Small icons, big differences
By Oliver Schmalzl · Written: · Archive discovery date:
5 February 2026 · Archive date
A small symbol has to do a surprising amount of work. It should hint at a function, fit in with other symbols and stay recognisable even in a tight space. A good design therefore starts with a simple question: what should people understand here?
For an invented book list, three functions might be enough: search, add and remove. Their symbols should share a stroke width and have a similar optical size. Canvases of the same size do not guarantee that the drawings actually look the same size.
A symbol needs several views
A light symbol on a dark background can work well and then disappear on a light button. Likewise, a very fine line can look pleasant on a large screen, but be barely visible at a small size.
A test should therefore cover different backgrounds, small sizes and the focused state. A simple design of your own is enough for this. The meaning must not depend on colour alone; a label or a clear explanation supports the symbol.
Elemental SVG documents tools for editing SVG graphics, and the theme documentation describes the related design area. The useful idea behind it is handling recurring decisions in one shared place.
Variants with a common basis
When a symbol appears in several states, its shape should stay recognisable. Active, busy and unavailable can look different without inventing a new sign each time.
This creates a small, understandable system. It needs neither a huge collection nor elaborate decoration. A few symbols of your own, easy to recognise and with a clear meaning, help more than many finds in different styles.
Original finds
These links were the starting point for this post. The assessment in the text is mine; the linked posts are not my own tests.
- Customising SVG icons for FileMaker
- Customising SVG icons for FileMaker
- Editing FileMaker themes more clearly
- Editing FileMaker themes more clearly
About the date: This post was written on 11 October 2026. The archive date matches the earliest related find in the collection, not a publication at that time. Technical assessments and sources added later refer to the time of writing.