This past fall I was introduced to the popular television show Avatar: The Last Airbender and I was immediately captivated. After finishing the original series, I immediately watched the spin-off series The Legend of Korra. I wasn’t quite ready to leave the world of Avatar so I decided to make an icon set. Going into my icons, I wanted to have a simple but easy to recognize design for the main characters of both shows that also showcased their bending powers. The icons would pull from the colors of the original show and put a fun twist on the characters, while being something that would garner the interest of those who like the shows.

Finding a way to put a twist an already animated characters, proved to be a real challenge for me. I found myself sketching but I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to go in. I played with different recognizable styles such as Lego heads and Kawaii. Eventually I settled on a forward facing bust with minimal features. After I decided on the general style, I still had to sketch quite a bit to get the shapes of the elements behind the characters.

I found as I was designing the icons, that the characters weren’t looking as dynamic as I had hoped. I decided to add a point beneath the original straight edge of the bust to add more movement to the characters. I then added a shadow beneath to create dimension. I originally started with simple symbols for some of the characters, but after receiving feedback on my project, decided that I should try to incorporate something more complex. As well, I decided to change where Sokka’s swords were to make it more symmetrical, and adjusting a few details on the other character’s clothes to help create more unity within the icons.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with how my icons turned out, and I hope that fans of Avatar will be as well. I was able true to the colors from the show, which I think fans of the show would appreciate. I feel like I was able to make the characters my own by using a minimal feature design while highlighting each character’s essence by including key identifying features. Style wise, each character doesn’t have strokes and is made from the same face and body build, helping create unity and consistency among the icons. I opted to include a few intricate details, like the fire emblem on Zuko’s clothes and Asami’s Jacket because it helped the icons stand on their own without distracting from the icon family. I think any Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra fans will be able to see these icons and rekindle their love for these shows.