What is the Difference Between Icon and Symbol?

The main difference between icons and symbols lies in their meaning and representation:

• Icons: Icons are graphical representations of objects or concepts that are easily recognizable and understandable. They are restricted to visual representations of objects, and one can easily understand their meaning without any additional knowledge. For example, a shopping cart icon represents a shopping cart and is easily understood by most users.
• Symbols: Symbols, on the other hand, are more conceptual and require some level of learning or understanding to interpret their meaning. They often represent ideas or products, and their meaning is not directly linked to their appearance. For instance, traffic signs like "no parking" with a P crossed out in red are symbols that need to be learned to be understood.

There is a blurry line between icons and symbols, as some symbols have become icons over time due to their widespread use and understanding, and vice versa, some icons have become symbols when their representation no longer looks the same way.

Comparative Table: Icon vs Symbol

Here is a table that illustrates the difference between icons and symbols:

Please note that the search results provided did not directly address the difference between icons and symbols. The information in the table above is based on the general understanding of these terms.