The purpose of this assignment was to create icons that clearly communicate their purpose and remain identifiable at both full size and when reduced to the size of an iPhone icon. The task involved designing on 4X4 bristol paper and rendering it onto a smartphone to assess both sizes. Finally, the icons were presented on a black mounting board with a tracing paper cover and a label on the back.
To begin with, I sought inspiration from my phone's emojis and other effective icons that corresponded to the given words. I tried to explore beyond just the word itself and searched for other ways to represent it. For instance, for the word 'fish,' I explored different possibilities like fish as food, hobby, or pet, and ultimately decided on the fish in a bowl. After creating thumbnail sketches, I cropped them in an interesting yet identifiable way and transferred them to InDesign software for further manipulation.
Although I enjoyed making icons, one challenge I faced was reducing them and placing them on the smartphone mockup sheet due to my limited computer skills. However, mounting the project was much easier the second time. Overall, this assignment provided an excellent learning experience, preparing me for future career encounters.