Easy Steps to Better Icon Design
No doubt, you can find some well- designed vector icons that are inexpensive and easily available online. Thousands of high – quality free and premium icon sets are available. But before you choose anyone, you must aware of the difference between “not quite good enough” and “premium quality” icons as it has a great impact on the design. In this article, we will discuss principles of effective icon design in six steps including the basics of sound icon design, consistency, legibility and clarity.
Three Attributes of Effective Icon Design Icons that are well-designed follows a methodological approach to the three major attributes that make up any design. Even if you are creating a single icon, consider these attributes in an iterative approach. Structure or Form Structure is the most basic part of an icon. The most successful icon designs follow simple, recognizable patterns or forms. The primary geometric shapes – circle, square, and triangle – create a visually stable foundation for icon designs. Character The character of an icon is made up of the elements that are shared within a single icon and across an icon set. Identity The “identity” is the soul of an icon which makes it unique. Identity determines whether or not it “works”. Character and Identity often overlap. Identity elements shared by several icons become part of the Character of a set. The Six Steps ALWAYS START WITH A GRID Here is a guide to help you create the underlying form of each icon design. Avoid putting any part of the icon in “no go zone” space unless absolutely necessary. The purpose of this space is to create some breathing room around the icon.
START WITH SIMPLE GE OMETRIC SHAPES Start your icon designs with the major shapes like circles, rectangles and triangles. Start with the shape tools in Adobe Illustrator.
BY THE NUMBERS: EDGE S, LINES, CORNERS, C URVES AND ANGLES Inconsistency in corners, curves and angles can diminish the quality of an icon. PIXEL-PERFECTION Pixel-perfect alignment is important when designing for small sizes. Aligning the icon to the pixel grid will make the edges perfectly crisp on straight lines and more crisp on precise angles and curves.
USE CONSISTENT DESIG N ELEMENTS AND ACCEN TS ACROSS ICONS The elements that build aesthetic unity can still tie the set together. USE DETAILS AND DECO RATIONS SPARINGLY Icons should quickly communicate an object, idea or action. Too many small details will introduce complexity, which can make the icon less recognizable. The level of detail is an important aspect of aesthetic unity and recognizability of the in icon set. MAKE IT UNIQUE The number of talented designers are creating high-quality icon sets every day. But many of them rely on the trends or the styles of the most popular designers. As creative web designer, we should create something out of the box by exploring some other areas such as architecture, typography, industrial design, psychology, nature where we can find the inspiration. Hope this article you create premium quality icons. For more details see here. Master in web design practice.
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