How to create the perfect icon design brief
How to create the perfect icon design brief
When companies and organisations are in need of newly-designed icons, or simply want to update an existing set, teaming up with professional icon designers will provide the best results.
You will want to have input into the design process so that the icons can really reflect what your organisation or website is about. The way to ensure your icon designs meet your needs in every way is to create the perfect project brief.
It is important to create a brief that is clear and outlines the finer details in the early stages, as this will allow your designer to interpret what you actually want rather than improvising along the way. Working with your designer to devise a project brief will allow you to build a good relationship with them, and also means that you can both take the reigns.
Set out the technical requirements in your brief
It is best to get the technical details out of the way, so that you can easily establish what is and is not suitable when it comes to the creative stage that follows. For instance, you may require your icons to appear not only on your computer software applications but also on stationery, in which case your designer should know to produce high resolution or scalable vector formats.
When creating icons for a software application, you need to know whether it will support the format of your finished icon set. Some software suites are not compatible with the common PNG format, so you may need to explore alternatives such as BMP, ICO or even a XAML vector format. Determine whether you need them to be compatible with specific operating systems such as the iPad for instance. Doing this in your brief can help save you costs at a later stage.
If you are going to have icons in a series of sizes, establish the biggest and smallest in your design brief. The fine details of a large icon will not look as striking when scaled down to 16x16 pixels. Something as small as this would need to be tweaked or even completely redesigned in order to be reproduced at the same quality as its larger counterparts.
If this is not the first icon set owned by your business, application or website, you should establish whether you're after a complete makeover or whether you want to retain elements of your existing icon set to maintain familiarity with your users. Make this clear in your brief, as your designer will need to approach these requirements in very different ways.
Let your icon designer know your creative ideas
When it comes to the creative side, have faith in your designer, but remember that you are working with them and they are working on the basis of your ideas and needs, so do not be afraid to talk about what you want. Be sure to let them know what you like, and perhaps more importantly, what you don't like. They can give their professional opinion based on the feedback you give them. In the light of their advice, you may find that your icons work better in, say, a light-hearted design rather than a serious, professional one.
If you can find them, show your designer some examples of applications which have icons that you like the style of. Images are better than words for these projects, and there is no harm in taking inspiration from other applications, because your icons will be tailored to the service you provide and to your specific branding. This will range from the dimension you work in (3D for instance) to colour palettes best suited to your application.
Set out the legal status of your icon set
Ensure there are no legal issues arising. You may have your own legal team or seek external legal advice. Working with design professionals can often cut out the legal middleman as they can advise you accordingly.
Specify in your brief whether you want your company to own the full copyright to all new design creations. Professional design agencies normally give you full ownership. This is vital as it determines your ability to reproduce your finished designs, which you will most definitely be doing as your product or service expands in the market.
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