Objective

This is the rock climbing hold icon set I created for a bouldering gym in Texas called The Austin Project. They hired me to create icons for their website. They wanted to capture the fun and excitement of climbing in the icons. 

Sketches

To get inspiration for this icon set, I went to a local climbing gym and sketched all the holds I saw. I looked for the most uniquely shaped ones to showcase the many shapes of climbing. I decided to draw them from a front facing view, instead of from above or below. This seemed to be the best way to show off each hold's shape and character.

Drafts

The biggest problem with my drafts was shadow. One co-worker looked over my icons and recommended I reference real holds in order to find the right lighting. The first sets appeared flat and formless.

Changing colors of specific holds helped me find the depth I needed--particularly in the 5th icon in the draft image. It started out pink, but the shades of blue made it feel deeper. 

My yellow, cloud-shaped-hold icon started out as a clump of circles. I spaced them out more to look like a reference photo I had taken and it made it work so much better. I used shadow and highlights to keep the details on the hold after I made the circles all the same color. 

The colors I chose fit the bright colors of the climbing gym. The brighter colors helped convey the energy of the sport. 

Final Product

These icons are fun and friendly: an inviting element for The Austin Project's website. They will be enjoyed by climbers on the website.