What makes an icon? Most often, we experience icons that are a graphic representation of some utility, content, concept, or culture. I have been designing icons for years and it is pretty straight forward.
You want to convey some utility, you identify a theme and blow-it-out. Add some dramatic rendering and the icons will jump of the page.
Many of the icons are alternate representations of folders. Why folders? Why virtual representations of containers we have already designed? They are all places to put stuff. What about under a rock?
When Apple first introduced large beautiful icon rendering in the OSX Operating system, there was a brand new world of possibilities. That made me think about the utility of the system icons and so I created a set of rocks for my desktop.
I posted the set on x-icons.com and shortly after their these icons began to circulate around the globe.
Macworld Italia was the first magazine to request permission to include the icons in their monthly issue. Then MacFan in Japan.
Ultimately the icons were donated to Apple Computer’s product development.
Feel free to download the set and share with friends.
I continued to develop the concept by scanning antique cloisonné pill boxes my Grandmother picked up over seas. She used to bring them out for my daughters to play with when we would visit. Beside sentimental value they have a functional value of storing small precious or important things. Again, another metaphor for our digital lives, sentimental texts, tweets, emails, photos and videos. Albeit virtual, we can impart material or physical meaning by designing icons that represent precious containers.
Feel free to download the set and share with friends.
