ISO/IEC TR 20007:2014

TECHNICAL ISO/IEC
REPORT TR
20007
First edition
2014-05-01
Information technology — Cultural
and linguistic interoperability —
Definitions and relationship between
symbols, icons, animated icons,
pictograms, characters and glyphs
Technologies de l’information — Interopérabilité culturelle et
linguistique — Définitions et relation entre symboles, icônes, icônes
animées, pictogrammes, caractères et glyphes
Reference number
ISO/IEC TR 20007:2014(E)
©
ISO/IEC 2014

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ISO/IEC TR 20007:2014(E)

COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO/IEC 2014
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of
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Published in Switzerland
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ISO/IEC TR 20007:2014(E)

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Terms and definitions . 1
3 Purpose of each different concept. 3
4 Limits and strengths of each different concept . 3
5 Properties of each (different) concept . 4
5.1 Searchability. 4
5.2 Presentation . 4
5.3 Shape, precise representation, fuzzy representation, encoding, animation, temporal
representation, etc. . 4
6 Relationship between the different concepts . 4
7 Input, process and output considerations (from drawing to search, via representation on
different media and encoding) . 5
8 Databases, sets and repositories . 5
Bibliography . 7
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ISO/IEC TR 20007:2014(E)

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical
committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical
activity. ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the
work. In the field of information technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee,
ISO/IEC JTC 1.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for
the different types of document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject
of patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction
and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity
assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the WTO principles in the Technical Barriers
to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: Foreword - Supplementary information
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/IEC/JTC 1, Information technology, Subcommittee
SC 35, User interfaces.
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ISO/IEC TR 20007:2014(E)

Introduction
It seems that many people misunderstand the limits of standardizing each of the concepts covered in
this Technical Report. As a case in point, ISO 7000 standardizes graphical symbols with precise shapes,
where, for example, the proportions are strictly established, while ISO/IEC 10646 sometimes defines
a coded character that maps an existing ISO 7000 symbol (which is practical for searching in technical
documentation, for example). However, any single coded character can be represented by a variety of
different glyphs, thus open to a variety of shapes and proportions, as long as symbols remain recognizable
(a glyph is not standardized for a given coded character in this case, the coding element is standardized
unambiguously alongside its name only). Some do not recognize that this is possible; nevertheless, both
usages are internationally standardized and used with apparently contradicting requirements.
This Technical Report tries to harmonize the apparent limitations of use of the different concepts
involved in the ISO and IEC context.
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TECHNICAL REPORT ISO/IEC TR 20007:2014(E)
Information technology — Cultural and linguistic
interoperability — Definitions and relationship between
symbols, icons, animated icons, pictograms, characters and
glyphs
1 Scope
This Technical Report clearly defines each term related to ISO and IEC symbology in a single document
and harmonizes difference of use and possible correspondence between different objects covering these
concepts.
2 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
2.1
character
member of a set of elements used for the organization, control, or representation of textual data
Note 1 to entry: A character may be represented by a sequence of one or several coded characters
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 10646:—, 4.5]
2.2
code point
DEPRECATED: code position
value in the Universal Character Set codespace
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 10646:—, 4.10]
Note 1 to entry: Values of the Universal Character Set (UCS) codespace are integers (numbers) ranging from 0 to
10FFFF (hexadecimal [base 16] numeric representation)
2.3
coded character
association between a character and a code point
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 10646:—, 4.8]
2.4
font
collection of glyph images having the same basic design, e.g. Courier Bold Oblique
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 9541-1:1991]
2.5
glyph
recognizable abstract graphic symbol which is independent of any specific design
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 9541-1:1991]
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ISO/IEC TR 20007:2014(E)

2.6
graphic character
character, other than a control function, that has a visual representation normally handwritten, printed,
or displayed
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 10646:—, 4.29]
2.7
graphic symbol
visual representation of a graphic character or of a composite sequence
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 10646:—, 4.30]
2.8
graphical symbol
visually perceptible figure with a particular meaning used to transmit information independently of
language
[SOURCE: IEC 80416-1:2008, 3.4, ISO 17724:2003, 31]
Note 1 to entry: The unique nature of graphical symbols is language independence. Therefore, the use of letters
and punctuation marks as graphical symbol elements should be avoided.
Note 2 to entry: Graphical symbols are usually abstract representations that stand for something, but that require
learning on the part of users to take on their meaning.
2.9.1
icon
user interface (symbol or object) representing an object or a function of the computer system
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 11581-10:2010, 3.4, modified]
2.9.2
icon
symbol or combination of symbols in graphical user interfaces representing a function of the computer
system
2.9.3
icon
object of manipulation of a function of the computer system through graphical user interfaces for
computer applications
Note 1 to entry: Icons should be graphical representations that convey information with a minimum reliance on
language.
Note 2 to entry: Icons have dynamic nature depending on the function of the computer system.
Note 3 to entry: Icons may be entirely abstract, such as graphical symbols, or pictorial, such as pictograms, or fall
at some point between those extremes.
2.10
pictogram
simplified pictorial representation, used to guide people and tell them how to achieve a certain goal
[SOURCE: ITU-T Recommendation E.121, modified]
Note 1 to entry: Pictograms should be graphical representations that convey information with a minimum of
reliance on language.
Note 2 to entry: Pictograms are, as far as possible, self-explanatory, and require little or no learning on the part
of users.
Note 3 to entry: Pictorial representation can be two- or three-dimensional.
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ISO/IEC TR 20007:2014(E)

2.11
symbol
visual (audible or tactile) sign, single letter, numeral, punctuation mark each of which has a fixed meaning
Note 1 to entry: Symbols are usually graphical representations that convey information with little reliance on
language.
Note 2 to entry: Symbols are usually abstract representations that stand for something, but that require learning
on the part of users to take on their meaning.
Note 3 to entry: Examples of symbols are graphical symbols, graphic symbols, character symbols, chemical
symbols, mathematical symbols, musical symbols, sex symbols, status symbols, tactile symbols and audible
symbols.
3 Purpose of each different concept
The purpose of a symbol is to carry a meaning. A pictogram is a symbol as simple as possible whose
purpose is to carry a symbolic meaning easy to understand for humans, ideally in an intuitive way,
independently of language and culture. In ISO and IEC, standardized symbols are codified with strict
forms. The purpose of a glyph is similar to that of a symbol, but goes beyond, in that it may also apply
to a symbol that has become codified more abstractly over history, as for example glyphs representing
letters of an alphabet (which, at the time of publication of this Technical Report, have no meaning by
themselves, while a mere symbol is intended to have a meaning). Sets of glyphs usually grouped in a
given style are called fonts. The purpose of a character is to group similar glyphs (even of different fonts)
so that they all be recognizable as similar by humans, to carry all the same meaning, and to encompass
all glyphs with the same meaning. Finally the purpose of a coded character is to codify a character
for its transmission and processing (sorting, searching, matching, text structuring, etc.) by computers,
independently of their presentation. The purpose of an icon is, on one hand, to codify the computerized
visual representation of a symbol, and on the other hand, to represent an entity associated with an
object or and action in computer applications.
4 Limits and strengths of each different concept
Symbols standardized under ISO 7000 or IEC 80416-1 are destined to be reproduced directly on
equipment (they are typically silk-printed or engraved). Their main limitation is also their strength:
they shall be reproduced in their strict proportions and hence cannot be confused with other symbols
because no tolerance is allowed. The intent is that once learnt by humans, they
...