Pictograms, Icons, & Signs

Pictograms, Icons, & Signs: A Guide To Information Graphics, by Rayan Abdullah and Roger Hubner, is the first book to examine the development and design of pictograms. More than simply a catalogue of examples, the book summarises the pictogram's connection to semiotics and visual communication.

The authors trace the origin of modern pictograms to 1909, when four visual traffic signs were adopted in Paris. They show the evolution of pictograms with examples of successive Olympic symbols, and signs for various transport and communication systems. They also discuss digital desktop icons, such as those created by Susan Kare ("regarded as the mother of the icon").