Reflection Point: Icons

In this article, I will reflect on how icons impact and help guide our day-to-day lives, subconsciously and consciously. The icons that I’ll be sharing were all found in my small apartment in the Bay Area, and spoiler alert: They were not difficult to find. It just goes to show how present icons can be in our lives.

7 sets of icons

1. I found the start and stop icon located on the microwave. This is similar to the play and stop button often found on remote controls, radios, or music apps. These icons are filled in, making the icons visible from far. The stop button is also colored red for emphasis on the “stop” feature.
2. These icons were found on a Theragun box, advertising the different features of the Theragun. Compared to the icons found in the microwave, Theragun’s icons are much more specific to the product. This is an instance of where the labels really come into play, since the icons are less common and more specific to a niche of product. These icons are not filled in, and match the sleek design of the Theragun with a thin stroke of light blue.
3. These icons were found on top of my (very dusty) air filter system. I found them to be quite intuitive and clear of what the icon was supposed to be. These icons were also filled in.
4. These icons were found on the plant container indicating sun and water levels for the plant. Unlike the previous three examples, these icons did not come with labels. I found most of them intuitive and understandable without labels. However, a guide would be helpful for this purpose. For example, the last icon clearly implies that this plant needs infrequent watering, but for the new plant parent, it may be unclear what the standard watering levels are. Does infrequent watering mean to water once every week or once every two weeks?
5. These icons were found on my Instax camera with similar symbols to those of my plant in image 4. They were similar to the icons found in the previous example of the plant container, yet represents a completely different context. In understanding the purpose of the product, I was able to differentiate the icons’ goals. These icons are not filled in, and match the sleek and minimalist style of the Instax camera.
6. These icons were found on my coffee machine to indicate the different types of coffee options that one can make. I use this coffee machine every day, and find so much joy in the process. I can say without a doubt that the icons, which is such a subtle yet an important detail, plays a big part in my experience in using my coffee machine. With a couple of strokes, each icon tells me multiple pieces of information at once without needing too much processing power: coffee size and type of coffee. In addition, the icons are labelled at the top.
7. These icons were found on a board game box to indicate number of players, overall time for a game, and age range. There were no labels, yet I found this very clear and intuitive!

In summary, there are many icons out there that differ from each other but may mean the same thing, and there are also similar icons that mean completely different things. I have not yet found an example where a label takes away from the meaning, so I will be definitely be using labels in the future in my designs. Thank you so much for reading!