For new operator INQ we threw all “old” conventions for a mobile GUI out the window and decided to create an on-screen language based on the same type of heuristic as the environment that the user is living in — web-based social networks. We borrowed the no-nonsense application grid thinking that is common in web 2.0 and married that to the colorful brand identity that INQ is creating.

Our primary goal with the icons was to break away from the pack a with a bold icon language that fits right into the users’ esthetic values. Inspiration was drawn from creative cultural pools such as graphic art and the independent music community rather than the bloated icon styles of the RGB world.