Icon Sets

My WIP icon set for the museum 

    Our current infographic project involves creating an entire wayfinding system for Peoria's children's museum. One of the key elements of any good wayfinding system is the icon set. While some icons, like restroom and coatrooms are universal, others are open to interpretation. I just wanted to take a moment to discuss what goes into to creating a cohesive and clear set of visual icons.
    First of all, icons need to be universal. Don't try to get metaphorical or complex, with pictograms the first thing that comes to mind is often the best choice. Sites like iconfinder.com and thenounproject.com can also be great for determining what the universal symbols for ideas are. A pictogram should be able to clearly communicate an idea visually , without the need for language. Some of the best examples of of icon sets come from wayfinding systems for the olympic games. The designers of these sets are forced to create images that cross both language and cultural barriers. My favorite example of these has always been Lance Wyman's work for the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. They were colorful and simple, but also integrated a lot of pattern that helped to unify the work.

That's really the second most important aspect of crafting a set of pictograms, they need to feel like a unified set. It is essential to maintain a unified line weight and level of complexity across the board. Notice how Wyman's graphics all maintain the aesthetic of white on a bright color with very simple shapes. Another thing that unifies the pictograms is there consistent visual weight. Although the images might have varying amounts of negative and positive space, they are all sized to pack the same visual punch. It is always a good idea to design all of your icons on a grid in order to make sure that they are proportional to each other. Ultimately however, it is up to the artist's eye to determine whether something should be scaled to equalize visual weight. 

   The final factor to consider is scalability. Icons should be able to function at a variety of sizes, from a phone screen to signage. It is a good idea to work small and then scale up later. Another popular option is to create two sets; a simpler one for extremely small sizes and a more complex set for larger sizes. Just because something looks fantastic on your screen doesn't mean it will be legible on someone's old iPhone 4. 

   Although my designs above are a work in progress, I attempted to maintain a consistent level of complexity and visual weight across them. I'm liking how they are turning out so far, but they could certainly use more work.