Finding the right symbol for an icon is difficult. One of the easiest icon to design is the save icon. Although it is very misleading these days (especially when developing a RIA as we do) I, as almost everybody else, choosed the 3.5" floppy-disk to symbolise "Save" in our application. It's been ages since I used a diskette and I don't really ever wanna use one again, but it's still associated with saving a project, document ect. I tried other things like an USB pocket memory or a compact disc but they are almost as irrelevant as the floppy disc when it comes to Internet applications. I thought to myself: "Many icons use metaphors of physical objects for their functions, as a magnet for "Snap", so why can't an abandoned floppy disc make the cut?", and so it did, 'cause I will not be the one to kill it (at least not this time).

Next mission: Design the icon for "Save as...".

Question: What will happen to the "Save" icon when nobody remembers the physical disc as a medium?  

Tags: save, icon, graphics, design, floppy, interface, gui, yooba