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Icons have become a much sought after commodity with the rise of social media. More and more, the need for a simple icon to convey an idea is all your post needs to really grab attention.
Or perhaps you just want to add a fun overlay to an image to post on a personal feed.
Maybe you need an icon for a logo, website, or flyer. Basic iconography is more necessary than we really think.
For me, icons on websites (like this one) are a daily ordeal. Whether finding the right graphic or icon for a social post, a new site design, or print material for a client, I mess with icons a lot!
What I’ve found is, with the Samsung Chromebook Pro or Plus, Google AutoDraw makes icon creation insanely simple. And a ton of fun as well.
The Pen Works Perfectly
Being a web-based app, my thought was the Pen in the Samsung Chromebook Pro would not work well for this task.
Instead, the pen works as well as any app I’ve tried, tracking so quickly I forgot I was drawing in a web browser.
For those who haven’t seen AutoDraw in action, it is a simple thing. A blank canvas with a shape, text, freehand and AutoDraw tool.
Simple shapes (square, circle, triangle) can be made, resized, rotated, and filled. Text lets you type your messages in, resize the finished text block, rotate and change font colors. Lastly, freehand does just what it says and is a great experience with the Pro’s pen.
Star Of The Show
But the real magic here is the Autodraw feature. With it, you can simply doodle a shape and tons – TONS – of possible matching sketches show up to choose from. I jotted down a rough shape of a pencil and resulted in the image you see at the top of this post.
Now, even if you can’t sketch it, you can find a similar doodle by someone who can.
At this point, you can simply download the icon or continue adding features to the drawing right there in the AutoDraw interface.
It’s not always perfect, but when you need a simple icon quickly, this makes for a really compelling way to find one.
Additionally, the app is so well done and works so well with the Pen that it makes me want to doodle and experiment with all sorts of shapes and drawings just because it is fun to use.
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If you don’t have a stylus-equipped device, don’t worry. This will all work with a fingertip as well. But the stylus does add a layer of definition to your own drawings for sure.
Check out Google’s AutoDraw if you haven’t already. You’ll have fun and just might be productive at the same time!
