As the popularity of the podcasts "Thema des Tages" and "Besser leben" skyrocketed, I was approached to create a new, unified set of icons. To ensure that the icons would stand out among those of other companies, I decided to use large, colorful shapes in my design. However, there were many features that the icons needed to represent, including, but not limited to:
After research and competitor analysis I had an idea in mind. I then drew a quick picture to show the stakeholders my idea and make them agree with it. They understood it better when they saw the sketch.
In the next phase, I delved into the details to refine the project further.
While not all old icons were bad, there was a lack of unity. Thus, the redesign was necessary. The first three icons, 'THEMA DES TAGES,' 'EDITION ZUKUNFT,' and 'BESSER LEBEN,' needed to remain recognizable.
A major challenge in designing the icons was ensuring they worked well in both small and large sizes, a common issue for logo designers. This was addressed by incorporating big, colorful backgrounds and easily recognizable foreground objects. Even at small sizes, they stand out. Additional details and textures become visible when zoomed in.
All of the icons were created using vector graphics, with only the paper textures being high-resolution stock images, and the process of creating an acceptable-looking vector-based shadow was a challenging one that required a lot of effort, but ultimately resulted in a successful outcome that includes the appearance of bent paper elements that are actually 2D, achieved through the modification of the shadow effect.
