Thinking in Icons ─ Designing and Creating Effective Visual Symbols

From the most refined corporate visual systems to the ubiquitous emoji, icons have become an international language of symbols as well as a way to make a wholly unique statement. In Thinking in Icons, artist and designer Felix Sockwell takes readers through the process of creating an icon, covering many styles and visual approaches. Sockwell also offers examples of his collaborations with Stefan Sagmeister, Debbie Millman, and other high-profile designers, and features the work he has done with an impressive roster of blue-chip international brands, including Apple, Facebook, Google, Hasbro, Sony, The New York Times, and Yahoo.

Felix Sockwell is an artist, graphic designer, and art director who specializes in the creation of logos, icons and icon systems, murals, and animations. He has worked with many high-profile brands to develop logos and icon systems, and developed the GUI (graphic user interface) for the first iPhone. He lives in Maplewood, NJ. See more of his work at www.felixsockwell.com

For 33 years, Steven Heller was an art director at the New York Times, originally on the OpEd Page, and for almost 30 of those years with the New York Times Book Review. Currently, he is co-chair of the MFA Designer as Author Department, Special Consultant to the President of SVA for New Programs, and writes the Visuals column for the New York Times Book Review. He was the recipient of the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum's 2011 Design Mind Award. He writes frequently for Metropolis and other design magazines, and is author, co-author, and editor of over 100 books on design and popular culture. He also writes The Daily Heller blog (imprint.printmag.com/daily-heller). He lives in New York City. Visit him online at www.hellerbooks.com.