Icons: Here, There, Everywhere!
Icons in the kitchen, icons in the shower, icons in the office, they’re here on this webpage as I write this article. They. are. everywhere.
A brief 5 minute walk through my house revealed a smorgasbord of icons I see on a daily basis: the oven light on the stove, the steam function on the frother, chop option on the processor (dang I have a lot of applicances for someone who hates to cook…), “please recycle” on toiletries, little rabbits everywhere symbolizing no animal testing/cruelty, and even a loop icon on a midi keyboard.
Why icons?
From my observations, all these icons fall under two categories:
- To describe the function of a button
- To succinctly provide product information
On kitchen appliances, there’s no room to give a list of directions, so an aptly labeled icon on a button helps direct the user in facilitating that appliance.
Icons on toiletries provided information that may impact a user’s decision to buy the item. I feel a pinch better about my ginormous environmental footprint when I see a recyclable symbol on a product. At least I can recycle it, right?
You can also find these informational icons on food, labeling items as gluten-free, vegan, non-gmo, etc.
This was incredibly helpful the 8 months I was vegan. Those green leaves saved me the time of having to read every single ingredient. Or, if I did take the time to read the ingredients, it confirmed my suspicions.
Therefore,
Icons = Informational & instructional.
What did these icons have in common?
Stylistically, they were all relatively simple. They didn’t involve too many details, mostly solid, simple lines. Abstract outlines with rounded corners.
I was surprised at how many of the icons had labels as well. Even though we think everyone instantly recognizes the recycle icon, someone may not. & unless the icon is startingly clear, the observer may be stumped.
For example, I drink coffee every single day. Sometimes 2–3 times a day, but that’s another topic. Anyways, when we first got our milk steamer, I pressed this top button because it was, well… on top. I was satisfied with the outcome and never thought twice about it again. We had it for about half a year before I recognized this symbol as steam leaving a coffee cup:
The snowflake, however, is a little more universal in that it usually dictates “cool” or “cold.” In this instance, the appliance will simply froth the milk, not steam it. I feel these icons definitely require context.
I may have the Curse of Knowledge for this next one, as it’s a common symbol found on music equipment that I’ve been using for well over a decade. This button will loop a recording over and over. It’s pretty well represented by the arrow turning in a seemingly never ending “loop,” but I can imagine that for a gear-newb, it may cause a learning curve frustration.
In contrast, the processor in the kitchen is much more clear. The icons are tiny representations of the blades needed to perform each option. They correlate with the buttons found below this on the appliance itself. My cooking is still terrible, but at least my veggies are chopped to perfection.
So,
There you have it. Icons: little visual helpers you can find everywhere if you look close enough. How ‘bout a big thank you to icons for breaking down the world’s mysteries one symbol at a time?!
