Chess.com — Brand and icon design for the world's largest chess platform. 240 million members, 20 million games played daily, across web, iOS, and Android.
- Icons
- Glyphs
- Guidelines
- Typedesign
- Logos
- Subbrands
- Illustration
- Animation
- Merch
620+ color icons ship across web, iOS, Android, and marketing. A parallel system of 2,700+ monochrome glyphs powers the UI. Beyond the icons: brand guidelines, searchable browsers for both systems, and the documentation that ties it together.
The challenge — Stay within familiar motifs—users know these icons—while moving the aesthetic forward. North star designs like the neo piece set and Chess.com logo set the shading treatment. Gradual refinement over radical change. The result: icons that finally feel like a family.
The other system — While color icons handle features and marketing, a parallel set of 2,700+ monochrome glyphs powers the UI. 47 categories, negative and hollow variants, optical size variants for arrows and marks. Built on a 12-unit grid, 24×24 default with overshoots. Same design challenge: making abstract chess concepts—tactics, openings, time controls, engine analysis—scannable and a joy to look at.
Pipeline — Draft to production, end to end. DrawBot exports from Glyphs feed a web-based glyph browser, Figma library, and git repo simultaneously. Figma components for product design, searchable browser in the brand guide for exploration, git for production. One source, no handoff, no drift.