Responses by Jon Dowling, cofounder and designer, Counter-Print.
Background: Our book Iconic: Icons and Pictograms in Design Today explores the creative and contemporary uses of icons and pictograms in modern design. Targeting graphic designers, the book delves into how these symbols are integrated into branding and digital interfaces to create a new graphic language. Highlighting innovative projects from around the world, it emphasiszs the role of visual communication in transcending language barriers and enhancing user interaction.
Design thinking: The foreword was fun to write and tried to give an overview (though there is a lot to fit in) of the evolution of icons and pictograms. The book is then divided into four sections: Pictograms in Branding, Pictograms as Logos, Pictograms in Way Finding and Icon Systems. Each section is illustrated by its own icon and the design is kept incredibly simple, acting as a framework for the beautiful design on show. We used two primary colors, black and signal green—this fluorescent color nods to the digital age and its impact on icon design.
Challenges: Revitalizing the seemingly dry theme of pictograms by finding a contemporary twist. Initially, we focused on wayfinding but struggled to make the concept engaging. The breakthrough came when we observed how modern designers use pictograms as a visual shorthand to create a graphic language. This approach made the theme feel vital and relevant, and we could explore both abstract icons and literal pictograms in innovative and creative ways.
Favorite details: I’m incredibly passionate about all the projects included because each showcases unique approaches to the theme of the book.
The GOGO identity by Meat Studio, for example, fantastically blends nostalgia and modernity. I love how the eight-by-eight-pixel grid used to represent food offerings brings a playful, video game–themed aesthetic to a fast food and convenience store brand. The chunky, pixelated icons are not only humorous but also evoke a sense of nostalgia, reminding us of the 8-bit era of gaming.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 launch event project by Studio Werk is also a brilliant example of an innovative icons. The use of the phone’s camera lens design motif—three consecutive circles—to represent various features of the Galaxy S23 is both subtle and impactful. It’s impressive how this motif was used to convey connectivity, high-resolution capabilities, sustainability, gaming and low-light performance without directly showcasing the product. Studio Werk’s project highlights the power of abstract design in creating intrigue and excitement around a new product.
New lessons: It was interesting to think about the distinction between icons and pictograms, and how their innovative applications can create a new graphic language. I think there is a difference between the two, which is why we make the differentiation in the subtitle of the book. Icons are more pictorial and often abstract, creating a visual hook for a sub-branding within an organization, for example. Meanwhile, I see pictograms as more literal—this is the way to the stairs, or these are the toilets, etc. We’ve tried to include both and concentrate on the most creative uses we could find.
Visual influences: In terms of how we edited the content, we were interested in the shift toward space-efficient, cross-cultural visual communication driven by brands like Apple and Airbnb, and the influence of screen-based design on logo aesthetics, also played a key role in our understanding of the theme. Additionally, the impact of pixel art, skeuomorphism and the global adoption of emojis are all evident within the work selected.
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