When an SVG, illustration, or icon is not clear, change the idea behind it. Do not keep trying to fix the same image. The meaning must stay the same, but the picture can change.
By Pawan Nayar · from the LLOS AI Learning record
When an SVG, illustration, or icon is not clear, change the idea behind it.
Do not keep trying to fix the same image. The meaning must stay the same, but the picture can change.
If an SVG, illustration, or icon looks broken, strange, or means something unintended, do not keep changing the same design. The designer should choose a new idea that shows the same meaning. The meaning is very important. The specific picture is not as important. Some ideas are hard to draw well in small sizes. For example, a maze with many lines can look messy. Other shapes can make people think of something unintended. For example, an oval body shape with an inner circle might look like an egg or something sexual. Trying to fix a bad idea wastes time. Choosing a new, simpler idea can create a good picture quickly. If the image looks strange after two tries, change the idea. If users say the image means something wrong, like something about the body or sex, change it right away. Do not try to make small changes to fix it. The combination of shapes is the problem.
A designer creates an icon for 'inner self' using a body outline with an inner figure. Users report the icon looks like something sexual. The designer does not try to change the inner figure slightly. Instead, the designer pivots to a new concept like concentric circles or a mandala to represent 'inner self'. This new concept avoids the unintended meaning.
Resolved from this lesson's own record — real definitions, not invented for this page.
More from the same record, pulled by shared topic — not written new for this page.
A developer can create a visual language for business verbs. Each verb needs a minimalist SVG shape.
If an SVG illustration does not work after two tries, the concept is probably too complex. The developer should change the visual idea.
A developer should follow a specific protocol for toolbar icons. The protocol uses three metaphors for each tool.
A developer must follow a four-phase process. This process goes from a word to a metaphor.
When an SVG, illustration, or icon is not clear, change the idea behind it. Do not keep trying to fix the same image. The meaning must stay the same, but the picture can change.