After the success we had with the FireFTP icon redesign, developer Mime Cuvalo of Nightlight Productions talked to me about designing marks for other projects he was currently involved in. The Largest River is an alternate front for Amazon.com, aimed at those who enjoy the buying experience of Amazon but not necessarily the crowded search results. Users can enter their search query into The Largest River (or it’s easy-to-install Firefox search plugin) and see a quick, clean grid of products matching their search.

In contrast to the glassiness of FireFTP, the concept lends itself to a more minimal design. To avoid the look of a typical river-based symbol, I wanted to show the size of the river not through the water itself but through its juxtaposition with another element; what bigger water-dwelling creature than an aquatic dinosaur? The design is encased in a square for easy transfer to the 16 x 16 pixel icon seen in most modern browsers’ address bars and the Firefox search bar.