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Skillshare

Icon Design: Creating Pictograms with Purpose

via Skillshare

Overview

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Ever get annoyed at your housemates for leaving dirty dishes in the sink? Or want to change something about your surroundings using visual communication? This 45-minute class with the co-founder of the Noun Project — a crowdsourced visual dictionary of 150,000+ icons — will teach you how to design your own "KindSign" based on your environment and beliefs.

From concept to context, sketching to vectoring, and even some DIY tips and tricks to build a physical version of your finished piece, you’ll walk away from this class with a fun, custom icon that creates action. This iconography course is perfect for graphic designers, web designers, art directors, and illustrators who want to put some purpose in their pictograms, and ultimately turn art into action.

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Need a quick introduction to designing icons in Illustrator before you start making your KindSign? Enroll in Edward's first class for free: Illustrate Your Day: An Intro to Symbol Design. 

You can also bring your icons into a repeat pattern for print with the Noun Project's designer Kimi Lewis. Enroll in her free class: Designing Repeat Patterns: From Icons to Apparel and Beyond.

Syllabus

  • Introduction
  • Project
  • Why is Visual Communication Important?
  • Semiotics
  • Selecting Your Sign's Concept
  • Establishing the Tone of Your Sign
  • Examples for Inspiration
  • Sketching
  • Building Your Illustrator File
  • DIY Signmaking
  • Conclusion

Taught by

Edward Boatman

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