We asked 20 of today’s top designers and illustrators what advice they’d give to fellow creatives just starting out. Here’s what they said.
The Best Creative Advice from Today’s Top Illustrators and Designers
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Building a global visual language that unites us.
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Grouping and Proximity in Graphic Design: The Art of Visual Organization
Learn how the principles of grouping and proximity can help make your graphic design compositions more scannable and clear.
Black Women Photographers and Noun Project Partner to Celebrate the Work of Creators Around the World
Our new editorial series will highlight the stories of outstanding Black and African photographers who are members of the Black Women Photographers Community.
7 of the Best Color Palette Generators
These online tools will help you quickly find beautiful, harmonious color schemes to use in your designs – without all the guesswork.
8 Productivity Tools for Creative Freelancers
Check out our roundup of top tools for staying organized, tracking tasks, and managing projects for peak personal productivity.
Graphic Design Principles: Rhythm, Repetition, and Pattern
Learn how rhythm, repetition, and pattern can make your designs both more digestible and more dynamic.
Design Icons: Dan Goods, Artist & Creative Director
In this series, we’re sharing conversations about work, life, and the future with some of today’s most influential designers and artists.
The Principle of Hierarchy in Graphic Design
Learn how to effectively use the principle of hierarchy to direct the viewer’s focus.
How to Use Icons in Notion: A Guide to Visually Organizing Your Life
Learn how to use icons in Notion to visually organize tasks, projects, and notes for everyday use.
Pantone’s 2024 Color of the Year
Explore Noun Project images celebrating Pantone’s 2024 Color of the Year
Free 2024 Marketing and Social Media Content Calendar
Use Noun Project’s 2024 Content Calendar to plan all your marketing and social media content needs.
Icon Design Fundamentals: Mastering Vector Editing Tools
Learn how to set yourself up for success with grid systems and vector editing tools.
Create Your Own Stencil for Pumpkin Carving With These 5 Easy Steps
Use Noun Project icons to DIY your way to the best Halloween pumpkin yet 🎃
How to Create Presentations that Pop
Explore these helpful resources on how to create presentations that are beautiful, memorable, and make an impact.
Halloween Icon and Photo Collections
Ring in the season with creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky icons and photos deep from the Noun Project vaults.
Design Made Simple: Getting Started with Canva and Noun Project
Canva is a free, beginner-friendly web-based design tool that allows you to quickly create amazing graphic designs with icons and other elements.
The Best Free Tools and Resources for Entrepreneurs and Startups
We’ve rounded up some of our favorite FREE tools and resources for design, branding, project management, and more.
Fall Icon and Photo Collections
Browse through thousands of cozy autumn photos and icon collections to get into the spirit of the season.
Design Icons: Debbie Millman
In this series, we’re sharing conversations about work, life, and the future with some of today’s most influential designers and artists.
Five Photography Tips From Pete Souza
President Obama’s Chief White House Photographer shared his experience and tips for taking great photos during a Q&A with Polly Irungu, Founder of Black Women Photographers.
Stock Photo Shoot Planning for July
Plan your stock photoshoots with our photographer content creation guides
Top Summer Icon and Photo Collections
Celebrate the sunny season with our favorite summer-themed icon and photo collections.
The Importance of Brand Illustrations
Learn how to use Noun Project to create your own illustrations and add a more personalized, expressive touch to your brand.
Check Out These Design Freebies for Your Next Project
From Public Domain icon and photo collections to free editable templates, here are our top graphic design freebies to ring in the summer of 2023.
Plan the Perfect Photo Shoot
Follow these steps to plan your perfect photo shoot, from concept to completion
Design Icons: Timothy Goodman
In this series, we’re sharing conversations about work, life, and the future with some of today’s most influential designers and artists.
How Conservation Photography Can Help Save The Planet
Learn how photography can be used for conservation efforts this Earth Month with inspiration from three amazing conservation photographers.
How to Create a Design System in Figma
Save time by tracking and organizing your most common design assets and making them components in Figma.
