Category Icons and Images for Swiftly
Project overview
Customization Options and Challenges
At Swiftly, a leading eCommerce platform used by network retailers such as Piggly Wiggly, Homeland, Dierbergs, Market Basket, SaveMart, and many others, we offer customizable options that allow clients to incorporate their own designs where feasible. For example, clients can customize elements like logos, colors, tab navigation icons, certain banners, and more. However, some design elements, such as category icons for the product category feature, require consistency across the platform and are not customizable. Allowing customization of these icons would have required us to store all the icon images from different retailers, which would be too complex to manage. Imagine having 50 retailers, each with their own set of icons, and then 10 of them request changes—this would be overwhelming, especially for a startup with limited resources.
Standardized Icon Solutions
To address this, I developed two standardized styles for the category icons: multicolored and image-based. In the process section, I’ll explain how the image-based icons helped the company save significant time and resources.
Process
Efficient Icon Creation
To streamline the process and conserve resources, I used the AI-powered Magician plugin in Figma to generate image-based icons, enabling the quick production of consistent, high-quality visuals directly within the platform.
Process
Custom Vector Design
For vector icons, I primarily designed them myself, refining AI-generated concepts and drawing inspiration from various online references when necessary. The icons might not look perfect, which could be a concern for some, but they were created quickly under a tight two-week deadline. For a first version, they worked well, especially considering we are a startup with limited resources. Despite managing multiple projects, the resulting icons were well-received by both clients and colleagues, proving their effectiveness.
Outcome
Currently, these icons are used extensively across all our retail partners, helping to create a cohesive and unified user experience. Their consistency and quality have been instrumental in driving client satisfaction, aligning seamlessly with Swiftly’s core objectives.