ZEISS Brand Portal
ZEISS Brand Portal
IconographyIcon structure

Functional, expressive, and story icons serve different purposes, which determines their size and level of detail.

Icon structure
Functional icons

Functional icons follow the brand’s monoline, slanted, and geometric construction, ensuring clarity, scalability, and consistency across all digital interfaces.

Icon structure
Icon structure
Anatomy
  1. Canvas (32 x 32 px)

  2. Live area (28 x 28 px)

  3. Non-orthogonal curve

  4. Thickness (2 px)

  5. Slant

  6. Stroke ending

  7. Overlay (2 px)

Icon structure
Grid

For better scalability, the grid is based on a 32 x 32 px structure with a 2 px stroke weight.

Icon structure
Key shapes

Limit icon content to the 28 x 28 px live area.

Icon structure
Live area

Limit icon content to the 28 x 28 px live area.

Icon structure
Live area exceptions

Most icons are designed to fit within the defined live area.

Additional padding may be used to accommodate wider or taller icons, ensuring consistent visual density and weight across the grid.

Expressive icons

Expressive icons are designed for larger scales and allow for greater detail.

Icon structure
Icon structure
Anatomy
  1. Canvas (64 x 64 px)

  2. Live area (56 x 56 px)

  3. Slant

  4. Non-orthogonal curve

  5. Thickness (2 px)

  6. Counter space (2 px)

  7. Stroke ending (sharp)

Icon structure
Colors

The expressive icons are designed to be used in two colors, while still functioning effectively in single-color applications.

Story icons

The story icons combine shapes, symbols, and diagrams to tell stories and explain systems and ideas.

Icon structure
Icon structure
Anatomy
  1. Canvas (128 x 128 px)

  2. Live area (112 x 112 px)

  3. Non-orthogonal curve

  4. Slant

  5. Thickness (2 px)

  6. Counter space (2 px)

  7. Stroke ending (sharp)

Icon structure
Line and fill

Story icons combine linear drawing and areas of color, making them more like illustrations.

These filled areas create emphasis and contrast, guiding the viewer’s attention and enhancing storytelling.

Icon structure
Combinations

Story icons can be combined with functional and expressive icons to create richer compositions. This combination ensures consistency and connects story icons to the rest of the iconography system.

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