The recent trends in graphic designing have seen more focus on designs instead of text. Typography in design is still important, but designers are limiting the use of text in their designs. They only use typography to convey the most important textual information that cannot be illustrated through some design. For example, to show a discount offer, designers have to use text to convey the discount amount or percentage.
Instead of text, designers are now using other visual elements to convey the same message. This is mostly done using icons. Icons are used in mobile apps, websites, and other graphical works. Icons are a great way to convey the message while taking less space. Icons are also quick to grab users attention compared to text. People are less likely to read textual information.
You can either find a pre-designed set of icons or you can create your own set. It is better to create a custom icon when you are doing it for a big project. Creating a custom icon set for a one-off poster design, for example, is a waste of time. However, if you need to design a branding for a product, then it is better to go with custom icons to give the brand a unique look.
To create custom icon design, there are few things you need to keep in mind.
Uniqueness and Harmony
The custom icons you are designing should be unique, but at the same time, they must synchronize with the rest of the theme. The icons should stand out from the rest of the design elements, but there must be consistency. For example, the official Android apps icons all follow certain design guideline, which is called Material Design. Similarly, iOS apps icons are designed according to certain design guidelines as well.
Responsiveness
Users browse websites or use mobile apps on different screen sizes, i.e. desktop, mobile, tablet or TV. This is why it is important for your design to be versatile. If your icon gets pixelated on bigger screen size, then it will give a bad impression and will result in poor user experience. This is why it is important to design icons in vector format. Vector designs are responsive to any screen size.
Depth
Minimal icon design is good because it makes icon recognizable even in smaller screen sizes. However, plain icons are not going to catch users attention. This is why you must add some depth to your design. You can do this by adding light ray, shadow, and volume. These design elements can make even a plain icon design more interested and eye-candy.