Comments on: iConography and the iPhone http://www.methodtree.com/branches/2007/07/iconography-and-the-iphone/ The voice of Methodtree, Inc. Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:44:47 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Naz Hamid http://www.methodtree.com/branches/2007/07/iconography-and-the-iphone/comment-page-1/#comment-110 Naz Hamid Sun, 05 Aug 2007 17:12:49 +0000 http://www.methodtree.com/branches/2007/07/iconography-and-the-iphone/#comment-110 The compass has always bewildered me as an icon representative of the internet. It still doesn't resonate with me whatsoever and I still do a double-take or have to think about what it means, aside from "a compass". Undoubtedly a holdover from when Netscape used it for Navigator. Cat-5 cable has been used in years past as an indication of the internet, as well as a mass of cables plugged into a server, but with the advent of wireless, what makes sense? The odd thing is that the now iconic RSS wireless-like icon is actually a better icon for the internet to me, and that too, doesn't really resonate as being an RSS feed to me. Maybe wireless moreso. The compass has always bewildered me as an icon representative of the internet. It still doesn’t resonate with me whatsoever and I still do a double-take or have to think about what it means, aside from “a compass”.

Undoubtedly a holdover from when Netscape used it for Navigator.

Cat-5 cable has been used in years past as an indication of the internet, as well as a mass of cables plugged into a server, but with the advent of wireless, what makes sense?

The odd thing is that the now iconic RSS wireless-like icon is actually a better icon for the internet to me, and that too, doesn’t really resonate as being an RSS feed to me. Maybe wireless moreso.

]]> By: sandor http://www.methodtree.com/branches/2007/07/iconography-and-the-iphone/comment-page-1/#comment-85 sandor Mon, 23 Jul 2007 21:10:54 +0000 http://www.methodtree.com/branches/2007/07/iconography-and-the-iphone/#comment-85 Wow, duh. Right there are two shining examples: the phone received and the envelope. Amazing how one can overlook these things, even as one is writing about it. No one thinks twice about seeing a receiver for an icon, despite no cellphone having that kind of shape, ever. At least people still use actual envelopes once in a while. You're right, the web is hard to pin down. Maybe a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Series_of_tubes" rel="nofollow">series of tubes</a>? Wow, duh. Right there are two shining examples: the phone received and the envelope. Amazing how one can overlook these things, even as one is writing about it. No one thinks twice about seeing a receiver for an icon, despite no cellphone having that kind of shape, ever. At least people still use actual envelopes once in a while.

You’re right, the web is hard to pin down. Maybe a series of tubes?

]]> By: Sam Felder http://www.methodtree.com/branches/2007/07/iconography-and-the-iphone/comment-page-1/#comment-84 Sam Felder Mon, 23 Jul 2007 21:05:13 +0000 http://www.methodtree.com/branches/2007/07/iconography-and-the-iphone/#comment-84 Thanks for pointing this out, your observation is spot on. It's also interesting that in that bottom bar of four icons, the only one that isn't iconic is for the Internet. The telephone will forever be an old handset, e-mail is a paper envelope, music/video/etc. is now an iPod, but what about the web? The compass just doesn't have the same meaning. What icon would you use to represent the Internet? Thanks for pointing this out, your observation is spot on.

It’s also interesting that in that bottom bar of four icons, the only one that isn’t iconic is for the Internet. The telephone will forever be an old handset, e-mail is a paper envelope, music/video/etc. is now an iPod, but what about the web? The compass just doesn’t have the same meaning.

What icon would you use to represent the Internet?

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