Rockstar Icon Designer by Kate McInnes is a practical book to keep on the bedside table for nightly perusal for designers who have taken the plunge into icon design. The book runs through the history of icon use in the first graphical user interface (GUI) from Xeroxand its evolution on Mac and Windows. A whole world of visual, aesthetic and technical theory has sprung up following on from these early graphical interfaces, focusing on how to create an icon that can be fully integrated into different platforms while effectively performing its communicative function.
The second chapter centers on answering the question “What makes a good Icon?”.
A successful icon focuses strongly on concept over aesthetics and should quickly and clearly communicate its purpose.
In the subsequent chapters we leave behind conceptual considerations and topics related to visual communication and user experience, and move on to the technical issues such as file formats, icon set creation and platform guidelines. The book explains in detail all the technical requirements for creating icons for iOS, Windows, Android, etc.
Other topics related to design execution are covered extensively, including rendering styles like Hyper Realistic or Pictograms. There is also plenty of practical information on how to create icons in different perspectives and viewpoints such as one- and two-point perspective, isometric projections, flat-view icons, shelf- and desk-view icons and more.