Icons Times is new iconographic news aggregator. We caught up with the man behind it, Parisian illustrator Sylvan Boyer, to find out more...
Computer Arts [CA]: What's the idea behind Icons Times? Sylvan Boyer [SB]: Major news websites offer complex information on an abundance of subjects – it's information overload; it confuses readers. Icons Times is a website inspired by signage that offers a clear message, simple and universal... It's a daily information icons website, maybe the internet’s first ever signage information website.
CA: How long does each icon take to make? SB: Roughly 20 to 30 minutes. I have to be fast to follow news coverage. At the moment, Icons Times generates no profit. But if it becomes profitable, I could produce more and better icons to track the news.
CA: Some of the icons are quite controversial – the Oscar Pistorius one, in particular. What's the feedback been like so far? SB: Some events are more difficult than others to illustrate. When topics are too delicate to illustrate, I don't do it. But the Oscar Pistorius case was significant news, so I had to illustrate it. It was difficult. I remembered the poster for Planet Terror by Robert Rodriguez, which was my inspiration. I expected to receive some mixed reactions on this icon, but for the moment I've had none.
CA: If you could create an icon for an news story from history, what would it be? SB: The greatest event of all time: the Big Bang!
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