ISO IEC TR 20007-2014 PDF

Full title and description

Information technology — Cultural and linguistic interoperability — Definitions and relationship between symbols, icons, animated icons, pictograms, characters and glyphs. This technical report provides harmonized definitions and clarifies relationships and correspondences between different classes of visual and textual sign elements used in ISO/IEC symbology and user‑interface work to support interoperable use across cultures and languages.

Abstract

ISO/IEC TR 20007:2014 collects and defines terms related to ISO and IEC symbology (symbols, icons, animated icons, pictograms, characters, glyphs) and explains how those objects relate to one another to reduce ambiguity in specifications and implementations for international, multilingual and multicultural information‑display contexts. The report is a short harmonization reference rather than a prescriptive design standard.

General information

• Status: Published.
• Publication date: 28 April 2014 (edition 1, 2014).
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), issued under ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 35.
• ICS / categories: 35.180 (IT terminal and peripheral equipment / user interfaces and related items).
• Edition / version: Edition 1 (2014).
• Number of pages: 8 pages (technical report).

Scope

This Technical Report defines terminology and relationships among visual and textual sign types (for example: symbol, icon, animated icon, pictogram, character, glyph) used in ISO and IEC standards and in user‑interface contexts. It aims to harmonize differences in usage and to make correspondence between different object classes explicit so standards, implementations and translations dealing with cultural and linguistic interoperability can reference a single set of definitions. It is intended as a terminology and mapping reference rather than as a design specification.

Key topics and requirements

• Clear, harmonized definitions for: symbol, icon, animated icon, pictogram, character and glyph.
• Explanation of relationships and correspondences between these object classes to reduce ambiguity in standards and implementations.
• Guidance to support cultural and linguistic interoperability in user interfaces and public information displays (terminology only; not prescriptive design rules).
• Cross‑references to related ISO/IEC symbology and iconography work to assist standards authors and implementers.

Typical use and users

Primary users are standards writers, standards librarians, technical editors, user‑interface architects, localization and internationalization specialists, accessibility practitioners, signage and wayfinding designers, and product teams who need consistent terminology when specifying or interpreting symbology across cultures and languages. The report is used as a reference to ensure consistent use of terms and to help map between icon/pictogram sets and character/glyph encodings.

Related standards

ISO/IEC TR 20007 is related to other ISO and IEC work on symbols and icons, for example ISO 7001 (public information symbols), ISO 9186 (graphical symbols test methods), ISO/IEC 11581 series (user interface icons), ISO/IEC 24779 series (pictograms and biometric systems), and other human‑system interaction and visual presentation standards such as ISO 9241 parts addressing presentation and accessibility. These documents are commonly cross‑referenced when implementing or testing symbol and icon sets.

Keywords

symbols, icons, animated icons, pictograms, characters, glyphs, cultural interoperability, linguistic interoperability, user interface, terminology, ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 35.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO/IEC TR 20007:2014 is a technical report that defines and clarifies terminology and relationships between symbols, icons (including animated icons), pictograms, characters and glyphs to support cultural and linguistic interoperability in IT and user interfaces.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers definitions, mapping and the relationship between different classes of visual/textual sign elements as used in ISO and IEC documents and user‑interface work; it does not prescribe visual design rules or testing methods (those are covered by other standards).

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Standards developers, UI/UX designers, localization/internationalization teams, accessibility professionals, signage designers and anyone needing authoritative, harmonized terminology for icons and symbols used across cultures and languages.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: As of its publication record it is a published Technical Report (edition 1, 2014) and is listed as published (not withdrawn). Users should check national/regional catalogues or the ISO catalogue for any later revisions or related publications when precise lifecycle status is critical.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: It is a stand‑alone Technical Report within the body of ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 35 work on user interfaces and cultural/linguistic interoperability; it is commonly referenced alongside standards and series that deal with symbol design, testing and application (for example ISO 7001, ISO 9186, ISO/IEC 11581 and ISO/IEC 24779 series).

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Symbols, icons, animated icons, pictograms, characters, glyphs, cultural interoperability, linguistic interoperability, user interface, terminology.