Tuts+ Design & Illustration | Andrei Stefan What You’ll Be Creating

Welcome back to
another Affinity Designer tutorial, in which you’re going to learn how to create
a set of office icons using some simple geometric shapes that we will adjust
here and there.

That being said, grab a fresh cup of cappuccino, and let’s get started!

Oh, and don’t forget you can always expand the pack by heading over to GraphicRiver where you’ll find a great selection of office-themed icons.

1. How to Set Up a
New Project File

Assuming you
already have Affinity up and running, let’s set up a New Document by going to File
> New (or by using the Control-N
keyboard shortcut) which we will adjust as follows:

• Type:
  Web
• Document Units: Pixels
• Create artboard:
  checked
• Page Width:
  64 px
• Page Height:
  64 px
• DPI: 72

2. How to Set Up
the Artboards

As soon as we’ve
created our document, it would be a good idea to structure our project using a
couple of Artboards in order to maintain a steady workflow later on.

To do this, select
the default Artboard from within the Layers
panel, and create five copies of it by either right clicking > Duplicate or by pressing the Control-J keyboard shortcut five times.
Stack the resulting Artboards in three columns, positioning them 28 px from one another, making sure to
rename them as follows:

• first artboard:
  document
• second artboard:
  trash bin
• third artboard:
  envelope
• fourth artboard:
  cloud upload
• fifth artboard:
  calendar
• sixth artboard: padlock

3. How to Create
the Reference Grids

The
reference grids (or base grids)
are a set of precisely delimited reference surfaces, which allow us to build
our icons by focusing on size and consistency.

Usually, the size of the grids determines
the size of the actual icons, and they should always be the first decision you
make once you start a new project, since you’ll always want to start from the
smallest possible size and build on that.

Now, in our case, we’re going to be
creating the icon pack using just one size, more exactly 64 x 64 px, which is on the smaller side of the scale.

Step 1

Position yourself
onto the first artboard, and using the Rectangle
Tool (M) create a 64 x 64 px square,
which we will color using #FF6100, and then center align as seen in the
reference image.

Step 2

Add another smaller 56 x 56 px square,
which we will color using #FFFFFF and then position to the center of the larger
one since it will act as our active drawing area, giving us an all-around 4 px padding to work with.

Step 3

Select and group the two squares together using the Control-G keyboard shortcut, and then add the remaining grids using
five copies (Control-C > Control-V)
which we will position onto each of the empty artboards. 

Take your time, and
once you’re done, make sure you lock all the artboards and the reference grids so
that you won’t move them around by accident once you start working on the
icons.

4. How to Create
the Document Icon

As soon as we’ve
finished setting up the reference grids, we can position ourselves onto the
first artboard, where we will start working on the document icon.

Step 1

Using the Rectangle Tool (M),
create a 40 x 52 px rectangle with a
4 pt thick Stroke and a Round Cap
(which is the default option), which we will color using #5A89FF and then
center align to the underlying Artboard.

Step 2

Add another smaller 12 x 12 px square
with a 4 pt thick Stroke (#5A89FF), which we will align
to the larger shape’s top right corner as seen in the reference image.

Step 3

Since we’ll need to adjust the shape of the larger rectangle, we’ll
first have to select it and then use the Convert
to Curves option in order to be able to edit it.

Step 4

Once you’ve converted the shape, you can select the Node Tool (A), and add two new nodes where the smaller square’s
edges intersect the larger rectangle by simply clicking on the path.

Step 5

Adjust the larger shape, by selecting its top-right node using the Node Tool (A), and then immediately
remove it by pressing Delete.

Step 6

Select the smaller square and adjust that as well by removing its
top-right node as we did with the previous shape.

Step 7

Give the resulting shape a fill by creating a copy of it (Control-C) which we will paste in place
(Control-V) and then adjust by
flipping its Stroke with its Fill using the Shift-X keyboard shortcut. Once you’re done, select and group the
two together using the Control-G
keyboard shortcut.

Step 8

Finish off the current icon by adding the dummy text lines using three 4 pt thick Stroke lines (#5A89FF) with a Butt
Cap, which we will position as seen in the reference image. Once you’re
done, select and group (Control-G) all of them together, doing the same for the entire document
afterwards.

