ABOL User Interface Icons

Created user interface icons for various use cases for the Australian Business Online (ABOL) website, commissioned by Hothouse Interactive, Sydney, Australia.

Client: Australian Business Online
Categories: UX/UI, Web Design, Icon Design
At the height of the dotcom gold rush, Hothouse Interactive was one of the first digital only agencies in Australia. They produced and hosted many leading websites including Hutchison Telecom, Telstra BigPond, ETrade, and an early version of the Microsoft Network (MSN) website. For the Australian Business Online site, Hothouse Interactive briefed Franklin on building a series of user interface icons and banners based on an approved initial concept. Stephen produced up to twenty-two icons, each having to be visually recognisable in a large, medium, small, and tiny format. The result was over eighty individual designs, which gave the Hothouse Interactive developer’s more than enough variation for multiple user experiences.

Design Direction: Hothouse Interactive
UX/UI Design: Stephen Franklin   
ABOL website navigation icons inset on blue corporate colour background.
Samples of icons were supplied to Franklin from which he developed new designs, extending the navigation UI.
List of all ABOL icons showing their file name designation and size range.
Along with the primary large size icon Stephen had to develop each at a medium, small, and tiny size.
Mock-up of the ABOL Home Page.
The final icons were exported as low file size GIFs to meet the internet bandwidth constraints of the day.

View more projects

Grandiosa Lørdagspizza Packaging Retouching
Retouching of the front of pack hero image for the Norwegian frozen pizza brand Grandiosa.
Green Isle Stir-Fry Packaging Artwork
Creative artworking on the Green Isle Stir-Fry flexographic packaging finished artwork.
Concept Visualisations for Landini Associates
Concept visualisations created for Landini Associates client projects. Each image was based on supplied architectural elevations, along with a creative brief for the materials to be used for the interior design.
Microsoft Exchange Brochure Image
Composite image created for the cover of a Microsoft Exchange brochure. Sourced from multiple image styles and combined to create a visually integrated piece of digital artwork.
Merrilake Promotional Calendar Illustration
Stephen's contribution to the Merrilake agency’s promotional calendar. He was requested to respond to the brief "Merrilake Illustrators are not just bums on seats!" in the style of his favourite artist. Salvador Dali's "Sleep" was Franklin's inspiration.
BigPond Cable Launch Hero Image
Worked with the Art Director at Frontline to produce a hero image, the centrepiece of the Telstra Big Pond launch campaign. Blended two stock photography images using various distortion effects to create the blurred image on the outside and manipulated colour values to maintain an overall consistency.
Microsoft Windows Server NT Image
Cover illustration created for a Microsoft Windows Server NT sales brochure for the Frontline agency, Sydney. 
Donegal Catch Packaging Artwork
While working as the Creative Artworker at Mesh Design, Stephen was tasked with building the finished artwork for the Donegal Catch range from Green Isle foods.
College Portfolio
Portfolio submitted as a requirement for graduating from the KvB College of Visual communication, Sydney Australia. Stephen received a diploma in Graphic Design on the 7th of December 1987.
Integrated Vision Marketing Collateral
Creative direction and design of various marketing collateral for Integrated Vision, a leading Australian videoconferencing solutions provider. Stephen, operating as Graphic Vision, partnered with the client to produce a range of items including, a Quarterly Newsletter, DL Brochure, and DL Promotions, managing all designs from concept through to prepress and final print.
↑Back to Top