Agreed. I feel like I can spot and identify a save icon faster than I can process the word “Save”. They’re a nice way to landmark buttons.
I agree with the author that there’s merit in asking what value an icon is providing. I thought I would be in favor of always having icons, but the Safari menu shows the value in limiting them. Since they’re only used for the most common actions, it helps those buttons stand out more than if everything had an icon. Contrast this with the Apple menu where sleep and restart have meaningless shapes. It makes them blend together more and the icon is useless if you’re not already familiar with the menu. Just having the shutdown icon is enough to landmark that group of buttons without adding visual noise.
I love distinct icons besides text. Makes identifying context/menus way more easier in a glance.
But each to their own, options to toggle them would be appreciated.
Agreed. I feel like I can spot and identify a save icon faster than I can process the word “Save”. They’re a nice way to landmark buttons.
I agree with the author that there’s merit in asking what value an icon is providing. I thought I would be in favor of always having icons, but the Safari menu shows the value in limiting them. Since they’re only used for the most common actions, it helps those buttons stand out more than if everything had an icon. Contrast this with the Apple menu where sleep and restart have meaningless shapes. It makes them blend together more and the icon is useless if you’re not already familiar with the menu. Just having the shutdown icon is enough to landmark that group of buttons without adding visual noise.