I’m a bit of a symbols geek, so I often peruse symbol standards and libraries. I’m continually frustrated by how poorly designed most symbols are, but what really galls me is when their quality and […]
Category: Symbols
Innovation Inspiration #005—Share Incomplete Work
It’s OK to be a perfectionist. But it’s not OK to not share your work until it’s perfect. The point to sharing in-progress work early is to obtain input, inspiration, and innovation that will make […]
Privacy Icon Problems—Ignoring Design & Testing Rules
Several recent attempts at designing icons meant to clarify how your information will be shared on the web have underscored how important it is that the existing symbol design rules and organizations be involved in […]
Elevator Door Open/Close Symbol Confusion
The Hold that elevator! post, describing the confusion created by two sets of open/close buttons, on The Cooper Journal renewed my interest in a question that has long bothered me, and which may even have […]
Symbols can be bad
Despite my continuing belief in the importance of symbols, I must point out that they are not a panacea and have some inherent limitations, especially if poorly designed, but even when well-designed. So when selecting […]
A Search for Symbols Opens Many Doors
I’m currently researching the design of elevator button symbols—the door open and close symbols, to be precise—and my search for reference material and real-world usage has taken me to some pretty bizarre places. My initial […]
Interest Based Ad symbol
A group I had never heard of before, the Future of Privacy Forum, recently designed an icon for use on targeted online advertising. This symbol, and its design process is intriguing because it is far […]
When Disaster Symbols Become an Oxymoron
I came across a new collection of disaster mapping symbols, the “Disaster Response Map Symbols” from the Portuguese chapter of the Association of Volunteer Emergency Response Teams. At first I was excited that someone had […]
Symbol of the Week: Destination Home
I’ve decided to start a new series here on PG—commenting on one graphical symbol a week. My goal in adding this feature is to begin a stronger push for the better design and use of […]