Swim Team Icon Set
Tasked with creating an icon set, I set out to create a cohesive group of twelve icons. Being an active swimmer myself, I decided on a swim team theme. In order for this icon set to be successful, it needed to play to an active swimmer. These icons needed to not only pull from obvious symbols of swimming but also pull from the more specialized symbols that come with being on a swim team-- catering to a more specific group of people that could use these icons. They also needed to be fun to look at, just like swimming is a fun activity/sport for many.
Brainstorming and Sketching
Getting pen to paper was the first step to get a set of icons. I always start with a written list-- get everything I think about down on paper, even if it is dumb. I thought about all the different things that make up a swim team, swimmer, and swim meet. After my word list, I picked my favorites and began sketching. I tried different angles of the icons as well as different versions of the same icon. These sketches helped me determine if the original ideas I had for my icons were going to work. I also started to understand how the forms of each icon worked together.
Establishing Rules
An icon set must be unified, so I decided to start digitally drafting the first six icons to get an idea how I wanted them to all look. I drafted multiple versions of the same icon with different detail accents, trying to figure out which ones worked best. Ultimately, I went with an overall rule of two line strokes and two dots. In a few places that rule is broken to add some variety.
Sizing and Finalizing the Group
After establishing the rules for my icon set, I was able to hammer out seven more icons to complete the group. I created an additional icon, the dive block, as I wasn't sure if I needed to replace something with it. After some discussion with some fellow designers, we determined that the snorkel should be on the chopping block as it communicates more snorkeling than swimming. At this time, I also worked on the sizing of the icons. Using the same sized rectangle, I placed each icon inside them. I used this as a basis for how wide and tall the icons needed to be. Some of the icons break the size guide on purpose, as their shape needed to appear the same size of the other icons.
The Final Lineup
After more refinements, such as rounding off my corners, distancing all the detail strokes the same distance from the main stroke, and adjusting my curves, I laid out the final set of twelve icons. This set does exactly what it was set out to accomplish-- uses symbols both from your typical symbols for swimming as well as symbols that an "insider" would know about. The bold colors make the icons entertaining to look at and reflect the spirit of swimming as a sport.
