The easiest way to make sure your icons fit snugly into the pixel grid is to stick to whole numbers. When designing icons, you’ll want to pay close attention to the pixel grid and how your icon fits into it. Many things in digital design are governed by a grid. In this section, we’ll go over seven key considerations to keep in mind as you design icons.
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How to design an icon from scratch (step by step).7 Golden rules for the icon design process.Then we’ll put our theory into practice, designing a camera icon from start to finish. First, I’ll show you seven key considerations to keep in mind when designing icons from scratch.
In this guide, we’re going to walk through the icon design process step by step. There are also some guidelines to keep in mind which will help to ensure that your icons are recognizable and user-friendly. When it comes to designing a new set of icons from scratch for a new project, it’s essential to allocate enough time to the process. Whether you’re an aspiring user interface designer or a UX designer looking to brush up on some visual design skills, the icon design process is a crucial one to have in your toolkit. They are everywhere these days, and play a massive role in the success of user interfaces (UIs). Warning: preg_match(): Compilation failed: invalid range in character class at offset 4 in /customers/7/d/a//httpd.tiny little symbols that say so much. Warning: preg_match(): Compilation failed: invalid range in character class at offset 4 in /customers/7/d/a//httpd.on line 1384