It seems that icons are not just the little black and white pictograms that you see on the dashboard of your car anymore. With the increased demand in the technology sector with websites and mobile apps, they have become a much more detailed and illustrated medium.So, when I was approached by James Klein Creative for their map and website project for Metrolink and the Orange County Transportation Authority this summer, I got a chance to work on some of the more illustrative-style icon sets – which was cool.  And, certainly a nice design challenge.

This 20 icon set was to help the average map user in the North Orange County portion of Southern California see what potential happenings were going on at the various stops along the Metrolink train route. It gives them all sorts of interesting things to see and do while saving money on gas and avoiding the mobs of traffic we have here on the weekends.

They were intended to be simple and straight to the point visually, with a bit of flair in the color range. Keeping in that design direction would help create additional interest on the web page and drive attention to the assorted attractions on the printed map. I certainly hope the icons help drive traffic and help the commuters on their way to and from work as well. Maybe they’ll stop and make some new discoveries.