![]() Windows’s GUI system, with its icons and other elements, reigned for years, and designers from all over the world designed and created icons for the most known operating system. Some years before, in 1988, Apple sued Microsoft for copyright infringement of Apple’s Macintosh GUI. In 1993, Windows popularity exploded thanks to the release of Windows 3.0. In 1985, Amiga Workbench introduced colored icons: Examples of first colored icons used by Amiga Workbench ( Source)įinally, Macintosh first and then Windows paved the way for the most used operating system in the world mostly made with icons. It was the first time a user had to deal with a click-based operating system. We can see how the first icons were simple and easy to recognize. Examples of icons and GUI used on Apple Lisa. In 1983, the Macintosh came into play with the Apple Lisa, using icons designed by Susan Kare. Xerox Alto was the first computer to support an operating system based on a graphical user interface. The first digital icons appeared for consumers in 1981, for Xerox Alto. So, how have icons developed over the years? History Of Icons Regarding their use, icons cover more or less challenging roles, which is the reason why they can be small artistic paintings, too. ![]() I agree with the quote above up to a certain point, because, as an icon designer, I can say that even if icons are born with symbolic intent, they have evolved over time. The icon itself is a quickly comprehensible symbol of a software tool, function, or a data file, accessible on the system and is more like a traffic sign than a detailed illustration of the actual entity it represents. In computing, an icon is a pictogram or ideogram displayed on a computer screen in order to help the user navigate a computer system or mobile device. Their symbolisms have been recognized all over the world and have set standards we still follow today. The simplicity of use and intuitiveness made icons very popular. Smith envisioned a scenario in which "visual entities," called icons, could execute lines of programming code, and save the operation for later re-execution.īeyond icons, other concepts like windows, menus, and pointers entered our lives and introduced us to a new way of seeing and using an operating system. David Canfield Smith first coined the term "icon" in his landmark 1975 PhD thesis "Pygmalion: A Creative Programming Environment". They are, by definition, language-independent, meaning they can be recognized without text to indicate their meaning. ![]() The earliest icons were pictures of objects that users were familiar with, such as office objects and software programs. They were associated with programs or files, which could be opened double-clicking on the icon. It comes from the Greek εἰκόνα (“eikona”), meaning “image,” which in turns derives from eikénai ( an infinitive), which means “to be similar”, “to appear.” The word was used first to indicate a sacred representation painted on a table.ĭigital icons appeared when the first GUI operating systems came out, like Macintosh and Microsoft. They are easily recognizable and easy to remember. Icons are simple images used in context to communicate something. You’ll see that it is very simple to use the XD icons that have been created in Illustrator, thanks to the CC libraries. In this article, I will show you how icons have been one of the first elements used in the first user interfaces, the story behind them, and why they are important to use in today’s screen design.Īt the end of the article, you will find a short tutorial that explains how Illustrator and Adobe XD can cooperate. What makes icons particularly special is perhaps the fact that their meaning can be understood without having to add any text or further details. Only designers will know how much effort and time is needed to not only make them helpful but also simple and expressive. ![]() They have been around for a long time, and it’s difficult to imagine a world without icons or symbols today. (This is a sponsored article.) Icons are everywhere. Let’s dig deep into why they play an important part in today’s screen design. (This article is sponsored by Adobe.) A world without icons - is that even possible? After all, icons have been one of the first elements used in the first UIs. ![]()
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