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American cultural icons
The clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, iconic of the government of the United Kingdom
The biohazard graphic is not an icon but a symbol, because its meaning is purely conventional, and it represents no specific object.

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.

See also

References

  1. "Maybe icons should represent the action instead of the medium / device?". graphicdesign.stackexchange.com. Retrieved 2015-04-13.
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