Rockstar Icon Designer - Kate McInnes [9]
I first fell in love with icons back in primary school, it was 1992 and my class had been gifted a brand new Apple Macintosh Classic II. I already had exposure to computing with a DOS based PC at home, but this new computer had something I had never seen before, a Graphical User Interface (GUI). Everyone wanted to have a go at the new Apple, but first we had to complete a quick tutorial on how to use the mouse and “all new” GUI to earn our “computer privilege.”
I don't really remember much from the actual computer itself, nor do I remember the programs I used on it (I think one was a crossword generator?) but what I do remember is the Trash icon.
Growing up in Australia I only knew of the word “trash” being used on American television shows (here we use “rubbish”) so without any real association with the name, the trash can was unique. The simple act of deleting files was a joy. I loved the way the icon changed state when the trash was full and how fun it was to drag “paper” across the virtual desktop. From that day on I was hooked on GUI.
The lesson to be learned from my experience is that an exceptional concept will outlast any rendering style and engaging the user will help them remember the action for future use. The human brain can remember many more symbols than words, so not only will a good icon instruct new users it will also help regular users work quickly and efficiently.
What Makes a Good Icon?
There are three things which make for a good icon:
An icon must be universally recognized
Icons must be clear and concise
Icon design must adhere to platform guidelines
Icons can be compared to cars (no really they can!). A flashy looking hot-rod will turn a few heads, but when it comes down to it, most people need a reliable “point A to B” vehicle. We don't want a world without hot-rods, I for one love them, but it's important to know what's appropriate for your situation. In contrast, an icon with an excellent construction and bad rendering will mostly be met with a negative response (It's ugly, I don't want to use it, etc.). Now that I have you thinking about cars, let's kick into full gear, cruise the Autobahn of design guidelines and leave the “clunkers” choking on our dust.
1. An Icon Must be Universally Recognized
Icons improve user productivity and are generally understood faster than text. With over a billion personal computers worldwide — and mobile devices are predicted to overshadow this number in the future — it's important for software developers to appeal to a global audience. If an icon is based around an object or metaphor that only appeals to a small section of the community it will frustrate more people than it helps. On a larger scale, what may be recognized in one country may not be recognized in another.
A popular example is the Toolbar icon for email. We all know that email is commonly represented by an envelope, but why when you could also use a postbox? The answer is cultural context. You will find postboxes all around the globe, but what you may not know is that the design of a postbox is completely different depending on its location, the class of mail it's for and even the postal service it's associated with. The universal recognition of envelopes (especially air mail) makes them a better symbol for email.
Envelopes are a better symbol for email than a mailbox because mailbox design varies between mail services. Envelopes are universal.
Another key to universal recognition is historical context. Think about the light bulb icon. Not many households have the old incandescent screw bottom light bulb anymore, instead they have eco-friendly fluorescent tubes. Each has the same purpose – to create light – but when they're used as icons, the incandescent light represents an idea and the fluorescent one shows environmental responsibility.
Toolbar icons need to represent the function to which people would most identify with.