Explore the Unusual: Noun Project’s Most Wild & Whimsical Visuals
We’re opening a new Pandora’s Box of possibilities this April Fool’s Day, with only the most wild, weird, and whimsical of icons and photos from our collection.
Design Icons: Justina Blakeney
In this series, we’re sharing conversations about work, life, and the future with some of today’s most influential designers and artists.
Canva x Noun Project: Create with Icons for Everything
Canva users now have access to a curated selection of icons from Noun Project to add to their creations.
How to Design a Typeform Survey with Noun Project Icons
Learn how to design better surveys, quizzes and forms with Typeform using our Icon API.
Easily Create Trendy Designs with Adobe Express and Noun Project Icons
Web-based design platform Adobe Express offers a streamlined way to make design accessible to everyone.
Hottest New Photography Trends for 2023
Get ahead of the pack with our top photography trends for 2023
Collaborate Visually with Mural and Noun Project Icons
Learn how the visual collaboration platform Mural uses our Icon API to help teams unlock their creative power.
6 Easy Tips to Take Your Stock Photos from Good to Great
Follow these six simple do’s and don’ts from Noun Project photo curators to create stock photos that sell.
Craft and Hobby Inspiration: DIY Design Beyond the Screen
We’ve been rounding up our favorite examples of creators stepping beyond the screen and getting crafty with icons.
Design Icons: Lisa Congdon
In this series, we’re sharing conversations about work, life, and the future with some of today’s most influential designers and artists.
Happy Holidays! Top 10 Design Freebies
Ring in the holidays and celebrate the spirit of giving by scoping out these freebies from Noun Project!
DIY Holiday Gift Boxes
All you need is a printer, glue, and a precision knife to make these delightfully minimal paper gift boxes.
Pantone’s 2023 Color of the Year
Welcome to the Magentaverse with Viva Magenta.
Winter Color Palette Inspiration
Get inspired for your next project with Noun Project’s favorite winter color palettes.
Holiday Icon and Photo Collections
Celebrate winter holidays and ring in the New Year with festive icons and photos.
How to Make Custom Designs on Zazzle with Noun Project Icons
Add a more personalized flare to your holiday shopping this year by customizing gifts on Zazzle with icons!
How to Create Easy DIY Halloween Luminaries
Get creative by making your own print-at-home luminaries with paper bags (or jars) and Noun Project icons.
Words of Wisdom from Today’s Top Illustrators and Designers
Check out these helpful tips from some of the top creatives shaping the future of the industry.
How to Use Icons in Design: UX and UI Best Practices
Here are the do’s and don’ts of using icons effectively in your user interface designs.
43 Symbols and Meanings in Graphic Design
Learn some of the most common symbols and their meanings, and see how you can successfully implement universal symbols into your graphic design.
48 Graphic Design Quotes for Encouragement
Need some inspiration for your next project — or a laugh? These graphic design quotes are perfect to get your creative juices flowing or to send to your client.
How to use Auto Layout in Figma with Icons
Learn how to use Figma’s Auto Layout tool to quickly add padding and alignment rules to standardize your design elements.
How to Create Minimalist Geometric Designs with Tim Boelaars
The Amsterdam-based designer and illustrator shares his tips for making clean, consistent, minimal geometric designs using grid systems in Illustrator.
What are Marketing Materials? + 15 Effective Examples
What are marketing materials? This guide covers the basics of marketing materials and practical examples of what they can look like.
Art of the Menu: 21 Menu Design Ideas That Are Dine-amite
These creative menu design ideas are effective and will look great in your restaurant or cafe. You don’t need to be a designer to create a menu that stands out.
41 Good Color Combinations + How to Create Your Own
Good color combinations are used in a variety of contexts, from web design to branding. Understand the basics and see examples to inspire your own color choices.
How to Build a Creative Career with Headspace Lead Product Designer Frank Bach
Frank Bach is Lead Product Designer at Headspace. We caught up with Frank to learn more about his career path, approach to creative collaboration, and key advice for new designers.
