The Icon Book: Visual Symbols for Computer Systems and Documentation

By William Horton

Book Overview

Uses a practical, research-based approach to the design of icons. Icons are used widely but not always used wisely. This book will prescribe an orderly process for designing sets of icons, suggest ideas for ''unpicturable'' concepts, explain how to refine and test icon ideas, demonstrate how to design large sets of related icons, guide the development of icons for the international market. There is an icon glossary which features over 1,500 icons. The book/disk version features the icon glossary in both PC (Windows) and Mac files.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 047159900X
• ISBN13: 9780471599005
• Release Date: March 1994
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 1.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 0.8" x 7.6"

Customer Reviews

useful guide book for desining icons

This book is an comprehensive beginner’s guide of designing computer icons, and I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in designing, because the introduced strategies to create icons are so deliberate that we can use them to design other creative works like home pages. The main purpose of this book is to discuss how to design icons that are easy to recognize, understand, and remember, including the concept of...

Don't judge this book by the cover!

If you need to do icon design this book is a must! Horton comes from the old school where you have to show the most in only a few pixels - and there is some very smart thinking here to pick up on. This book is great if you are just starting to learn about interactive design or an old pro looking for inspiration.

Excellent reference

This book is laid out nicely, with exercises and thought processes on how to develop effective icons. The author includes examples of icons he has developed for applications in the past, along with his workflow. For example, one section lists the name of each icon (Edit, Delete, Add quotation) and then has sketches of 5 different ideas a piece. This book also discusses why people associate certain symbols with certain phrases,...