icon development has been new for me too. i used my diagrams to help me with the icon, once i determined the shape with positive and negative space i decided to add color to indicate diversity, the small circles represent progression.
these diagrams, helped me to determine where i wanted my entrance to be and how the facility circulation would flow. it has been one of the first times that i have worked on diagramming, but i feel that it has been extremely beneficial to me and my design process.
after research of different systems i decided that plants, eco systems, and biomes, would guide me to the right concept. i feel that natural systems are the future...as designers we must recognize what nature has already designed, and use it to our advantage.