The Noun Project is a Los Angeles-based platform that aggregates and catalogs symbols created and uploaded by graphic designers around the world, functioning as a resource for people seeking typographic symbols and as a design history of the genre.[1] The site launched in December 2010 via Kickstarter, using symbols that already existed in the public domain, such as the AIGA transportation suite and National Park Service symbols.[2]
Design and History
The Noun Project was co-founded by Sofya Polyakov, Edward Boatman, and Scott Thomas, and is headed by Polyakov.[1] Boatman conceived the idea while working at an architecture firm, frustrated by the lack of easily findable icons for common objects like airplanes, bicycles, and people. He discussed the concept with his friend Scott Thomas and his wife Sofya Polyakov, and the trio decided to build a platform for visual communication.[2]
Site design was handled by the firm Simple.Honest.Work, led by Scott Thomas, with mentoring from the Designer Fund.[1] Boatman described the partnership in a company blog post: “We knew we needed a great website so we partnered with my old friend Scott Thomas and his design studio, Simple Honest Work. Scott and his team helped shape the idea and before long we were talking about sharing an international visual language, which led us to the beautiful simple site you see today.”[3]
Meaning and Symbolism
The Noun Project logo consists of a circle, an x, and a square, signifying person, place, and thing.[4] This directly references the grammatical definition of a noun, which is a word used to name a person, place, or thing. Boatman explained that he began referring to his sketches as “nouns” because the drawings represented a person, place, or thing, and he loved the simplicity behind the concept of a “noun.”[3]
The logo’s three geometric elements function as a proof of concept for the platform itself: each shape is a minimal, universally readable symbol, demonstrating the design principles that govern the icon collection the site hosts. The mark visually reinforces the project’s mission of building a shared visual language through simple, recognizable symbols.
Typography and Design
The Noun Project’s curation team applies strict stylistic guidelines to icons accepted into the collection: icons must include only the essential characteristics of the idea conveyed, maintain a consistent design style, favor an industrial look over a hand-drawn one, and avoid conveying personal opinions, feelings, and beliefs.[1] These same principles of reduction and clarity are reflected in the logo’s simple geometric construction, which uses basic shapes rather than detailed illustration to communicate its meaning.
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