4 ms·

This goes back a lot further than computer icons. Road signs for railway crossings still show steam trains. Men/Women signs for toilets show women in skirts t

by brc 14y ago

This goes back a lot further than computer icons. Road signs for railway crossings still show steam trains. Men/Women signs for toilets show women in skirts that nobody wears, on images that hardly resemble people at all. My car has a snowflake for the AC button, even though snow doesn't come out of the vents when you switch it on. Interestingly, signs that ban music players in certain areas now look like Gen 1 iPods, even though a modern iPod (or any other player) doesn't have a clickwheel. The point is that, iconography is meant to be clear and concise. As long as everyone agrees on what something stands for, then it doesn't matter what that is. Generally, that thing refers to a classic image of a thing, because the original shape will always be associated with the modern version.

bazzargh 14y ago
Indeed. This one used to mystify us on the UK driving test 25 years ago - way older than steam trains, and presumably anachronistic even when it was standardised: http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/1848/PreviewComp/SuperStock_1848-161827.jpg http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/1848/PreviewComp/Su... It's not a UK sign. Most Europeans will recognize it, but I doubt it travels well, and even where it has local currency, many peoples grandparents won't remember these in real life.
- ben1040 14y ago
  As an American I had to use TinEye to find out that this image was of the Deutsche Post logo. Then I realized it was a horn, and understood the connection. But only because I had once seen this faux historic mailbox in a SkyMall catalog or the like: http://www.mailboxnet.com/townhouse_mailbox/mb500_townhouse_mailbox.html http://www.mailboxnet.com/townhouse_mailbox/mb500_townhouse_...
- brc 14y ago
  I recognised that one as a horn, but I had no idea what the connection to post is, and still don't. Just took it for one of those weird corporate logos that meant something to someone at some point but doesn't anymore.
  - bazzargh 14y ago
    Here's the explanation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_horn http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_horn The post horn...used to signal the arrival or departure of a post rider or mail coach. It was used especially by postilions of the 18th and 19th centuries...The instrument is still used as the logo of national post services in many countries. The logo I posted was for the German mail service, but you'll see variations of that image used to mean 'post' all over Europe, and in Australia.
libria 14y ago
People have made hay about the save/floppy icon for some time. This is the 1st time I've ever realized where the term `radio button`. I've successfully used them countless times and none of my coworkers/clients has ever been confused by the term. It demonstrates to me that it doesn't matter what the icon is. What matters is convention. Nobody has to ever see the original as long as there is universal acceptance about what the icons mean. I've wondered how non-english speakers learn Java. I don't think they really have to know what the translation for `public` and `class` are as long as they understand how they work.
- vibrunazo 14y ago
  Same here, I just learned why the radio buttons were called radio buttons with this article. I had never seen them, but never had a problem with them. Also, as a non native english speaker, I learned several words in english by programming. I remember seeing the word "if" out of a programming context for the first time, and I knew what it meant because I remembered of c++. :) So yes, convention is more important. People will learn the convention and won't know why. Just like we don't know the exact etymology of every word, but we still can communicate fine. And when we do find how each word or icon was originated, it's interesting, but we honestly could live without it.
  - excuse-me 14y ago
    I am a native english speaker and it was only in high school I heard syntax outside the context of BASIC's "syntax error"

by brc 14y ago

bazzargh 14y ago

Indeed. This one used to mystify us on the UK driving test 25 years ago - way older than steam trains, and presumably anachronistic even when it was standardised: http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/1848/PreviewComp/SuperStock_1848-161827.jpg http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/1848/PreviewComp/Su... It's not a UK sign. Most Europeans will recognize it, but I doubt it travels well, and even where it has local currency, many peoples grandparents won't remember these in real life.

ben1040 14y ago
As an American I had to use TinEye to find out that this image was of the Deutsche Post logo. Then I realized it was a horn, and understood the connection. But only because I had once seen this faux historic mailbox in a SkyMall catalog or the like: http://www.mailboxnet.com/townhouse_mailbox/mb500_townhouse_mailbox.html http://www.mailboxnet.com/townhouse_mailbox/mb500_townhouse_...
brc 14y ago
I recognised that one as a horn, but I had no idea what the connection to post is, and still don't. Just took it for one of those weird corporate logos that meant something to someone at some point but doesn't anymore.
- bazzargh 14y ago
  Here's the explanation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_horn http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_horn The post horn...used to signal the arrival or departure of a post rider or mail coach. It was used especially by postilions of the 18th and 19th centuries...The instrument is still used as the logo of national post services in many countries. The logo I posted was for the German mail service, but you'll see variations of that image used to mean 'post' all over Europe, and in Australia.

libria 14y ago

People have made hay about the save/floppy icon for some time. This is the 1st time I've ever realized where the term `radio button`. I've successfully used them countless times and none of my coworkers/clients has ever been confused by the term. It demonstrates to me that it doesn't matter what the icon is. What matters is convention. Nobody has to ever see the original as long as there is universal acceptance about what the icons mean. I've wondered how non-english speakers learn Java. I don't think they really have to know what the translation for `public` and `class` are as long as they understand how they work.

vibrunazo 14y ago
Same here, I just learned why the radio buttons were called radio buttons with this article. I had never seen them, but never had a problem with them. Also, as a non native english speaker, I learned several words in english by programming. I remember seeing the word "if" out of a programming context for the first time, and I knew what it meant because I remembered of c++. :) So yes, convention is more important. People will learn the convention and won't know why. Just like we don't know the exact etymology of every word, but we still can communicate fine. And when we do find how each word or icon was originated, it's interesting, but we honestly could live without it.
- excuse-me 14y ago
  I am a native english speaker and it was only in high school I heard syntax outside the context of BASIC's "syntax error"