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| ] ]s]] | ] ]s]] | ||
| ], iconic of the government of the ]]] | ], iconic of the government of the ]]] | ||
| ] graphic is not an icon but a ], because its meaning is purely ]al, and it represents no specific object.]] | ] graphic is not an icon but a ], because its meaning is purely ]al, and it represents no specific object.{{cn|date=February 2015}}]] | ||
| A '''secular icon''' is an image or pictograph of a person or thing used for other than religious purpose. (See ] for such use.) | A '''secular icon''' is an image or pictograph of a person or thing used for other than religious purpose. (See ] for such use.) | ||
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A secular icon is an image or pictograph of a person or thing used for other than religious purpose. (See icon for such use.)
Icons versus symbols
- An icon is a graphic device that represents some object or action, the graphic device being ascribed.
- A symbol has only the meanings ascribed to itself, representing only a concept and not recognizable as a particular object.
Language and cultural neutrality
International standards have been developed to harmonize icons and symbols. The latter can be seen particularly at international airports and on roadside signs, to assist travelers. Icons are also becoming standardised for consumer electronics and for automobile controls.
Warning symbols, such as the biological-hazard, or biohazard, symbol, are sometimes not self-explanatory but are well-known within the relevant art or craft; they are not icons, but symbols.
Political and governmental iconic symbols
Edifices such as the United States Capitol Building or the White House, the Elizabeth Tower, and Saint Basil's Cathedral have become representations respectively of the Governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Russia. Other symbols (such as the bulldog for the United Kingdom, the bald eagle for the United States, the bear for Russia, or the Chinese dragon for China) are used to represent nations, as distinct from (yet inclusive of) governments.
Modern computer systems
Main article: Icon (computing)Modern personal computers and control systems make extensive use of icons in the form of small images representing such objects as file folders, documents and applications within a graphical user interface.
See also
- Cultural icon
- Semeiotic, the analysis of icons and symbols.
- Symbol