[Sigia-l] Iconic paradigms

[Pierre Abel]

Listera wrote:

>The vast majority of our digital concepts are represented by icons of
>physical objects. Sometimes the former is related to the latter by
>reasonable inference. Sometimes the relationship is extremely tenuous, if
>there's any at all:
>
>Email -> envelop, mailbox
>Edit -> pencil
>Security -> padlock
>Directory -> manila folder
>Delete -> trashcan
>Video -> film camera silhouette
>Copy -> clipboard
>
>Some deviations also:
>
>Burn -> radioactive sign
>Refresh -> circular arrows
>Internet -> cloud, globe, Earth
>Etc.
>
>Has anyone come across a site/collection where icons for digital concepts
>were systematically NOT represented by direct reference to physical objects?
>

You mean art icons ? Since icons are usually used as metaphors which 
allow user to tap in existing knowledge (to understand and experiment a 
concept through another one), if you don't use physical objects -concept 
you already know - you loose this metaphoric approach (it is also true 
for the "dead" metaphor which are current in our desktop) .
 The good thing would be the possibility to create art icons that are 
visually very pleasant...(personaly, I love to have an nice art icon set..).

If not looking for a  visually pleasant design, what could be the goal 
of using not metaphorical icons ?

Pierre