Reflection Point: Icons
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Icons can be described as visual symbols that stand for something else. They serve as visual cues, brand recognition and a way of communication.
If you look around, you will find icons so omnipresent in our lives, yet they do not get consciously noticed. From street signs to your favorite apps, icons are everywhere and learning to really see them can be a challenge!
Icons should enhance functionality and visuals so if they are well designed, users achieve their tasks easily and without really noticing them.
Yet those icons that are poorly designed get noticed right away as you’re forced to think what their purpose might be and this causes a barrier to effective communication.
For the purpose of this article, I have decided to look around my surroundings and identify where I see icons on a daily basis:
Wash Care Labels
Icons used on care labels have been developed and standardised around the world in the early 1960s. However, they can be still particularly hard to understand if they do not have descriptions added. For example, the crossed-out circle used to represent ‘do not dry clean’ could be mistaken for ‘do not wash in the washing machine’ as the circle could have been used to visualise a washing machine.
Whenever I have to wash something new, I find myself studying the following care label guide especially if I see any unfamiliar icons mainly because I wouldn’t like to ruin my clothing too quickly!
Product Packaging
One of the most common icon usages that we can find at home are icons on product packaging. Some are very familiar such as the recycle icon and others need extra guidance.
For example, the open jar with 6M signifies recommended usage time of 6 months from opening the product. Although pretty straightforward, I did double-check this once to ensure I understood the icon correctly!
The Leaping Bunny icon does a good job of suggesting the product is animal friendly. However, it’s the ‘cruelty-free international’ label that informs consumers this is a globally recognised standard for goods that have not been tested on animals. For some consumers, it is a deal-breaker when choosing products so such easy labelling is very helpful.
Remote Controls
Lastly, I thought about icons found on remote controls. I always thought that the Dyson remote has quite an intuitive button scheme.
At the top, there is a self-explanatory power button as well as a button with left and right arrows that allows the fan to rotate. Underneath, we have ‘strength’ controlled by the left button and hot vs cool controlled by the right button.
The whole interface is quite memorable and familiar so probably that’s why labels have not been added here. The use of red and blue is especially familiar to users as these colours are widely used across the world to symbolise warmth and coldness.
Well, I hope my quick insight into icons has inspired you to look around your surroundings. Feel free to leave your comment below as I’m interested to hear about your icon discoveries!
