Week 3A

Began class going over assigned readings for homework.
Continued by taking some notes on "Metaphor and Icon Creation", these notes are key to our icon exploration for our next project.
What makes a good icon?

• Iconic: Simple, bold, elegant.
• Narrative: Tells a story to the viewer using simple design.
• Abstract: Complex ideas using abstract designs to explain a process.

-Icon Creative Process:

• The Brief:
• Context?
• What is it for?
• Who is it for?
• Is there a single message?
• Does it need to be an icon?
• Visual Mind Map
• Sketching in Context - Size
• Sketching in Context - Placement
• Sizing
• Application Icons - 128px - Dock, Finder Previews.

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Homework for Next Class:

• Readings: Interface Design: Pages 90 - 95
• Icons: Icons are a interface tool that visually focus attention and communicate, in a concise way, a call to action through an understandable visual metaphor. The Icon needs to clearly convey its function to the user. The image can be specifically connected to the function or be represented or abstract. There is an established iconic vocabulary that users are familiar with, example: house = homepage, envelope = email. 
• Metaphor and Context: Metaphor is the transfer of meaning from one object to another. A suitable UI metaphor is one that explains the function and facilitates action instantaneously. Must be readily understandable. Adding text labels to icons helps optimize usability, as some iconic meaning will take time to learn.
• Designing Icon Families: Due to the utility of an icon, it needs to be able to function at different sizes. The icon will also need to work at different resolutions of color display.
• The Brief: Questions for Icon Process:
• Context?
• 
  
• What is it for?
• Mixmax is a program that is used through Google Gmail. Mixmax upgrades your gmail account so that when you send emails to others, you can create a visually appealing email with different design elements. It's a drag and drop function so you can place specific elements in the email, such as content headers and placement boxes.
• Who is it for?
• Mixmax is for designers who wish to upgrade the look and professional feel of their email. When they send emails to other designers, clients, or employers, they can create a unique design experience that is visually appealing to the intended reader. Instead of just using plain text and the normal functions in an email, they are open to a broad new approach to designing emails.
• Is there a single message?
• Is the fastest way to create engaging and interactive HTML email directly from your Gmail window.
• Does it need to be an icon?
• Specifically, this program does not need to have an application icon as it is going to be a in-browser application, something that is going to be used directly in Gmail. But for this class, we will create a hypothetical application start-up icon for if this website had an application on a desktop.
• Visual Mind Map: Mind mapping exercise with illustrations:

• Sketching in Context - Size: Sketching with scale in mind: 30 Sketches: