3D SVG Icons for i2’s Intelligence Analytics Software

Designing icons for investigative software used by law enforcement and government agencies comes with challenges, but none as politically complex or technically nuanced as the “people” icons.

Comparing the before and after icons for ‘People’ is an ideal demonstration of the transition from a detailed and more realistic 3D rendered Bitmap style (Which we originally created over 10 years ago) to a cleaner and more modern scalable 3D SVG icon illustration. The new icons are not only simpler and easier to interpret at smaller sizes but also have the advantage of scaling more cleanly, being lighter in file size and easily adjusted by the software itself if required, meaning colour changes or overlays can be applied programatically.

Removing unecessary detail was crucial to improving scalability and improving UX

The existing set used red to signify female subjects, which in UX terms reads as alert, danger or warning. Our task was to establish a palette that clearly conveyed gender or anonymity without invoking subconscious bias. The default “anonymous” icon was also problematic, depicting a white male, so removing racial and gender cues was a priority for developing a more accurate and unbiased representation.

We replaced red with softer, more neutral colour tones, created a new genderless icon, and ensured the skin tones across all icons avoided real-world racial implications. Every human figure was stripped of identifiable features, no hair texture, facial details, or gendered clothing. Even whether to show a bust-line for the female icon became a debated detail, considering the importance of representing all genders fairly.