While this isn't 100% laravel specific, I talked to some people at Laracon 2014 about it so I figured I would post the package for all to see here.

https://github.com/runmybusiness/initialcon

Basically you give the class two inputs, the User's initial(s) and something static like a user id or an email address. I compute a background color based on the md5 of the static parameter and overlay the initials on that background giving you a nice way to represent the user if they don't upload their own icon. This background color stays with the user between page refreshes so you can easily find them in a thread of icons, even if another user has the same initials.

Examples: