Saturday, February 28, 2009

final icon set


Summation of unique design decisions: One of my design decisions included a rule set of: severe detail reduction (in comparison to my original illustrations), a separated element, some rounded edges and some sharp edges. Also, since the theme of my set is journey, I added motion to some of the objects by placing them on an angle or placing one on an elevated plane (as in the case of the walking boot).

Project discoveries: One of the discoveries I found to be true within icon creation is, less is more. Including less is potentially clever and interesting. Additionally, an icon with minimal detail, when rendered well, can communicate a more generic object for broader audience understanding. For instance, the reference photo for my dog icon was a German Sheppard. By focusing on only vital details, such as ears, snout, and tag, my icon resulted as a basic dog companion.

Connotations: I desired to connote an exciting travel experience rather than a hopeless one; therefore, my first design decision included reducing the objects to only positive icons. Even the money cup could be viewed as a tool of necessity, rather than tragedy, within the context of the objects surrounding it.
The connotation I am attempting to imply by confining the icons within a rounded rectangle box is travel signage. Similar connotations consistent with my theme (as learned during the final critique) are map key, camping ground post and guidebook.

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