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April 18th, 2012
Introducing the new symbol for LED light and other energy-efficient technologies
As Cree and the lighting industry work to change the way we light the world, we felt it was important to have a symbol people could point to and say “that means LED light.”
Today, we are thrilled to say that symbol exists! Introducing the new symbol for LED lighting:
We’re also introducing symbols for 14 other energy-efficient technologies:
2012 Iconathon for Energy Efficiency
These symbols were created as part of the 2012 Iconathon for Energy Efficiency. They are available for public download just in time for Earth Day. You can download them here.
The Feb. 25 event at Cree’s campus in Durham, NC, was led by the co-founders of The Noun Project, a website that serves as a free online visual dictionary of symbols and icons that can be downloaded by anyone for anything.
The Noun Project co-founders agreed it was time to create a new symbol for LED light, as well as symbols for other recent developments in energy-efficiency, including wind farms, solar farms and even energy audits.
How They Were Made
So Cree invited graphic designers and anyone interested in LED lighting and energy efficiency to spend a Saturday at Cree sketching out new symbols. Noun Project co-founder Edward Boatman facilitated the day-long collaborative work shop. The nearly 40 attendees split into groups and began sketching symbols. At the end of the day, all the symbols were laid out side-by-side for a critique led by Edward. Attendees had a chance to offer feedback on all 15 symbols. Watch how the day unfolded here:
Should It Look Like A Light Bulb?
The critique of the LED symbol lasted nearly an hour. Two basic perspectives on the design emerged. There were those who felt it was essential that the LED light symbol take on the same characteristics of a traditional light bulb or CFL. That meant incorporating an Edison base into the designs and, for the most part, keeping the “snow cone” bulb shape many LED light bulbs have taken on. These designers felt this approach would help the public more easily identify the new symbol for LED lighting.
Should It Simply Look Like An LED?
Then there were those who felt like the symbol for LED light should not be constrained to the light bulb form since LEDs are so versatile. These designers felt the symbol for LED light should look more like an LED component and less like a fixture. They believed that even though the public might not immediately recognize a symbol like this, it was more important that the universal symbol reflect the LED light source itself.
And The Winner Is…
Despite these two strong, different opinions, after an hour of debate the designers ultimately reached consensus and agreed the symbol should not look like a light bulb. Edward worked with volunteers from each group to make the design modifications specified in the critique. He then modified and digitized the symbols. They are being released exclusively on the thenounproject.com for public download under a Creative Commons license.
Our hope is these new symbols become the go-to images for the Lighting, Energy-Efficiency and Design industries. We’d love to see the new symbol for LED lighting become as universal as the first aid or no smoking symbols.
These symbols for LED light and other energy-saving technologies are yours to use. Download them all here.
11 Responses to “Introducing the new symbol for LED light and other energy-efficient technologies”
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This was a great event. I really enjoyed being involved in the process from the beginning to see how these ideas come about. Not being a creative person per se, seeing the evolution of the symbols from the initial idea to final design is very compelling.
[...] The new icons (literally) of energy-efficient technologies. [...]
[...] The new icons (literally) of energy-efficient technologies. [...]
I love the LED icon. Now you need to come up with one for Geothermal HVAC.
Super Cool!! the symbol is just perfect and congrats. Enjoyed the video too.
Nice one..
This will likely be a fantastic website, may you be interested in performing an interview about how you developed it? If so e-mail me!
Nice Post submit by you.Thanks for enhancing my knowledge about LED LIGHT AND OTHER ENERGY-EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES.
i love internet!
Well I truly enjoyed studying it. This post offered by you is very effective for accurate planning.
These are nice. Lower resolution (32×32, 16×16) would be appreciated, as we could put them on programmable led signs.