: How to represent craftsman services / manual work as icon? Our application helps creating invoices and allows to insert an item into an invoice that represents a service performed by a craftsman.

@LarsenBagley460

Good advice for something like this: if it's for navigation, don't think in terms of what you're trying to represent, think in terms of what the people who would use this icon are looking for.

It sounds like the job of the icon is to catch the eye of someone who wants to get in contact with a skilled person who will come to their house and do useful things, after they click on the icon and do whatever process that leads to (or something similar?).

So think what might be in that person's mind and might catch their eye. For example...


a person getting out of a van,
a person holding a toolbox in one hand, answering a phone with the other,
a person in a hard hat knocking on a suburban-looking door,
a van moving at speed,
etc etc.

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@Speyer780

If a single hammer means "tools" in the app sense, maybe you should change your Tools icon to something else (a gear) and use the tool (or tools, like hammer and wrench crossed) to represent the person using a tool. Or maybe add a human hand using the tool, like hammering a nail, to emphasize that it's a craftsperson, not the tool, being referenced.

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@Jamie315

Personally I gave up using icons altogether except for rare cases like magnifying glasses for search and arrows for menu dropdowns.


Takes a long time for users to figure out what they actually mean. In most cases, they never manage to. www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/0321344758 Nothing describes an action better than written language
Less icons less clutter



Perfection is achieved, not when there's nothing left to add, but when
there's nothing left to take away.

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@Merenda852

Here is a lightbox for you to check out tinyurl.com/nm7tzoy

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@Rivera951

Here are some loose ideas.
Bluecollar:



window cleaning/billboard hangings:



paper roll:



Brush:



Spirit level:

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@Becky351

When I hear the word "craftsman" I think of a protractor, paper and ruler (unless it's being taken by draftsman)? Maybe a hardhat would work better.

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