A design team exercise to try — We’ve started a “What if” series on the Medium design team. As a counterbalance to our rigorous day-to-day process, we needed a space to zoom out, experiment, and explore more broadly. …

Icon designers have been busy this year. Major platforms like Spotify and Twitter overhauled their icon systems for better readability, consistency, and brand resonance. Long-standing icon libraries like Streamline and Font Awesome continued to expand their offering. Independent icon designers surprised me with new unique styles. Here are my top…

A flexible icon family in 6 weights Introducing Phosphor Icons, a flexible icon family for everyone. Toby Fried and I have been hard at work the last 3 months drawing 588 icons in 6 weights, building out design and developer libraries, and showcasing the product in our website. Overview 588 icons…

A rendering test. — More in the iconography series: • Foundations of Iconography • 7 Principles of Icon Design • 5 Ways to Create a Settings Icon • Icon Grids & Keylines Demystified • 3 Classic Icon Families We all want our designs to display sharp on all platforms, for all our users. To…

And why they matter — More in the iconography series: • Foundations of Iconography • 7 Principles of Icon Design • 5 Ways to Create a Settings Icon • Icon Grids & Keylines Demystified • Pixel-Snapping in Icon Design Icons communicate so much with so little. When they’re successful we hardly notice them—a pedestrian sign…

Definition, purpose, and benefits — More in the iconography series: • 7 Principles of Icon Design • 5 Ways to Create a Settings Icon • Icon Grids & Keylines Demystified • Pixel-Snapping in Icon Design • 3 Classic Icon Families An icon is a compact symbol that represents a discrete object, action, or idea. Icons…

Purpose, anatomy, and in-depth examples — More in the iconography series: • Foundations of Iconography • 7 Principles of Icon Design • 5 Ways to Create a Settings Icon • Pixel-Snapping in Icon Design • 3 Classic Icon Families If you’re a digital designer, you’ve probably encountered an icon grid before—perhaps while contributing to a set…

Learn to use an array of Illustrator features through this exercise — More in the iconography series: • Foundations of Iconography • 7 Principles of Icon Design • Icon Grids & Keylines Demystified • Pixel-Snapping in Icon Design • 3 Classic Icon Families The gear has become a ubiquitous symbol for settings in our digital applications.