A new UX student’s hunt for icons in Seoul
It is easy to take icons for granted. Icons are great because they closely resemble the object that they are portraying and takes away some of the cognitive load. The water purifier in my kitchen is a great example. Its icons are so well-designed that I knew immediately which buttons to press to get cold, hot, and lukewarm water.
To further explore the versatility and utility of icons, I photographed and tried to sketch some icons I come across in my day-to-day life in Seoul, South Korea.
1. Lock icon
I found this icon on my water purifier. It also came with a small label on top. It is a fantastic example of icons that imitates real-life objects. I assume that this icon came about after taking a cue from a physical lock. The lock icon could also indicate other meanings, such as security. It has a 2D line weight and is also an outline.
2. Water droplet icon
Here is another icon from my water purifier. Because of its central location, I knew intuitively to press it for water to come out. It imitates a real-life water droplet. It has a filled-in shape, just like a droplet!
3. Hot water icon
In what way do you think three wavy lines indicate hot temperature? Perhaps it is imitating smoke, which signifies heat. There is a convenient label under the icon that says ‘hot water’, which is a great design choice because hot water can burn someone if they did not know what it meant!
4. Calories icon
I found this icon on my exercise bike. This icon indicates the number of calories burned. Forks and knives are utensils, which are associated with meals. I think this is why the designer chose to use these to represent the number of calories burned. It is a filled, 2D icon.
5. Do not lean!
This is a filled, 2D icon I encountered at a metro station in Seoul. It is telling people not to lean on the metro doors because it’s dangerous! I think this is a well-designed icon because it uses minimal details and effective use of lines and shapes to tell its tale.
My next step is to gain some practice in vectorizing by digitizing these icons. Do you think these icons signify their intended meaning? If not, what designs would you have chosen instead?
