ICONS
AEG icons are a key component of our visual identity – bringing to life our product stories and benefits in an engaging way. They add an additional, expressive layer to our communications.
There are two types: communication icons (used in marketing and comms) and product icons (used on products, user manuals). We will focus on communication icons.
Always think about the story we are trying to tell: our icons are not decorative and should complement an image and communicate the benefits of the product. Only use them if they help tell a richer story.
ICON USAGE DOs
COMMUNICATION
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We use icons to communicate the responsiveness of our products, and to help explain product features
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Our icons should always tell a story
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Icons are responsive (show our technical know-how and the control our consumers have) or feature icons (show the range of innovations in our products)
DESIGN
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Our communication icons are based on the clean geometric forms of the Metric typeface. They are clear and easy to understand.
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Icons can be contained within a circle when they need to be made more prominent but it is not mandatory
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Our icons can be combined with other graphic elements such as lines and geometric shapes to emphasize our responsiveness
COLOUR
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The primary colours for icons are white for use on dark backgrounds and AEG Carbon for use on lighter backgrounds. Red can be used in digital applications to aid navigation.
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To ensure legibility and impact, we should place our icons on quieter parts of images or clean, simple backgrounds whenever possible
ICON USAGE DON'Ts
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Do not use too many icons
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Do not use irrelevant icons
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Do not use icons that are not in line with brand design
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When using more than one graphic in application, use similar styled line graphics. For example, use rounded graphics together or straight graphics together, not in combination.
ICON DESIGN
There will always be a need to create new icons and to bring existing icons into the new AEG icon style. This section demonstrates how to create new icons using a grid, consistent line weights and familiar geometric proportions. Follow these rules to ensure all new icons are created with the same aesthetic.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
This icon guideline is based on a grid, created for Major Appliances. Therefore dimensions of the icon base can seem quite uneven.
It is important that when starting creating an icon, the measures of the outer circle should have dimension 37.844 mm x 37.844mm (center aligned) and after the icon has been expanded the diameter should have the dimension 39.044 mm x 39.044 mm. The sizes can after that vary between 12mm to 15mm (for packaging, see packaging guideline) and larger if used for other marketing purposes.
We provide a master file to be used when creating an icon.
Take the master template, containing a 1.6 mm thick, center aligned black line, a yellow free space area and a magenta grid. The template size
before expanding is 37.844 mm x 37.844 mm.
Draw the icon shape on the magenta grid and use 1.6 mm line thickness. Always aim to
draw within the circular or square lines, depending on what shape you want to use. For more complex icons, you may use the vertical and horizontal
lines as a drawing area.
Select all lines and make
them 1.2 mm.
Expand all lines before use. After expansion, the size of the icon should be 39.044 mm x 39.044 mm.
ICONS COMBINATION
Icons can be combined with other graphic elements such as lines and geometric shapes but:
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Geometric proportions, shape and form should be simple and clean, mirroring the product icon style
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When possible try to match the stroke weight of the graphics to that of the product icon
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Responsive icons used in combination with product icons help tell richer stories about functionality and performance
ICONS COMMUNICATION
Communications need to respond to the products and messaging relevant to your project. Look to understand the features of the product and how they enable the end benefit. Below are three examples of how we’ve thought about telling the story to help inspire (note these are indicative icons only).
Rotation speed icon
Wool Setting - Speed and rotation of the drum are tailored so wool garments lie flat against the wall of the drum, therefore never twisting, pulling, stretching
OptiSense icon
OptiSense Technology senses the size of the load and responds by adjusting the water/rotation speed/time
Pre-Mix
Pre-Mix (Pre-mixing of detergent and water before
entering the drum)
ICON DISTRIBUTION
After approval of the new icon, please upload your designed icons to EML in an eps file format with a transparent background.
Our icons are produced in CMYK color space so please use CMYK values. The colors are optimized for the standard Fogra39 or ISO Coated color profiles.
RESOURCES
Here you can download a library of existing icons in a PDF or Adobe Illustrator format.