Flat Icon Design Tutorial

Photoshop Tutorial: How To Create Flat Vector Forrst Icon from Scratch

Last week I made a free social icon set in flat design style and today I’ll share about the process behind the scene how to create one of that icon until finished.

In this tutorial we will create the Forrst icon in vector object with Photoshop, with the time estimation is 30 minutes. Let’s get started!

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Preview

Flat Icon Tutorial

Step 1.

Create new file with Open menu ‘File’ -> ‘New’, and set Width:600px, Height: 600px.
Flat Icon Tutorial

Flat Icon Tutorial

Step 2.

Create guide with choose menu ‘View’ -> ‘New Guide’.
first we will create centre of canvas with check ‘Vertical’ and fill position: 50%, again check ‘Horizontal’ and fill Position: 50%
Flat Icon Tutorial

Flat Icon Tutorial

Do it again and fill with this:
‘Vertical’: 44px, 54px, 64px, 536px, 546px, 556px.
‘Horizontal’: 44px, 54px, 64px, 536px, 546px, 556px.
Flat Icon Tutorial

Flat Icon Tutorial

It would look like this one
Flat Icon Tutorial

Don’t forget to lock the guide so we can’t move it letter when we resize the object .
Flat Icon Tutorial

Step 3.

After The Guides is done, now let create icon form
Set the Foreground colour to #11CC73, pick the the ‘Polygon Tool’. And on the Top Toolbar, Fill ‘Sides’ with 6.
Flat Icon Tutorial

Then, create object and put on the center of canvas.
Flat Icon Tutorial

Step 4.

Now refine the angle with Pen Tool. Do it like the image below
Flat Icon Tutorial

Rotate it and refine again the angle
Flat Icon Tutorial

Flat Icon Tutorial

And it will be like this
Flat Icon Tutorial

Step 5.

Resize the object
Flat Icon Tutorial

Flat Icon Tutorial

Create a new Guide
Flat Icon Tutorial

Resize again
Flat Icon Tutorial

Step 6.

Create 3D effect with duplicate the shape layer
First, chose ‘Layer’ -> ‘Duplicate Layer…’ and give it a name
Flat Icon Tutorial

Flat Icon Tutorial

Move the duplicated one to the bottom guide line and change the colour to #0A8047
Flat Icon Tutorial

Flat Icon Tutorial

And it would look like this
Flat Icon Tutorial

Step 7.

Now we move to the center of the icon. Here we would put Forrst symbol on the center.
First, we check the latest symbol that Forrst use.
Flat Icon Tutorial

After that, make the screenshoot and we will recreate the symbol in vector form.
Flat Icon Tutorial

For icon, we don’t need to create long symbol so eliminate the text
Flat Icon Tutorial

Set the Foreground colour to #FFFFFF, pick ‘Polygon Tool’. And on the Top Toolbar, Fill ‘Sides’ to 3
Flat Icon Tutorial

Create triangle object and ‘Fill’ with 50%
Flat Icon Tutorial

Fit it with the image from background
Flat Icon Tutorial

Pick ‘Rectangle Tool’ and choose ‘Subtract from shape area’ on Top Toolbar.
Flat Icon Tutorial

And subtract area with click and drag the mouse from the bottom to the center of triangle like image below
Flat Icon Tutorial

Subtract again
Flat Icon Tutorial

Flat Icon Tutorial

Step 8.

Now, convert the layer into the shape with select edit from top menu, ‘Edit’ -> ‘Define Custom Shape…’
Flat Icon Tutorial

Give it a name
Flat Icon Tutorial

Step 9.

Now back again to the green object that we create before and pick ‘Custom Shape Tool’ from side toolbar and select ‘forest shape’ from top toolbar. Set the Foreground colour to #FFFFFF
Flat Icon Tutorial

Click and drag the mouse on canvas
Flat Icon Tutorial

Resize it
Flat Icon Tutorial

Step 10.

Create 3D effect with duplicate the shape layer.
First, on top menu choose ‘Layer’ -> ‘Duplicate Layer…’ and give it a name
Flat Icon Tutorial

Move the duplicated one to the bottom guide line and change the color to #0A8047
Flat Icon Tutorial

Resize layer ‘Shape 2’ & layer ‘back logo’
Flat Icon Tutorial

Put on the center
Flat Icon Tutorial

Hide the layer ‘Shape 2’ with click on the eye
Flat Icon Tutorial

Step 11.

Now we will create long shadow. first create rectangular object on canvas with Set the Foreground colour to #000000, pick ‘Rectangle Tool’.
Flat Icon Tutorial

Flat Icon Tutorial

Set the fill opacity to 20%
Flat Icon Tutorial

Rotate and resize
Flat Icon Tutorial

Flat Icon Tutorial

With ‘Pen Tool’ add and delete some points
Flat Icon Tutorial

Flat Icon Tutorial

Erase the object outside the hexagonal form with ‘Selection Tool’. With position still on layer ‘Shape 3’ press ‘command’button (or ‘control’button in windows) and click with mouse on layer ‘Shape 1’. Then click ‘Add layer mask’
Flat Icon Tutorial

Flat Icon Tutorial

Step 12.

Show again layer ‘Shape 2’ with click on the eye
Flat Icon Tutorial

With pen tool edit layer ‘back logo’, add and delete some point
Flat Icon Tutorial

Drag some points
Flat Icon Tutorial

Flat Icon Tutorial

Delete some point
Flat Icon Tutorial

Flat Icon Tutorial

Move layer ‘Shape 3’ below layer ‘back logo’
Flat Icon Tutorial

And here the final result:
Flat Icon Tutorial

I hope you found this tutorial is useful and if you’d like to grab more flat icons, I’m creating a bundle of 1000+ social icon in flat design style. Follow us on Twitter or Like our Facebook page to hear more about the icons and get a discount when it released.

– Written by R.Yahya –

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