As you prep for the beginning of the year and look for icons to add to signage, flyers, and your library website, the Noun Project can become a great resource. The website is a visual language toolbox with simple black-and-white images. Search for anything — really anything. Try “scuba diver” and see what great images pop up. Search “library” and locate almost 2,000 icons.
AND the icons are free! To download icons, set up an account using your email address. Click on an icon to select. Follow the prompts and finally choose Creative Commons. The image will download to your computer with the proper credit to the creator. Yes, you can even upgrade for $40 a year to access Pro features.
I am thinking of utilizing this resource with students next year as well. In the About section, the website provides a design handbook along with details about creating and adding to the Noun Project collection. This could be a great activity for graphic design and marketing classes. As a visual language tool, collaborate with English Language Arts or Social Studies teachers to use the icons as representation of an idea, concept, or vocabulary terms. Students can take the lead and show their creativity in a compelling manner.
Resources
Noun Project
Noun Project Creator’s Handbook
Noun Project on Twitter
Author: Becca Munson
Becca Munson, Librarian, is a National Board Certified Teacher with over 23 years of experience in education. She is currently a school librarian at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park, KS. Becca continues to find ways to positively impact student learning with literacy initiatives, technology integration, and building rapport with students and staff. Follow her on Twitter to view the library in action @bvwlibrary and @beccamunson .
Categories: Blog Topics, Technology
Thank you for telling us about this resource, Becca! It’s great that we can upload icons we have created, too! Illustrator fans might be interested sharing some of their work.