Quick Quote for Sherpa, along with several quality of life upgrades, is nearly done. I'm aiming to get a beta out the door later this week. If you're interested in participating, send me a message and I'll make sure you're included.
I’m turning my attention back to Outpost, starting with the icon. The icon gives the product a face before everything else is finished. It's easier to do this up front so I can start using the imagery while the rest of the product takes shape.
Here's where I need your help. I've narrowed it down to a handful of designs and would love your thoughts on which one resonates with you. I’m not looking to design this by committee. I’m looking for the direction that makes the strongest immediate impression. I have my own favorite, but I'm curious what it looks like through your eyes. It has to make sense to the shops, organizers, and buyers who will see it in the real world.
But first some background...
In small indie shops, design does not happen in a separate department while engineering marches forward. It happens in squeezed in windows, with real constraints. Whether you run a screen printing shop or manage the daily flow of office work, at some point the deadline gets close and you have to make the call.
MoB icons are intentionally simple, bright, and punchy because they need to work at real software sizes, not just as a big image on a landing page. Pick what you like best based on imagery and feeling, not the exact colors. Colors can easily be moved. The core metaphor is what matters here.
If you missed the earlier Outpost posts, here’s the quick recap. Outpost is a new software product aimed at the decorator apparel world. The goal is to make it dramatically easier for shops to create and manage custom web stores for things like custom T-shirts for youth sports, school groups, clubs, fundraisers, and other limited-run sales with a clear ordering window before production begins.
If you’ve been following this project, your gut reaction is useful here. I’m less interested in perfection and more interested in which one makes immediate sense.
Which one feels like a place where a shop could launch a simple, organized campaign?