10 Types of Graphic Design in 2022
Graphic design is an important field that shapes the visual environment of our world. Learn about 10 types of graphic design and how to make it your career.
Representing Disability with Jake Hytken of Snap Inc.
Jake “JP” Hytken, DEI & ERG Engagement Manager for Snap Inc., helped Snap introduce the first wheelchair Bitmojis – and shares his tips on how people can better represent disability in design.
17 Graphic Design Styles: A Visual Guide
This is a visual guide on different graphic design styles and their characteristics, along with beautiful illustration examples to inspire your next design.
DIY Easter: Stamp Your Own Custom Easter Eggs with Icons
Ordinary white glue and a printed icon are all you need to “stamp” your favorite icons onto an egg using this unique method.
April Fools: Nothing But Cats
We’re celebrating April Fools’ Day by getting back to what the internet was originally built for: all cat content, all the time.
3 Simple Color Schemes to Make Your Photos Pop
Learn three basic color schemes based on color theory to take your photos to the next level.
Top Infographic Examples + How To Create an Infographic in 5 Steps
Need some infographic inspiration? Learn how to create interesting visuals with our favorite infographic examples and an easy five-step process.
Creator Spotlight: Ian Matty of Project Makerspace
Ian Matty runs a Makerspace at a local library so students can discover new ideas and technologies. We caught up with Ian to learn how Noun Project icons help students explore projects like 3D printing and apparel-making.
An Introduction to Sketchnoting with Jen Giffen
Learn how to create visual notes for deeper learning and retention.
How to Make Free DIY Valentines with Adobe Express and Noun Project Icons
Design your own creative (and free) Valentine using Adobe Express with Noun Project icons.
Hobby Month: Show us Your Iconic Craft to Win 1 Year of Skillshare & Icon Pro!
Celebrate National Hobby Month in January by showing us a creative craft you’ve made with Noun Project icons. Two entrants will be selected to win a free annual Skillshare membership!
Celebrating PANTONE’s 2022 Color of the Year
For the first time in its history, PANTONE has created a brand new color for the 2022 Color of the Year.
Creator Spotlight: Denis Sazhin
The illustrator, designer, and “Cat Artist” shares his tips on making design more personal and expressive.
Creator Spotlight: Michael A. Salter
Corporate logos of the absurd: Artist Michael A. Salter reacts to visual culture through his uniquely surreal icon designs.
Behind The Scenes with Nat Geo Photographer and Filmmaker Ami Vitale
Nat Geo photographer and Nikon Ambassador Ami Vitale strives to help us embrace our interconnectedness and inspire us to protect nature.
How to Create Icon Effects in Figma
Step beyond flat design and add dimension to your icons with neumorphic effects in Figma.
The Best Advice from Today’s Top Designers and Illustrators
Just starting out in the world of design? Check out these helpful tips from some of the top designers and illustrators shaping the future of the industry.
Nature & Outdoor Photo and Icon Collections
Celebrate nature and outdoor recreation with stunning photo and icon collections on Noun Project.
Master the Basics of Icon Design with Adrien Coquet
Learn icon design basics in Adobe Illustrator from French Graphic Designer Adrien Coquet.
Education & Inspiration: Photographer Johnathan Conlon
Johnathan shares his process and walks us through how he captures stunning drone images.
Creator Spotlight: John Caserta
John Caserta is a Graphic Design professor at RISD and the founder of a design-centered coworking space. Learn about John’s creative path and advice for budding designers.
Spotlight: Dr. Lisa Coleman, Chief Diversity Officer, New York University
Championing diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education and beyond.
Creator Spotlight: Kadi Franson
The artist, designer, and citizen scientist illustrates the natural world around her and spreads ecological messages from her Bryce Canyon home.
Spotlight: Dr. Jenn Beck
Highlighting Women in STEM: Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Jenn Beck helps get her patients back on their feet and moving.
Education and Inspiration: Social Change Photographer Andy Lin
Elevating the voices of those who have been underrepresented and breaking down cultural barriers.
