Simply Icon Packs
Any web designer will tell you how often they are using and searching for icons.
There are several places on the web that offer free icons, but typically either you are required to give credit on your page or the icon isn't part of a comprehensive matching pack, meaning you might find one icon communicating what you need but the net one you find might be a different style. On top of that, often any free or paid for icon styles are limited and you tend to see the same files on many websites.
These consistencies and uniqueness are important when doing high end work, so when I myself was searching for icons to use with my projects it hit me that I could simply draw my own.
Initially I felt I didn't have time to make them myself, but as I increasingly spent more and more time searching for the perfect icon solutions to no avail, it was clear that I couldn't afford the time not to. This ensured each icon was in the same voice, plus after creating a handful based off need within a few months of freelance design work, I had close to a completed set that I could easily use for future projects. Plus they are customizable, so I could change the width of the line, or use of color/no color depending on what I was working on so they were appropriate to the brand still.
Having these ready to go has saved me so much time in my designs, on top of that often clients are delightfully pleased to see more visual communication tools when they didn't expect it.
My partner, a developer, insisted in the value of icons like this from indie designers and encouraged me to make something with the concept. Since I'm basically always excited about starting new projects out there in the world I gladly accepted the challenge.
Hence- the birth of Simply Icon Packs!
The goal of the logo was to make sure "Icon Packs" was most clearly visible from a distance with "Simply" having some more personality. I'm able to use the "Loop & Laurel" symbol as the crown of the logo- providing a subtle link to my two names without being overt. I did some research on other icon making firms out there, and decided on the Italicized Serif font as a way to differentiate to make sure I am my own brand. I actually really like how the Loop & Laurel logo acts like a crown because it reminds me of the word royalty, and I want people to remember these icons are royalty-free and CAN be used for commercial purposes. (Of course they can't be redistributed or sold though). I also like how "Simply" is set up to potentially down the road be a new entity.
Something that sets me apart from other icon options is I prepare the icons for color- they are ready to be used as-is but they also may be edited to specific brand colors.
I also offer custom icon add-ons in case a business knows they have specific concepts to communicate that wouldn't be included in the general pack.
Currently, as of July 2nd, I have 2 icon packs available on the website (a simple SquareUp site for now) and also on my new Creative Market page! (I'll write more about that later)
- 140 Modern Business Icons color + no color (Simply Icon Packs) - Includes for free any future additions (I plan to add 10 more in the near future). Great for developers, designers, hobbyists, etc. Anyone that could benefit from having a ton of visual communication tools on hand.
- 25 Italian Food & Drink Icons color + no color (Simply Icon Packs) - Perfect for branding, packaging, store signage, menus, sky's the limit! Great for business owners, designers, bloggers, etc.
For now I am working really hard on creating lots of icons! My notebook currently has a page of Travel-related icons that I'll be polishing and bringing them into the computer.
I also want to have fun with mockups of the icons- they can really tell a story of how these icons may be used.
So that's it! Wish me luck on creating lots of new icons. It's fun for me to make them (the best part is adding the color). I hope as an indie designer I can figure out how to find people that would be interested in these. (Marketing is my least favorite thing.....unfortunately)
Thanks for reading,
Danielle