The Icon
If you are planning to make a logotype that consists of the name of your project combined with a visual element then what you will be looking for is an icon that symbolizes your project in a very clear way.
The last thing we want to do therefore, is to make a picture. Symbols are not pictures, they are visual condensations of a concept, an idea, an activity. While pictures tell stories that are part of a timeline, symbols show a single condensed instance - there is no "before" and "after". Symbols therefore give an indirect or abstract reference to what it is that they represent, they do not tell stories. Big big difference from a picture, and you should be aware of this difference so that you don’t end up painting pictures instead of making a logo symbol or an icon.
These two owl visuals above will give a clear idea of what is meant by the difference between a picture and a symbol:
The owl on the left is a picture. It tells a story. We are only seeing a moment in a timeline. Something happened before this moment, and something will happen in the future. The owl on the right is a symbol. It does not tell a story. Instead, it is a representation of the “concept” of an owl. And this abstract approach is what a logotype icon calls for.
The icons below should give you an idea as to what it is that we are in search of:
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Light on Detail
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Clear form
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Good volume
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Visual definition.
Selection of Icons found on the Noun Project.
(I am showing them white on black for better visibility, but obviously they are black on white by default)
Search Terms: Nature, Organic
Search Terms: Food, Gastronomy
Search Terms: Happy, Fun
Search Terms: Coffee, Cafe
Search Terms: Communication, Internet, Network
Search Terms: Gaming, Computers
Search Terms: Sports, Activity
