Windows 8 metro style app icons, command icons, emoji, and cursors
Round 1, wide range of exploration.
Round 2, narrow down options.
Round 3, Reading List final icon on start screen tile
Round 1, wide range of exploration.
Reading List app icon
Reading List is a Windows 8 application that allows the user to quickly save an item for later viewing. This could be a web page, document, email, photo, etc.
The process for finding a good application icon went through several typical stages.
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Round 1 is brainstorming / initial sketches.
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Round 2 is discussion and selecting a narrower set of options.
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Round 3 homes in on a single representation with small tweaks to bring the image to its ideal state.
Problem: Upgrade the scanner device icon to the level of application icon.
Scanner sketches
Solution: Scanner application icon has appropriate detail and weight to compete with other application icons
Problem: Upgrade the scanner device icon to the level of application icon.
Scanner app icon
Problem: the scanner application needed an application icon and the existing scanner device icon did not have sufficient detail or visual weight to compete with the other application icons.
Solution: Referencing related device icons and applicaton icons led to several sketches. The solution is an interesting scanner image which has a good balance of detail and simplicity,
Miscellaneous symbols
Astrological animals
Emoji emotions
Miscellaneous symbols
Emoji - metro style
Start screen command bar icons.
Help Hub icons size ramp.
Reader command bar icons, size ramp.
Start screen command bar icons.
Command icons
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Start screen command icons
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Help Hub application icons
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Icons we imagined third party application developers would need
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Reader command bar icons
Windows 8 to Windows 7 comparison.
Cursor size ramp.
Windows 8 to Windows 7 comparison.
Cursor refresh Windows 8
Windows 8 cursor refresh kept the existing concepts but stripped out the gradients and drop shadows to leave crisper, flatter images. This side by side comparison shows the lighter feel of the updated cursors.
Open New Window and Open New Window in New Process flyout
Open Command Prompt and Open Command Prompt as Administrator flyout
Open New Window and Open New Window in New Process flyout
Ribbon icons Windows 8
Windows 8 Explorer ribbon icons. For Windows 8 the file explorer was "ribbonized". Adding the ribbon to the file explorer meant that existing icons needed new sizes and many existing features needed an icon for the first time.
Home tab
Share tab
Manage Application Tools tab with icons
Home tab