Quick tip: at this point, I strongly recommend you start naming
and grouping your shapes as you go along, since it will be easier to select and
keep track of them from within the Layers
panel later on.

5. How to Create
the Trash Bin Icon

Once you’ve
finished working on the first icon, move on to the next Artboard (that would be
the second one), where we will start working on our second icon.

Step 1

Start working on the lower section of the bin by creating a 32 x 36 px rectangle with a 4 pt thick Stroke (#5A89FF), which we will center align to the active drawing
area’s bottom edge.

Step 2

Add the vertical detail lines using three 24 px tall 4 pt thick Strokes (#5A89FF) with a Butt Cap, which we will horizontally space 4 px from one another,
grouping (Control-G) and then center
aligning them to the larger shape.

Step 3

Create the lid using a 40 x 8 px rectangle
with a 4 pt thick Stroke (#5A89FF), which we will
position on top of the lower body, so that their paths overlap as seen in the
reference image.

Step 4

Add the main shape for the handle using an 8 x 8 px square with a 4 pt thick
Stroke (#5A89FF), which we will
center align to the lid’s upper edge.

Step 5

Finish off the icon by adjusting the shape that we’ve just created by
first converting it to curves using the Convert
to Curves option, and then selecting
its top corners using the Corner Tool
(C) and setting their Radius to 4 px. Once you’re done, select and
group all its composing sections using the Control-G
keyboard shortcut, before moving on to the next one.

6. How to Create
the Envelope Icon

Assuming you’ve
already positioned yourself on the next artboard (that would be the third
one), zoom in on its reference grid and let’s start working on the next icon.

Step 1

Select the Rectangle Tool (M)
and create the envelope’s main body using a 40 x 52 px rectangle with a 4
pt thick Stroke (#5A89FF), which
we will center align to the underlying artboard.

Step 2

Add the folded section using a 40 x 20 px rectangle with a 4
pt thick Stroke (#5A89FF), which
we will center align to the larger body’s top edge.

Step 3

Adjust the shape that we’ve just created by first converting it to
curves using the Convert to Curves option,
and then individually selecting and pushing each of its bottom nodes to the
inside by 8 px using
the directional arrow keys.

Step 4

Create the string segment using an 8 x 30 px rectangle with a 4 pt thick Stroke (#5A89FF), which we will adjust by setting the Radius of its corners to 4 px. Once you’re done, position the
resulting shape at a distance of 2 px from
the center of the folded section’s top edge.

Step 5

Add the buttons using two 8 x 8 px circles with a 4 pt
thick Stroke (#5A89FF), which we will position onto the string segment as seen in the
reference image. Once you have the shapes in place, select them and the string
and group them together using the Control-G
keyboard shortcut.

Step 6

Finish off the icon by adding the little dummy
text line using a 20 px wide 4 pt thick Stroke (#5A89FF) with a Butt Cap, which we will position at a
distance of 4 px from the envelope’s
bottom edge. Once you’re done, select and group all its composing shapes
together using the Control-G
keyboard shortcut.

7. How to Create the Cloud Upload Icon

As soon as you’ve finished working on the envelope, move on to the next
artboard (that would be the fourth one), where we will begin working on our
fourth icon.

Step 1

Kick things off by creating a 28 x 4 px rectangle with a 4 pt thick Stroke (#5A89FF), which we will center align to the active drawing
area’s bottom edge.

Step 2

Start adjusting the shape by first converting it to curves using the Convert to Curves option, and then
adding a new node to the center of its top edge using the Node Tool (A).

Step 3

Select the node that we’ve just created using the Node Tool (A), and then open up the path of the rectangle by using
the Break Curve action.

Step 4

Once you’ve opened up the path, you will have to select and remove the
resulting center nodes using the Delete
key, making sure to set the Radius
of the resulting shape’s bottom corners to 4
px using the Corner Tool (C).

Step 5

Start working on the cloud by creating a 16 x 16 px circle with a 4 pt thick Stroke (#5A89FF), followed by a slightly larger 32 x 32 px one (#5A89FF), which we will
position as seen in the reference image, making sure their inner nodes overlap.