Spotlight: Women Creators of Noun Project
Celebrate Women’s History Month and use one-of-a-kind visuals year-round with these icon collections and photographs from outstanding members of our Creator Community.
Spotlight: Professor Jamillah Boyd, M.Ed., MLIS
Professor Boyd was nominated by AnitaB.org to be featured for her outstanding impact.
Spotlight: Angela Tucci, COO at Uplight and Board Chairwoman at AnitaB.org
Angela was nominated by AnitaB.org to be featured for her outstanding impact.
The Women in STEM Collection
Celebrating trailblazers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
Self Portrait Sundays with Photographer Idara Ekpoh,
“I can’t capture beauty that doesn’t already exist. I am here to capture what’s already there.”
Using Icons for Education in Book Creator
Book Creator is a simple tool for creating awesome digital books for any subject and grade level. We spoke with Book Creator’s Dan Kemp about how students can combine text, images, Noun Project icons and more to make engaging digital books that demonstrate their learning.
Spotlight: Laura Busino, Head of Content Production at Ford Motor Company
Laura Busino was nominated by FREE THE WORK to be featured for her outstanding impact.
Spotlight: Suzanne Strong, Creative Strategist at Noun Project
Curating inclusive, art-quality images for everyone.
Creator Spotlight: Luis Prado
Luis elevates the familiar pictogram style to dazzlingly witty, socially incisive new heights.
Spotlight: Director and Artist Malakai
Malakai was nominated by FREE THE WORK to be featured for her outstanding impact.
Photographer Feature: Simone Hutsch
Striking, surreal images that feature beautiful buildings and architecture.
Spotlight: Chloe Coover, Community Manager at FREE THE WORK
Championing underrepresented Creators to change the status quo.
Creator Spotlight: Olena Panasovska
Learn about Olena’s approach to designing icons successfully, and the methods she uses to turn her well-researched subjects into concise yet elegant icon forms.
Spotlight: Christina Morillo, Identity and Security Expert, Founder of #WOCinTechChat
Christina has been nominated by The 3% Movement to be featured for her outstanding impact.
Photographer Feature: Jacob Lund
Authentic, beautiful photos from around the world.
Spotlight: Pamala Buzick, COO & Director of Partnerships at FREE THE WORK
A curated talent discovery platform for underrepresented creators
Spotlight: Kai Deveraux Lawson, Global Director of Talent Partnerships, WPP
Kai was nominated by The 3% Movement to be featured for her outstanding impact.
Spotlight: Bernadette Rivero, Co-Founder and President of The Cortez Brothers
Bernadette was nominated by The 3% Movement to be featured for her outstanding impact.
Spotlight: Pamela Culpepper, Founding Partner, Have Her Back
Pamela has been nominated by The 3% Movement to be featured for her outstanding impact.
Spotlight: Nilofer Merchant
Nilofer has been nominated by The 3% Movement to be featured for her outstanding impact.
Spotlight: Kat Gordon, Founder of the 3% Movement
Championing diversity and inclusion in the ad industry and beyond.
Spotlight: Love Malone, Founder and CEO of The Gradient Group
Love has been nominated by The 3% Movement to be featured for her outstanding impact.
Spotlight: Krystal Hauserman, VP of Marketing & Communications, Fullscreen
Krystal has been nominated by The Female Quotient to be featured for her outstanding impact.
Spotlight: Kamal Bhandal, VP, Global Brand and Consumer, Invisalign
Kamal has been nominated by The Female Quotient to be featured for her outstanding impact.
Spotlight: Brit Rocourt, Senior Director, Corporate and Foundation Partnerships at Plan International
Brit has been nominated by The Female Quotient to be featured for her outstanding impact.
Spotlight: Tina Tchen, President & CEO of TIME’S UP Foundation
Fighting for justice and shifting the paradigm of workplace culture toward one of safety, equity, and dignity for women of all kinds.
