This article is somewhat belated and could be considered much ado about nothing, but nonetheless I think this is a relevant topic to discuss. Microsoft recently announced that they would be using the RSS icon introduced by the Firefox browser. This was considered a very wise choice by many, including myself at first as it was a victory (albeit small) for standardization. Soon afterward, Matt Brett started a micro-site to help propagate this icon for use by the public. I commend Matt’s efforts and fully back him on the notion that a standard icon needs to be established for syndication. My argument is that we are not backing the right icon…

I spent some time showing the Firefox RSS icon to individuals across the spectrum of familiarity with syndication and RSS. When I asked them to give me their first impressions of what they thought the Firefox RSS icon represented, I received the following comments:

• Audio
• Volume
• Radio
• WIFI

This variety of responses obviously poses a problem. Not only do people not know that the Firefox RSS icon represents RSS, but they immediately associate it with different subjects. This would be similar (granted, less disastrous) to people mistaking ‘stop’ for ‘go’ at an intersection. If we are to support standards, we cannot promote new standards that conflict with other existing standards. While the original RSS icon is not particularly attractive or inspirational, no one is going to mistake it for anything other than RSS (whether they know what that is or not). Do not get me wrong, encapsulating the concept of XML syndication into an icon is no simple task and I applaud the designers who made the first attempt. Nonetheless, using the Firefox RSS icon as the standard seems to be more for the sake of standards and less for clarity.

This really begs the question, should icons depend on immediate recognition or on consistency? I again defer to the traffic light example. There is no innate reason why the color red should mean stop and the color green mean go. However, this visual language is so pervasive and ingrained in the individual’s psyche from an early age that its conceptual lack of significance is nullified. To take the example a step further, the color red now (at least in western cultures) almost universally signifies the notion of ‘stop’. Therefore, the power of a visual standard, albeit subjective, becomes effective when recognized by the general public. This is all the more reason why it is unwise to employ an icon that closely resembles other visual standards. We risk making neither visual standard effective due to the inevitable confusion it would create.

RSS and syndication are not socially recognized symbols like traffic lights. RSS and syndication are relatively new concepts to the tech community. The RSS icon, with such a distinct purpose, should be focused on clarity in order to increase awareness of the fact that it exists. I understand the concept behind the new icon design, but unfortunately this paradigm has been taken. No matter how much it makes sense conceptually, if people associate the icon to something completely different, it fails as an icon. So why the big push to standardize an icon that definitely has its critics? This discussion is just one of many that have popped up after the push to universalize the icon. Are we more interested in the standard than the the subject of that standard? Are standards worth creating if they destroy others? I think this is something we should think about before fully moving forward.

In the end, I think we should stick to the old and boring RSS icon until an icon comes along that is more visually aesthetic and communicates the RSS purpose more clearly. While its lack of visual distinction is not enjoyable, it is not going to be mistaken for anything else. I hope this article is not perceived as a potshot at those who try to push new ideas. My concern is that we designers are meant to make things better, which does not always correlate to making things new. However, if we do decide to create something new, it most definitely should be better than the old. While there is no denying that the new RSS icon is easier on the eyes – the similarities it has with other classic visual representations is highly problematic. We need a standard RSS icon, but we don’t need one that will break other standards.