What is an icon? Easily explained
Whether on the computer or smartphone - icons are represented on almost every graphic surface. In this practical tip, we explain what exactly an icon is in a clear and understandable way.
Icon - what is it? You can get it explained here
The term "icon" is the English expression for "symbol" or "symbol". The icon has its origin in the computer area, where it belongs as a pictogram to a graphical user interface. Behind the icon is a file, an application or a directory that can be opened or displayed by clicking on the icon.
- Icons are generally square and have uniform sizes with the edge lengths of 16, 24, 32, 48, 64, 128, 256 or 512 pixels and are often saved on the computer in ICO or PNG format.
- As soon as you select an icon on the computer with a single or double click with the mouse, the corresponding file is called up, the application is activated or the command is executed. An action assigned to the symbol is therefore always carried out.
- Icons offer the user a decisive advantage when working with the computer: Since the human brain processes simple symbols faster than texts, the user can work much faster with the icons.
- In Winodws Explorer, the entire hard drive content is displayed in the form of icons. The icon represents a file or a folder. You can usually adjust these icons in the settings.
Under Windows you can create your own icons and replace them with already established symbols. In an extra article, we explain step by step how to create your own Windows icons.