Spotlight: Kayla Zapata Fory, Partner Solutions Manager, Instagram
Kayla has been nominated by Latinas in Tech to be featured for her outstanding impact.
Spotlight: Karissa Uko, Senior Manager, Conference Operations at Blavity
Karissa has been nominated by Blavity to be featured for her outstanding impact.
Spotlight: Ashley Harmon, Senior Director, Corporate Affairs at Blavity
Pushing the boundaries of culture and the status quo.
Spotlight: Shelley Zalis, CEO and Founder of The Female Quotient
Advancing equality in the workplace through the power of collaboration.
The Empowered Women Photo Collection
A new photo collection celebrating empowered women leading at work, at home, in their communities, and beyond. In partnership with TIME’S UP Foundation, The 3% Movement, The Female Quotient, and FREE THE WORK.
Spotlight: Christine Outram, CEO at Everydae
MIT alum and digital innovation expert Christine Outram is revolutionizing the world of online tutoring at Everydae.
Photographer Feature: Bojan and Ivan Zamurovic
Surreal, whimsical images with punchy pops of color.
Spotlight: Elisabeth Tuttass, Community Manager at Grid110
Elisabeth has been nominated by Grid110 to be featured for her outstanding impact.
Spotlight: Carolyn Jones, Program Lead at Grid110
Carolyn has been nominated by Grid110 to be featured for her outstanding impact.
Spotlight: Michelle Cho, Co-Founder and CEO, Gladeo
Michelle has been nominated by Grid110 to be featured for her outstanding impact.
Spotlight: Co-Founder and Executive Director of Grid110 Miki Reynolds
Fostering the most thriving, inviting, and inclusive community for entrepreneurs in Los Angeles.
Spotlight: Crystal Acevedo, DEI Program Manager
Crystal has been nominated by Latinas in Tech to be featured for her outstanding impact.
Spotlight: Lorena Mesa, Director & Chair, Python Software Foundation
Lorena has been nominated by Latinas in Tech to be featured for her outstanding impact.
Spotlight: Maria Oliveira Tamellini, Co-Founder and COO of GamerSafer
Maria has been nominated by Latinas in Tech to be featured for her outstanding impact.
Redefining Women: Gender Equality in Iconography
Noun Project’s Redefining Women Iconathon series will bring creative communities together to design new public domain icons that more accurately represent the women (and men) of today.
Spotlight: Mica Alaniz, Senior Software Engineer, DNC
Mica Alaniz has been nominated by Latinas in Tech to be featured for her outstanding impact.
Spotlight: Nicole Herrera, Culture, Diversity and Inclusion Program Manager at Google
Nicole has been nominated by Latinas in Tech to be featured for her outstanding impact.
Spotlight: Latinas in Tech Executive Director and Co-Founder Rocío van Nierop
Connecting, supporting, and empowering Latina women working in tech.
Get Out the Vote
Help get out the vote with these two free resources from Noun Project and Vote.org At Noun...
Spotlight: Felicia Curcuru, Co-Founder and CEO at Binti
All Raise has nominated Felicia Curcuru to be featured for her outstanding impact in tech.
Spotlight: Lolita Taub, Co-Founder and General Partner, The Community Fund
All Raise has nominated Lolita Taub to be featured for her outstanding impact in tech.
Spotlight: Julia Collins, Founder and CEO, Planet FWD
All Raise has nominated Julia Collins to be featured for her outstanding impact in tech.
Spotlight: All Raise CEO Pam Kostka
Creating a tech culture where women are leading, shaping, and funding the future.
Celebrating Diversity in Tech
A new collection of stock photos to champion more inclusion and diversity in tech.
Photographer Feature: Avel Shah
From commercial shoots to capturing iconic social movements, Avel’s work has been celebrated all over the world.
Photographer Feature: Alia Youssef
Championing positive representation of Muslim women and women of color in mass media.
Photographer Spotlight: Carol Highsmith
Capturing the beauty of America for 40 years.
Creator Spotlight: Zack McCune, Director of Brand at Wikimedia Foundation
Creator and Wikimedia Brand Director Zack McCune designs unique icons which begin as rubber stamps featuring the rich details of world cultures.
