Background
My work online, on social media, and with digital marketing is both a place where we like to express ourselves, curate our representation, whilst at the same time become just a number in a dataset.
Individual Icons
In my opinion, user icons are a very interesting way in which we choose to present ourselves. It’s a limited space in which we’re attempting to communicate so much. For a business, it might be their logo or logo icon, but for individuals, we want the right photo or image to show us to the world, the way we like ourselves, or others, to see us.
In 2019, building on an older project, to practice my skills and have a little fun, I made some avatar illustrations. Simple user icons, recognizable enough for people who are familiar with the characters. An attempt to show how, with limited space, we’re able to communicate a lot of information. And all of these can simultaneously exist in one person.
Who Am I Today?
My starting point was a gamer girl, such as myself, and to expand on the different influences that can coexist within one person. A girl can play World of Warcraft, but also Apex and Overwatch. Watch different streamers on Twitch and other video game-related content, but also enjoy listening to Beyoncé and enjoy fashion. She might have grown up with Disney Cartoons and continue to enjoy cartoons as an adult, watching Bob’s Burgers. And she might look at famous female figures to inspire her.
We might not all have the same takeaways from the same cultural influences, but we are affected by culture and the people around us. We might also not remember what has caused us to form an opinion about ourselves or something, but the reality is we carry a treasure trove of thoughts, identities, and ideas, reflecting them back at the world.
I guess the simplest way to explain this idea is how some women might tell you that they have a diverse wardrobe of clothes because they never know, when they wake up, what girl they feel like that day. Because they’re all those girls at once, but one day they’re feeling more like a professional power woman, wearing a suit, and the next they want to be the girliest girl in a flower dress.
Reflections
This was a whimsical project to practice my skills with Adobe Illustrator, and I am very pleased with the results. It might be my art school background coming out, but I feel not every project we work on has to be profitable or visibly teaching us something. Sometimes just exploring ideas and following our curiosity can evolve our thinking.
