Breastfeeding Icons Update

Update: With Mother's Day soon approaching, I thought it would be a good idea to update one of my first blog entries — a post about a design contest. I'll name the winner at the end of this post.

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You be the Judge! You've ever created an icon or logo, you know that you want your design to be recognizable, memorable, and simple. There's a delicate balance between providing enough information to make your idea recognizable, but not having so much that the concept you're trying to communicate gets lost. In addition, having your design work at many different sizes is important.

Mothering, the natural family living magazine, decided to have a "Create a Breastfeeding Icon" contest.

The image of a baby bottle on an airport sign announcing the location of a "parents lounge" infuriated us and got us thinking: Isn't there an international symbol for breastfeeding? We called around. Spoke to lactivists and breastfeeding organizations all over the world. No one had seen or heard of an international symbol for breastfeeding. This is our official call for entries.

They received over 500 entries, and narrowed it down to twelve finalists. I've selected my favorite four icons (shown below). Voting just ended and the winner will be announced soon. Okay, icon judges: Which do you think best does the job? Which would you like to see in an airport?

Among the many entries were some that, as the editors put it,  "made us smile."  Again I've selected my four favorites. What do you think? Would you want to see any of these at an airport? Do they (unintentionally) communicate another message?

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CThe winner according to reative Think Hat Tip to German designer Michael Stoll.

Comments

[Elizabeth K.]

As a professional graphic designer, icon #11 speaks to me...the message is very clear. In addition, it will reproduce well both large and small. While I appreciate the effort to make icons non-specific in regards to gender, in case of breast-feeding, I think it is fine that the icon repicts a woman.

[Nedra Weinreich]

I took a look at all of the finalists, and unfortunately I found problems with just about all of them. Either it looks like the woman is just holding the baby or it wasn't even clear that it was a baby at all. The problem I see with icon #11, which Elizabeth likes, is that it looks like the baby is feeding through the woman's shirt. Icon #1 looks like the woman is inflating a balloon through her breast (we can play the Stick Figures in Peril game again!). I thought that #7 was the clearest, because the woman's shirt is pulled up, but the hairstyle and clothes seem culturally specific to India. I think that if #5 were sitting down, that would be the closest for me. As someone who has breastfed two kids, the position of the baby and the hidden hand were the most recognizable as someone breastfeeding, but doing it standing up would be very uncommon (at least in our culture).

[Lisa Caldwell]

Wow, the things that can get people going. I vote for 11. The way it is done is discreet, but it is obviously a mom and baby and that is enough to get breastfeeding women to the place! I don't think it is clear that it is through her shirt. With a graphic, we cannot know if the shirt is up and over the head or not, and that is fine... But anyhow, thanks for thinking of me on this one! I had a few folks to send it on to...

[noah kagan]

Interesting competition. The problem with the top 4 is that it doesn't really get the message across. Disclaimer: I am not a mother. They all seem like mothers are just holding those babies. At least the bottom 4 are clear indicators of what's going on. Frankly, artsy wise the fork and knife is the cutest but the bottom bottom right logo is my favorite.

[Roger von Oech]

Nedra, Elizabeth, Lisa, and Noah: thanks for your comments on the "breastfeeding icon" contest. It certainly does engage our design sensibilities. And it's interesting to hear how "realistic" the various contestants are from experienced breastfeeders. I like #11 in the real category, and the 2nd one in the "made us smile" category.

[Roger von Oech]

Re Kerkstra's comment: "While I appreciate the effort to make icons non-specific in regards to gender, in case of breast-feeding, I think it is fine that the icon depicts a woman."

What about the Robert de Niro character in "Meet the Fokkers" who wears a fully-formed lactation device to feed his grandchild?

[David Armano]

What a great post.

OK, I think my serious favorite is # 8, but for a stylized choice I like #10.

The fork and knife is priceless. Ironically, this is probably closest to how a baby actually views it. :)

[Rhea]

Some of these are very clever. But sometimes it's just TMI.

[Todd Ziaja]

8 is clearly the best here and a great use of negative space to define the baby. It needs to show a breast for context because as someone stated earlier in the thread, it just looks like she's just holding the baby. And I think just the depiction of a figure holding a baby depicts nuturing whcih makes you read it as a woman, we still have our gender gestalt despite it being the 21st century. #1 looks likethe woman is trying on an implant and 10 is a rip-off of a hospital maternity clinic logo that i can;t remember the name of right now. 11 does not connote breast feeding at all and looks oddly European, i.e. working-class dutch that sould be on a palte or a cup. Again, add some cleavage to 8 and that's your (wo)man.

[ashley]

i like icon 11 & the black & white one of the baby opening its mouth for food. 8 i like alot, but its not very clear that the baby is nursing and not just snuggling. i agree that #8 needs cleavage and work....

[Mrs. Janyce Godwin]

I really like #8 but there needs to show more of a breast so as people know baby is breast feeding not just cuddling mom. dotn think it needs to be a graphic description just to get the point across though. yes cleavage would do the trick perfectly.
Good luck loo forward to seeing the finished product
Sincerely
Janyce Godwin

[Cam Beck]

10 and 11 work best for me, but like the judges, the other four "made me smile," too. :) Thanks for sharing!

[Crystal]

As a breastfeeding mum and someone interested in art number 11 is one I would rather see anywhere...lol