A few Mezich-like icons

[helmut]

#1

No real pro or con, just some thoughts:

In John's above draft for the compare icon I like the "eye" sub-symbol for comparing and contact sheet. Already, the "eye" is used for "File > Open". So users know that they will view something whenever clicking on a toolbar button with an eye one it.

With the green questions mark in #1 draft (see top) a new colour and a new way of describing things in icons is introduced and used. If possible, one toolbar should not have too many of those analogies, colours, and descriptive sub-symbols.

[oops66]

...
With the green questions mark in #1 draft (see top) a new colour and a new way of describing things in icons is introduced and used. If possible, one toolbar should not have too many of those analogies, colours, and descriptive sub-symbols.

In this case, why not #1 with the subjective symbol "~" (approximatively equal) ???

[bmezenga]

#1 too.

...With the green questions mark in #1 draft (see top) a new colour and a new way of describing things in icons is introduced and used. If possible, one toolbar should not have too many of those analogies, colours, and descriptive sub-symbols.

IMHO, the green question mark fits great overall as there are several icons with green arrows.

[mezich]

In John's above draft for the compare icon I like the "eye" sub-symbol for comparing and contact sheet. Already, the "eye" is used for "File > Open". So users know that they will view something whenever clicking on a toolbar button with an eye one it.

1 or 2 - compare
3 - view/open two images

[RGBA]

1 or 2 - compare

+1 for No.1
Simple as possible, with look on common signs.
Exept there is another icon (a third comparing) and it will make sense.
But almost three pictogram inside an icon, I don't know..

[JohnFredC]

I like #3 best. (Naturally )

• - #3 does not commit to what activity the user intends with the Compare. After all, XnView Compare is also useful for quickly tiling two or more images into the display a la Lightroom's Survey mode.
  
  - The Eye means "look at" or "eye see you". Since it is already a "verb" symbol in the icon set, for me Mezich has firmly established the former meaning. Therefore #3 is easily interpreted: "look at two images side-by-side".
  
  - The Question mark means "Ask the user something" and implies that XnView wants the user's input, such as in the new "Save As" icon. XnView does not ask the user anything during Compare. The question mark is in the user's mind!
  
  - The Equals sign is ambiguous, both visually and for meaning. Is it an action ("make these equal")? Or a declaration ("these are equal")? This ambiguity is the reason several of us here want to pair the Equals sign with the Question Mark. It is not enough by itself.

***

The Mezich icon syntax is well planned. There is the action/verb vocabulary (Question Mark, Eye, Green Arrow) and the context/subject/predicate vocabulary (Orange Document: before/source, Blue Document: after/destination, etc.)

Some times a symbol is naturally monadic (undo, redo, save) but most of the time it needs a context and an action (Save As = Document + Question Mark).

But a symbol is NOT a full narrative. So the action and context components (sub-symbols) themselves need also to be monadic if possible.

One reason for this is that the human mind is supposed to identify the symbol, not "read it". "Reading" slows you down. If one had to read a Stop sign at every corner, consider the consequences...

The second reason for this is simplicity of appearance. The more visually complex the symbol is, the longer it takes for the brain to interpret the distinctive features. If our icons were 48x48, then the 2-part action components (Question Mark + Equals, for instance) could be more easily distinguished by the eye. But on my monitor (1920x1200 24"), they merge.

Question Mark + Equals isn't too narrative-like, but the visual distinctiveness of the entire icon (#2) is compromised by having too many "action" components.

I have more to say but...

I won't!

[RGBA]

Well, I just took it only from the psychologic aspect,
but taking icons like 1 & 5 here

goes it plus this comparing one in my opinion too much in the Trademark issue,
eye here, eye there - eye, eh I don't know..
But nevermind, its your XnView..
The function could left behind, surely.
I guess you don't want to hear more arguments.

@John did you studied NLP, It sounds like that.. but this is too far OT.

[JohnFredC]

Hi RGBA

No... no NLP, that's new to me. Basic CHI stuff + Cognitive psychology + minor background in linguistics.

We're in agreement about "too many" eyes. That could look a little... unsettling. On the other hand, there is only one "official" eye icon currently and one or two more might not "look" so ocular on the toolbar.

I can't imagine that an eye per se as a component of an icon would be proprietary. What trademarks are you thinking of?

[XnTriq]

When discussing toolbar buttons we should also keep in mind that – hopefully – somewhere down the line all commands will have an icon of their own.

#2 could be mistaken for cmd_SearchSimilar.

I agree that #3 “is easily interpreted: ‘look at two images side-by-side’” (JohnFredC). But in essence it means “view/open two images” (mezich).

That's why I think #3 should be cryopreserved for later use:

• Tiling in image view
• Image scroll viewing feature?
• View 2 images side by side in fullscreen mode?
• Comics view ?
• Display Multiple Image in Fullscreen
• view two photos at the same time
• PDF @ picture view: turn pages /w left & right cursor

In iconography the magnifying glass traditionally stands for zooming and/or close examination:

• 

[mezich]

see it in context

[Troken]

In iconography the magnifying glass traditionally stands for zooming and/or close examination:

Yes, but magnifying glass stands in all applications, as you said, for zooming. A loupe could do the trick, it also is used when examining an image in close up. I know Adobe Acrobat uses a loupe for a zoom, but thats the only example of a loupe-icon Ive encountered so far. May be a little far fetched?

[JohnFredC]

#3, I think.

Not #2: that means "ask the user something". Though it looks good!

Not #1: two eyes are too many (at least: side-by-side, they are!)

And I hadn't thought of a small magnifier overlay. That might work, too.

[Troken]

Binoculars?

[mezich]

#3, I think.
And I hadn't thought of a small magnifier overlay. That might work, too.

#3 - easy and clean. my choice.

magnifier, eye, ?, =? - extra and overcharging meaning.

[mezich]

Binoculars?

already used for search