4f. Symbol Set Schemas

Updated by Global Symbols with UNICEF ECARO

A symbol set schema is made up of the rules and conventions for different types of symbols with additional elements. It provides a guide for the way categories, different parts of speech, tenses, negatives, size or weight and other topics or categories can be seen when creating symbols.

The elements may be arrows for direction and tense or boxes, triangles, clouds and other types of lines around an symbol to denote a group such as buildings or people. Colour and position, different outlines can be used for adverbs, adjectives and verbs with speed or measurement. symbol set schema

There must be discussions around content to consider complexity. There may be many different uses for the symbols, such as communication passports that may need photos with symbols, Visual Scene Displays that include symbols or language building activities, and different tenses and numbers.

If the symbols being designed are similar to another open licenced symbol set, then using the original symbol set schema will work best when mixing the symbols on a communication board or in any other setting.