Copy icon looks like a link icon

[matthewpaulthomas]

Pattern amendment

The “Code snippet” pattern uses a Copy icon that consists of a stylized chain with three links:

This is confusing, because Copy icons seldom look like a chain, whereas that motif is commonly used for inserting hyperlinks.

It is much more common for a “Copy” icon to show two overlapping boxes or pages, or sometimes a clipboard.

Since we are likely to use two overlapping boxes to convey “opens in a new window/tab”, I suggest that our Copy icon use a stylized clipboard.

[yaili]

@matthewpaulthomas do you know if there is an icon for this already designed for Suru? I assume you're saying something like this (see screenshot)?

[matthewpaulthomas]

@yaili In the “Icons” folder on Dropbox I can find (multiple copies of) one Copy icon: (SVG version)

However, this follows the “two overlapping boxes” motif that I questioned above as being easily confusable with “opens in a new window/tab”. So yes, I would prefer a clipboard-based icon like the GitHub one.

[matthewpaulthomas]

We didn’t discuss it at all, but Bartek has noticed the same issue in build.snapcraft.io.

[yaili]

What about adapting the edit-paste icon, I found this in Dropbox in Suru Theme.

[matthewpaulthomas]

Yes, that looks very similar to many “Copy to Clipboard” icons. It does raise the question of what the corresponding Paste icon would look like — but with the demise of Ubuntu Touch, I’m not aware of any apps we develop that have a Paste button anyway.

[yaili]

Notes from working group:

• We all agree that the current icon is not right
• Option: use text instead of icon?
• Icon: based on the edit-paste above, use the clipboard with an arrow pointing to it
• Design needed

[yaili]

This issue was moved to ubuntudesign/vanilla-design#24