The Icon Book: Visual Symbols for Computer Systems and Documentation (Paperback)

~ William Horton (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"The Icon Book" is available in three formats: Book Only Edition (ISBN: 047159900X); Diskette Only Edition (ISBN: 047102497X); Book w/ Diskette Edition (ISBN:0471599018).

Product Description

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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; 1 edition (March 31, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047159900X
• ISBN-13: 978-0471599005
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,062,577 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great reference book - but the disk isn't included, February 11, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews

This book is a great reference tool for people who have to design toolbar icons. I wouldn't try to design an icon without it.

One note for people who may have seen the book before - only the book is available from Amazon - not the diskette with the set of starter icons. This leaves you with pictures of the starter icons in an appendix - which you can try to duplicate by hand in your icon editor of choice. Great reference book, too bad the disk isn't included. It's almost as valuable as the book itself.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference, July 28, 2000

By	Kathy Keefe (Cambridge, MA USA) - See all my reviews

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, as well as outlining when to use graying, broken lines, arrows, etc. to add meaning.

One shipment of this book did not include the disks, I had to call back and get the disk shipped to me seperately.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't judge this book by the cover!, September 3, 2000

By	Michael Pinto "Anime Fan" (NYC, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.