Step 6

Open up the paths of the two circles by first converting them to curves
using the Convert to Curves function,
and then breaking their paths using the Break
Curve action, removing the right nodes for the smaller circle and adding
and removing a new node for the larger one.

Step 7

Unite the two resulting paths by first using the Join curves action, and then selecting the center-bottom nodes
using the Node Tool (A) and using
the Close curve action.

Step 8

Create the vertical section of the arrow using a 22 px tall 4 pt thick Stroke line (#5A89FF), which we will
center align to the artboard, positioning them above the base section as seen
in the reference image.

Step 9

Add the arrowhead using an 8 x 6
px triangle with a 4 pt thick Stroke (#5A89FF), which we will
position on top of the vertical body.

Step 10

Finish off the current icon by adding the fill section to the arrow’s
head using a copy (Control-C > Control-V)
of the shape from the previous step, which we will adjust by flipping its Stroke with its Fill using the Shift-X
keyboard shortcut. Once you’re done, select and group (Control-G) all of the arrow’s composing shapes, doing the same for
the entire icon afterwards.

8. How to Create
the Calendar Icon

Assuming you’ve
already positioned yourself onto the next artboard (that would be the fifth
one), zoom in on it so that we can start working on our next icon.

Step 1

Create the back section of the calendar using a 32 x 6 px rectangle with a 4
pt thick Stroke (#5A89FF), which
we will center align to the active drawing area’s bottom edge.

Step 2

Add the main body using a 40 x 32
px rectangle with a 4 pt thick Stroke (#5A89FF), which we will
position onto the previous section as seen in the reference image.

Step 3

Create the calendar’s upper section using a 40 x 6 px rectangle with a 4
pt thick Stroke (#5A89FF),
followed by a 40 x 6 px fill shape
(#5A89FF), which we will group (Control-G)
and then stack on top of the previous shape.

Step 4

Add the little date indicators using ten 4 x 4 px squares (#5A89FF), which we will position 4
px from one another, placing them as seen in the reference image. Take
your time, and once you’re done, make sure you select and group (Control-G) all of them together before
moving on to the next step.

Step 5

Finish off the icon by adding the hanging
segment using an 8 x 8 px square
with a 4 pt thick Stroke (#5A89FF), which we will convert
to curves using the Convert to curves function,
and then adjust by selecting its top nodes using the Node Tool (A) and then setting their Radius to 4 px. Center
align the resulting shape to the active drawing area’s top edge, making sure to select and group all of the icon’s composing
sections using the Control-G
keyboard shortcut.

9. How to Create
the Padlock Icon

We are now down to
our sixth and last icon, so assuming you’ve already positioned yourself on the remaining artboard, let’s jump straight into it.

Step 1

Create the lock’s main body using a 40
x 28 px rectangle with a 4 pt thick
Stroke (#5A89FF), which we will center align to the active
drawing area’s bottom edge.

Step 2

Start working on the little keyhole using an 8 x 8 px circle, which we will color using #5A89FF, and then position at a distance of 4 px from the larger body’s top edge.

Step 3

Add the lower section of the hole using a 4 x 10 px rounded rectangle (#5A89FF) with a 2 px corner Radius, which we will position onto the
lower half of the circle. Once you have the shape in place, make sure you
select and group (Control-G) the two
together before moving on to the next step.

Step 4

Create the horizontal detail lines using two groups of three 6 px wide 4 pt thick Strokes (#5A89FF), vertically stacked 2 px from one another, which we will position on the sides as
seen in the reference image.

Step 5

Finish off the icon, and with it the project itself, by adding the shackle
using a 24 x 24 px square with a 4 pt thick Stroke (#5A89FF), which we will adjust by first
converting it to curves using the Convert
to curves function, and then setting the Radius of its top corners to 12
px using the Corner Tool (C).
Once you’re done, select and group (Control-G)
all of the icon’s composing shapes before hitting that save button.

Great Work!

There you have it, fellow icon lovers, a straightforward tutorial on how to create your
very own office icons. As always, I hope you had fun working on the project and
most importantly learned something new and useful along the way.

That being said, if you have any questions, feel free to post them within
the comments section and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!