One of the issues we struggle with is visual representations of our services.
The stereotypical representation of a text message is some kind of mobile phone or an envelope on a mobile phone screen, the image is usually an icon or photo from one of the online photostock sites. The problem with this concept is its overuse leading to many SMS suppliers displaying remarkably similar icons or even worse, the same stock images.
In redeveloping our site we are keen to ensure our visual representation stands out and hence we have enlisted the assistance of an illustrator to draft icons that will represent our core products. The lucky artist is the highly regarded Stanley Chow.
We chose Stanley because of the simplicity of his illustrations and his ability to produce work that aligns with the subject matter yet avoids the cliche’s. In particular we liked the work he completed for Vodefone and The White Stripes.
The brief for Mediaburst is to produce icons that reflect the key notion of our services i.e. communication, yet avoid the predictable such as mobile phones, and envelopes.
I develop a hint of nervousness at times in this process because once you issue the brief all goes quiet for a week or so while the designers do their thing. But this nervous feeling is tempered by excitement knowing you’ve got some really creative thinkers on board. So here’s looking forward to seeing the first drafts.