Free Resources for Teachers
Use these free templates to create engaging, highly visual educational materials with Noun Project icons.
Educational Icon Collections
Create visual lessons and augment student learning with these classroom-friendly icons.
Remote Work and Collaboration: Get Visual with MURAL and Noun Project
Make the most of your meetings by using MURAL and Noun Project to visually collaborate.
How to Make a Repeating Pattern with Icons in Illustrator
Make an eye-catching repeating icon pattern using Adobe Illustrator.
How EdTech Expert Matt Miller Uses Icons for Education
Matt Miller is an educator, blogger, and the author of several books including Ditch That Textbook. We caught up with Matt to learn more about his approach to teaching with tech and how icons can enhance learning.
Tutorial: Make a DIY Mandala Coloring Book
Choose from over 3,000 mandala icons to print out and color at home. Adult coloring books have...
Creator Spotlight: Lorie Shaull
Lorie Shaull is a photographer, videographer and icon creator. Her work has appeared on The Daily Show and her Ruth Bader Ginsburg icon has been used for everything from needlepoints to cookies, on signage and more. We caught up with Lorie to learn more about her creative process and her thoughts on iconography.
Visual Communication Resources: Coronavirus
Icons to help communicate important hygiene, health and wellness information. During an emergency,...
DIY Valentine’s Day Cards
Create your own custom cards using Noun Project icons and Google Slides. Valentine’s Day is right...
Winter Icon and Photo Collections
Cozy up for the colder months with these wintry icon and photo collections.
Creator Spotlight: Elisabetta Calabritto
We caught up with Elisabetta to learn more about her career path, creative process, and more.
Visible Women: Gender in Iconography
Tips for designing icons that depict gender from Noun Project’s lead content curator Erika Kim.
Spotlight Interview: Creative Director Jon Setzen
We caught up with Jon to learn more about his creative process, how he uses iconography in his work, and more.
Curating Icons for Everything with Content Manager Erika Kim
Our curation team is responsible for reviewing every icon that’s submitted to Noun Project for consideration. Lead curator Erika Kim shares how we evaluate and curate content so our users have access to the most diverse collection of icons ever.
Travel Icon Journal: Portland
In this series, we’re sharing iconography from places near and far.
Holiday Gift Guide
A curated list of some of the Noun Project team’s favorite things for gifting this holiday season....
How the Team Behind Noun Project Built a Powerful New Way to Manage and Share Digital Assets
Used by some of today’s most innovative companies, Lingo is transforming the way creative teams work.
Spotlight: Interview with Artist and Illustrator Brian Rea
Brian Rea’s award-winning illustrations appear each week alongside The New York Times “Modern Love” column. He is the former art director of The New York Times Op-Ed Page and has produced drawings and paintings for magazines, murals, fashion and film projects around the world. We recently caught up with Brian to learn more about his work and creative process.
Spotlight: Interview with Benjamin Bours, Art Director at Wired
We caught up with Ben to learn more about his creative process, art direction in the world of publication design, and his approach to designing icons for everything.
Identifying Australian Spiders with Icons
Deanna Henderson of Minibeast Wildlife shares how their latest app puts spider identification in...
Spotlight: Interview with Spotify’s Aliza Aufrichtig
We caught up with designer and developer Aliza Aufrichtig to learn more about her latest...
Micro Animations: An Interview with Sanne de Vries
Our new friend Sanne de Vries created a project to easily source and use micro animations in design prototypes. We recently caught up with her to tell us a little more about this great new project.
Spotlight: Interview with Cards Against Humanity
Cards Against Humanity is known for their outlandish and hilarious products — from card decks to...
Spotlight: Interview with Knottery Fiber Art
We were really excited to hear that Renata Stone, founder of Knottery Fiber Art, uses Noun Project icons to help grow her business.
A Fascination with the Ordinary
How Noun Project came to be, as told by co-founder Edward Boatman.