Iconshock wanted to give the maximum gift any icon lover can have. We wanted to give to our readers, the ultimate, definitive, mega, super, hyper, ultra, mega, … you get the point…
Here it is ladies and gentlemen. No more B.S. The best Icons of 2009. There are some icons of 2008, but who cares if they’re good? Enjoy.
1. Iconshock Folders
Iconshock
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| The concept behind the design of these is very original; you have a pretty good idea of the contents of each folder without any extra graphics outside the actual envelope. One of the best folder icons out there. |
2. Lovely Website Pack 2
Lazy Crazy
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| These icons didn’t go for the easy way and chose the difficult top view, that at the end is what makes them unique. |
3. Tools
Dave Mottram
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| Clean and clear as all Icons should be. |
4. Fat
Harwenzhang
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| The obesity concept is taken way to the edge without sacrificing the identity of the elements. A shame there are so few icons on this set. |
5. In Spirited we Love
Teekatas S.
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| We at Iconshock are huge fans of this artist. Her excellent use of coulour and her concept, always around childhood and innocence really make her stand apart. She is one of the best illustrators around. |
6. E-Commerce
Iconshock
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| Very professional feel for these icons that can harmonize with either a dark or light UI. |
7. Hoya Imperial
Teekatas S.
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| Again, her use of colour is second to none. Not everyone can work with pastels and de-saturated tones and make them look so good. |
8. Controversial Political leaders Vol 1
Iconshock
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| It’s amazing how the detail of each caricature can fit in the icon without ever loosing the resemblance to the actual character, even at the smallest sizes. |
9. Pure Handwork
Tongzhenming
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| This set is a true work of art. Each icon seems like a mini sculpture made out of clay and glazed. My personal favorite. Good usability, incredibly original concept and professional finish. Perfect. |
10. Samsung 2693HM
Marcin
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| This icon looks like the real thing. I have this monitor By the way. |
11. Summer, Love + Cicadas
Teekatas S.
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| Again. Teekatas marvels us with her childish concept and colour. Check out how clear these icons look even at the smaller sizes. A lot of designers try to work around this pastel look, but only she achieves it at this level. |
12. Cute Twitter
Mirjami Manninen
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| The cutest, most popular twitter icons on the net. Mirjami is a true icon goddess, both influential and hardworking. These must be the first choice for anybody trying to give a illustrated, and professional concept to their blog. |
13. Blogging Icons
Iconshock
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| The merit of these icons is to fit in almost any design, from minimal to grungy. Great lighting and clear perspective makes them a sure bet for any blog. |
14. Adobe Programme Dock Icons
Cryolysis
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| The only set I’ve seen where Adobe’s products are portrayed in a caricature way. Maybe they don’t seem like much, but once installed they look pretty fabulous. |
15. Safari
Djeric
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| Hell of a realistic 3D feel. Perfect example of the hyper real trend icons are heading at in the future. |
16. Canon 400D + Lens
Jonatan Castro Fernández
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| The line between a 3D render and an icon depiction kind of blurs with this kind of work. Really amazing. |
17. Web Developer
Pedja Rusic
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| Every Mac GUI guideline for icon design accomplished word by word. Perfect. |
18. Typography
Mulletized
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| One of the most innovative and original concepts we’ve seen. |
19. My Toy
Kingyo
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| Another example of how 3D renders can be incorporated with success in icon design. These look very well at small sizes because of their bright colours and distinctive design. They where GUI champs winners in 2008. |
20. Safari
Michael Flarup
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| This guy is a real genius. Check out the texture and the lighting on this icon set. |
21. Airport Express
Jonatan Castro Fernández
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| Incredibly realistic depiction of an airport, so well done it’s difficult to say if it’s a 3D render or a bitmap painted image. |
22. Earthquake Prevention Set
Iconshock
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| I don’t know were these Icons can be used, but they sure are gorgeous. Cool gloss feel, nice lighting, and perfect proportions. |
23. Massive Media
Mugen B16
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| These are the best hardware and gadget icons I’ve seen in my life! Check out the lighting, the texturing… these icons are so detailed they rather be a wallpaper! We congratulate this artist for his superb work. |
23. Nokia 5700 Xpress Music
Kaan
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| Excellent work at fitting so many elements in the icon composition without loosing clarity. This work is really top notch and this is the second time we feature it on the blog. We can’t help it, we’re fans. |
24. Cs3 iphone Style
César Gaspar
