Kiva client app for iPad and iPhone
a mobile icons project by mpkeefe

Creative brief

What do you do?

My company is currently a one-person startup which primarily develops integrated financial apps for mobile devices, focusing initially on iPad and iPhone, and also on Android devices.

Our free app will allow both existing Kiva members as well as people simply curious about micro-finance to browse pre-sorted micro-lending opportunities (loans); search for loans by specific attributes; view loan details, including background stories, borrower photos and videos; pledge funding to a basket of loans and submit the basket to Kiva website; view loans they've made already; see loans geographically; review country economic indicators by reviewing data mash ups; share loans on social networks; and save and synchronize preference settings between devices.

The app is structured around four tabs for initial release. Each tab is an iPad Split View (i.e., like iPad Mail, Notes, Reminders, etc) with a Master list of loan results that's on screen in landscape mode and a Detail view of loan details for the loan select in the Master View. Of the four tabs, three are identical loan master-detail and one is a Country List master and selected country detail. In addition, there are popup modal windows for viewing the Basket of loans, and for changing preference settings.

The most critical requirement is to design an App Icon that is layered, detailed and compelling. This will in turn drive the color scheme for Toolbars and bar button items. For example, the toolbar background might be a sky blue and the toolbar button items a golden sun. The App Icon could be a golden disk that simultaneously suggests both a bright copper penny and the Sun, in front of an ear of Indian corn with leaves falling off in the shape of a K (for Kiva). I also need a button for pledging amount to lend. Also need custom tabbar icons and toolbar icons and placeholder images as described below. Extra credit for map pins that resemble pennies (dropped from heaven). Would be very good if the color scheme in some way references the color scheme used on www.kiva.org (see also attached logo file).

I don't want a green bar background because its already been done in an iPhone app (see iKiva on the Apple App Store).

Business Name

Maynebridge

What is your industry?

Primarily finance, but looking to expand over time into other industries such as education & healthcare.

Describe the target audience for your icon design

The target audience for this app is (a) current lenders and stakeholders in www.kiva.org and (b) people who are curious to learn more about micro-lending and become Kiva lenders.

What 3 things would you like to communicate to your audience through your icon design?

1. Coins / Seeds
2. Growth and Harvest
3. Global, organic elements: Earth, Sky, Sun

How many different icons do you need designed?

* 1 main App Icon. This needs to be detailed and layered.
* 2 Tab Bar Icons: Representing "Explore (Browse)" and representing "My Loans"
* 1 Basket Toolbar Icon
* 1 Settings Gear Toolbar icon
* 2-3 Simple placeholder images at multiple resolutions (retina, non-retina) to display while requested image downloads
* 1 Button representing "Add to basket"
Total: ~10

Do you have specific size requirements for the icons?

Yes
See the attached file: Icon Sizes.pdf
Description
a. Size for iPhone and iPod touch (in pixels)
b. Size for high-resolution iPhone and iPod touch (in pixels)
c. Size for iPad (in pixels)
d. Size for high-resolution iPad (in pixels)
Guidelines
Application icon
a. 57 x 57
b. 114 x 114
c. 72 x 72
d. 144 x 144
“Application Icons”
App icon for the App Store
a. 512 x 512
b. 1024 x 1024
c. 512 x 512
d. 1024 x 1024
“Application Icons”
Toolbar icon
a. Approximately 20 x 20
b. Approximately 40 x 40
c. Approximately 20 x 20
d. Approximately 40 x 40
“Icons for Navigation Bars, Toolbars, and Tab Bars”
Tab bar icon
a. Approximately 30 x 30
b. Approximately 60 x 60
c. Approximately 30 x 30
d. Approximately 60 x 60

What icon design styles do you like?

Simple, not futuristic, retro, funky, etc

What colors do you want to see in your icon design?

A Sky Blue, that is perhaps skewing toward slate. Can be a gradient. Used as background color for Toolbars.
A Gold that would suggest both coinage and corn. This would be used for buttons on the Toolbar, i.e. foreground. Needs to be done in a way that does not look childish, corny, kitsch.
The button representing "Add to basket" might be an earth brown-red color, but more brown than red.

What colors do you NOT want to see in your icon design?

Green should be kept to a minimum.

What adjectives should best describe your icon design?

Inspiring, invigorating, uplifting

Do you have additional requirements or links you'd like to share?

Please see www.kiva.org. I do NOT want to replicate this website. But may be good to make reference to it in terms of color, font. That is, would be good to tie in to kiva.org, but have a very distinct, unique look.