Impero Browser App Icon

Impero Browser
The Impero Browser was an in-house solution for monitoring and controlling school—or pupil-owned mobile devices (iOS/Android) in the classroom. This allowed for the same level of control/interaction as our desktop solution, which relied on browser extensions.
I was responsible for the application interface design and the branding and icon work for this project.
I went through multiple concepts and revisions for the main app icon:

An immediate personal favourite was the personified logo with the robotic eyes. This worked on two levels:
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It was cute and playful; since this application was primarily used by students, the app should be approachable and friendly.
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the eyes were "watching" for a school, which is essentially what the app did.
Despite this, after careful consideration, we eventually removed the "Robot" logo. There was a concern that it could alienate some customers.
We ended up with the 3D "life-preserver" icon. We also designed and internally for beta used a blueprint style icon:
