An Iconic Adventure

By Anne Smith

My Quest:

I set out to make twelve adventurous icons, highlighting the sorts of things that an adventurer would need.

The Adventure Begins: Mapping out with Sketches

Once I had an idea of what I wanted to do, I pulled out my sketchbook and starting sketching. I knew that I wanted my icons to be strong, vibrant, playful, and full of action. After some initial layout work, I decided to go with a 3D angle, using shadows instead of strokes so that the icons would look like they are real and moving. 

I debated many ideas, often scrapping out sketches half finished because I knew what I wanted and some of them just didn't fit.

Once I had my sketches done, I picked six icons to start working on and turned pencil markings into vector graphics.

The Adventure Continues: Plane in the Mud

One of the hardest icons for me was the plane. An airplane is the embodiment of freedom and exploration, so I knew that it needed to stand out and look just right. After more hours of sketching and manipulating of shapes, I finally found the right balance and look for an adventure's mode of transportation.

A Light in the Darkness:

One of the most important tools of survival is light. Whether it fire, a flashlight, or a lantern, light is essential for seeing the road ahead. -Why the big change? The answer is simple, a hurricane lamp is hard to walk with let along explore with. A lantern has a handle or a hook to be hooked on a staff or a belt. 

The Adventure draws to a close: Final Touches

When I was finally happy with all of the icons, I smoothed them up and finalized them. I simplified some designs that were too complex and distracted the eye. I went over each of them with a fine toothed comb. These icons are bold, happy, and full of action. It's been an adventure.