Usually, I start with a metaphor and it looks really boring from the outside: I’m just sitting with my eyes closed, while my mind acts like a lottery bowl shuffling possible ideas until the lucky winner pops up. You have two challenges here: coming up with a nice and clear idea or metaphor, and then making it beautiful in the simplest possible way. What I like about designing icons is how logic and creativity work together. How did you become interested in designing icons, and what is your design process like? ![]() It’s a handwritten-style typeface that helped streamline my content creation, and there are even a couple unique cat glyphs in there as well– I designed it to generate a cat face for (^.^) and cat paw for =o3, and things like that. At first I wrote those descriptions by hand, but I later designed my own typeface called Meowers. I also used to run an Instagram account called I would post a picture every day with a text description below. I wish I could dedicate more time to the animation projects, though I have always been fascinated by all the fun possibilities and creative freedom it allows. Because I have been an independent designer for decades, I was lucky to be able to pick the types of projects that I liked the most. The ones you named are my favorite indeed. You’ve worked on projects from simple icon design, to stickers and even motion graphics and animation - what are your favorite types of projects and mediums to work in? Then I got interested in character design and animation, and I’m now looking forward to new challenges. I started as a software developer, transformed into a web designer, tried myself as an illustrator, then discovered the niche field of icon design, where I stayed for a good number of years. I am not exactly the kind of person who had their path set up for years ahead it was more like doing something and checking with myself how I felt about it. How did I get where I am today… Let’s say trial and error. If I want to be more accurate and pet-friendly, I say “a cat artist.” If I want to sound like I nicked my bio from some recruiter’s website I go with “award-winning, result-driven passionate professional.” (No, I never use that. Most of the time I describe myself as a graphic designer, illustrator and animator. ![]() Hi Denis! Tell us a little about yourself - how did you get to where you are today? ![]() We caught up with Denis to learn more about his background, his approach to design, and his tips for fellow creators. His expressive, animated pet icons are a crowd favorite on Noun Project, and his work extends into animation and motion graphics as well. Denis Sazhin is a designer and icon creator currently residing in New York City.
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