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| Cool iphone concept used on the most popular creative suite in the world. They look gorgeous on dark themed UI’s. |
25. TextEdit 2
Michael Flarup
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| This icon can be used as the perfect example of a professional icon. I would recommend that anybody serious about icon design should study it closely. |
26. Antiseptic VideoGame Systems
Starvingartist
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| Pixel art rocks! and I applaud the slight resurrection of this amazing technique. Each icon here is a tiny work of art. |
27. Orbs
Deleket
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| Very complete set, with lots of icons for many applications. Very pro finish, perfect for dark UI’s. |
28. Handycons 2
Janko
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| Amazing Watercolour feel. Simple, artsy, recognizable. |
29. Di Folder
Drew Maughan
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| Minimalism at its best. Highly recognizable, elegant and effective. |
30. Adobe Suite Icons
Iconshock
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| The cube idea is just genius. Check out the “gel” feel at each corner. One of the best adobe dock sets in the net. |
31. On the Road
Dooandjen_penGUIn
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| This is one of those sets that makes you think…Wow!. truly one of the best icon sets in the whole world. The concept is just fantastic and the lighting, volume and finish is perfect. |
32. ipod Touch
Giancarlo Nicolof
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| Simple and effective depiction of an Ipod touch. This I think is the best in the net. |
33. Lineless Design
Bingben
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| 2/10 in usability, but the guy surely takes it to 11 in originality and artistry. |
34. Hand Drawn
Andrés Antonio
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| Another good hand painted social set. |
35. Briefcase
Jake Moore
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| Great detail on the textures. Check out how you have to change the angle when going down in size. |
36. Adobe creative Suite 3
Peng youdu
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| Don’t know where the blood comes from, but it sure looks good. |
37. The Browser
Kidaubis
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| Best browser icons out there. Simple. Highly recognizable, shiny and elegant. |
38. Logitec Hardware
Giancarlo Nicolof
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| Can you beat this realism? |
39. Trash Goat
Daniel
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| Just plain genius. The best recycling bin in history. Period. |
40. RSS Feed Button Pack
Deviantdark
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| I just love when 3D can be adopted in icon design with success. Bravo! |
41. Imod
Sebastien Durel
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| Another perfect example of usability. If all icons where like these the world would be a better place. Ok I’m overreacting. Gorgeous set anyway. |
42. Gamble Icons
Majian
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| This set looks so good it almost makes gambling respectable. Great colours, good lighting. |
43. Portfolio
Iconshock
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| That “hire me” icon is just perfect and can easily make it into one of the best single icons of 2009. |
44. Kal Michael’s Icons
Kal Michael
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| Clean, diffuse look. The beauty of simplicity, yet each icon has tons of detail |
45. Gentle Romantic
Lazy Crazy
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| The 3D feel of these is just amazing. Just check out the entry point of the arrow in the heart or the contact zones between the cushion and the crown. How about the rose! |
46. Little Box of Ideas icon set for designers
Iconshock
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| Original, superbly crafted icon set. This set has to be one of the years top five by far. Check out the lighting, the clean edges and the colours. From concept to finish just eye popping. |
47. Hrvoje Bielen’s Icons
Hrvoje Bielen
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| Clean, beautiful icons. |
48. Folios
Hotiron
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| These designers managed to turn out a very simple concept into amazing icons.They really pulled it out. |
49. Generic Controller
Peter MazeNL
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| The lighting, perspective and colouring is very well accomplished. You can identify these icons miles away. |
50. Lovely Website Pack 1
Lazy Crazy
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| Each icon is a little work of art. Again, these designers took a risk on the top view, and pulled it off. |
January 28th
Beautiful and perfect icons!
January 29th
Super nice. Thanks
January 29th
@David Tierney Thank’s David for coming by! Do you have any favorite?
January 29th
@Mucio R Kidmann Hey, thanks a lot for your comments, you’re welcome anytime. Where did you find us?
January 29th
Cool.
It’s always nice to see my humble icons grouped with all those fabulous works.
Thanks for publishing.
January 29th
@hrvoje Thanks to you for your excellent work! We are honored we can feature artists so honest and hardworking as you.
January 30th
I love these icons. Best set I ever saw.
February 1st
Great showcase, I am amazed what you can put together
Designing, blogging, networking – all in high quality!
Good luck!
February 4th
What a surprise to see celebrities coming by! Thanks for your visit Dainis! Do you have any favorite?
February 4th
another fine listing with some real gems… trash goat?? lol
February 22nd
fantastic list from some really creative n talented artists!
February 25th
thaaanks dear… great work…
January 27th
January 27th