Iconography

1. Iconography • Symbols that communicate

2. Memes • Ideas and concepts that are replicate within a culture or across cultures

3. Examples • Dude, that's awesome! - phrase meme • Heaven and hell - religious meme • Forums and texting - Internet meme • Individual vs. collective group - cultural meme

4. Memes • Humans are good copiers of information • Behaves like a virus in human population • Can come from parents, peers, society, etc. • In consumer societies promotes the product as meme (pet rock, Mercedes symbol as jewelry) • Some memes die out • Some memes change based on host filters • Some memes become universal across cultures.

5. Memes as Cultural Icons Netherlands American England Mexico China Australia

6. Cultural Icons • Types of cultural icons include: buildings, manufactured objects, flowers, animals, cuisine, or geographical feature such as mountains • Used as representations of a culture's attributes • Used to promote a culture in a positive way • Used in a wide variety of ways; advertising, politics, currency, stamps, uniform, etc.

7. Symbols • Symbols represent ideas and concepts

8. Symbols can be used in many ways • Each individual alphabet letter is a symbol for sound - not meaning • A string of letter symbols become a word. Considered a sign with an more specific meaning • Visual symbols can convey complex set of ideas such as the star. Which can have different meanings depending on context - army uniform vs. sport's team vs. law enforcement vs. celebrity status

9. Computer Icons • Generally a pictogram or ideogram. • Represents software tool, function or data access • Often forms the graphical user interface (GUI) of a computer system along with menus. Strongly associated with a windows metaphor established by Xerox Park • Acts as a linked shortcut to information stored on a system Xerox Star 8010 first desktop metaphor interface

10. Computer Icons • Started with low resolution pixel B&W structures in binary systems • Needed to be small graphic file for computer rendering speed • As computer screen technology evolved - icon graphics become visually more sophisticated.

11. Pictograms as Symbols • Pictorial symbol • Pictograms convey meaning through the resemblance to the physical object • Often transcend languages in communication. ie. road signs use global pictograms as symbols that communicate • ISO 7001: Public Information Symbols - standard symbols used for public communication on global scale across different countries and cultures.

12. Ideograms • Represent ideas or actions • Based on user’s real world use of everyday objects to understand the action • Common icons represented as ideograms: Back Forward Play Record

13. Arbitrary Icons • More abstract conceptually • Don’t relate to real-life objects or actions • Have to be learned from scratch • Sometimes created for branding purposes

14. Where to use iconsUse in the right context • In navigation – act as signposts to direct user • Indicating feature functionality such as play video • Status of an application – such as being offline • Comparison – quick way to compare product features such a print & cut on a printer • User feedback on forms such as an X is info is missing • Emoticons to communicate in text message, email, etc.

15. Icon Design • Know the demographic - social characteristics & cultural traditions • Design as a graphic system - icons need to look like they visually fit together • Design to the size used - from smallest 16 to largest 512 pixel square • Keep icon visual simple - readability is faster • Consistent lighting, reflections, shadows - consistency • Consistent Perspective - if one angled a specific way, keep all at that same perspective. • Consistent Style - color, perspective, shadows, reflections, lighting