Alrighty boys and girls...
I have been in and out of digital art over the years for hundreds of different reasons. It wasn't until this year that I focused on pixel-art, and thus... here I am. Alot of what I have needed over the years I have had to scavenge from various sites and designs and digital pieces. Mostly I have needed button designs and icons as well as logo creations for different things...

Now that I have embarked on the path of the pixel artist, I was wondering...
Does anyone know where a person learns how to come up with the ideas that end up as logos and icons?

For instance, I work in an Engineering Department as an Office Admin for City Government... our department is called "Special Projects" as we work on things that don't fit into your average Public Works... we do Architectural and Engineering work on Zoo's, Convention Centers, Police Stations, Fire Stations, etc... I wanted to come up with an icon / logo we could use on stationary for our department, but I don't have a clue on where to start...

I start imagining a little person like you see on the MENS and WOMENS signs at bathrooms, then maybe the city seal, but I get lost at that point... I don't know where to start with designing a logo that would represent a department that did Engineering and Architectural work... in City Government... and I KNOW there has to be a book or a website that gives you tips at least on designing these things... Surely this isn't some esoteric art form that no-one has written about...

So if you know what to do for the creation of logos or icons... If you know of the perfect book or website that would help me pick up this skill... PLEASE point me to it...