Kami App Icon System
In 2023 Kami approached Hope to help design and craft an icon language for their brand. Having recently completed a brand refresh, Kami wanted their icons to burst with personality and live up to their vibrant visual language. The aim was to create a strong visual language that felt accesible and fun, but with a distinct and unique ‘Kami’ feel.
The icons had to be simplified without being too cutesy, with simple and chunky shapes, using circular elements wherever possible to echo the rest of Kami’s visual language. The icons had to reinforce the hands-on nature of Kami with a distinctly human feeling.
To pack a visual punch, the icons needed strong contrast in the organic and structural aspects of each icon.
Pockets of negative space were created in each icon to add interest.
A bespoke bank of hand-drawn lines was illustrated by Hope to reinforce the hands-on nature of Kami.
To create movement and energy within the icons, at least one core element was angle to two specified degree orientations.
The annotations create context and movement, using a rough textured brush to add a lovely analog touch.
Shapes were simplified and chunky where possible, utilising contrast between large colour blocks and delicate details. Organic forms paired with structural shapes create further contrast.
Predominantly soft, rounded edges were balanced with some sharp edges for icons to look friendly but not childish.
Specified stroke weights, shadow thicknesses and placement, precise angles and framing add continuity to a very diverse library of icons.
