document-an-icon

name	document-an-icon
category	design
description	Document an interface icon's meaning, variants, accessible name behavior, visual construction, and prohibited uses. Use when an icon enters or changes within a shared product or design system.

document-an-icon

Document what the icon communicates in context.

When to use

• Use for action, status, navigation, file-type, brand, or decorative icons.
• Do not rely on an unfamiliar icon without a visible label where comprehension matters.

Procedure

1. Record the icon name, semantic meaning, owner, source, license, and approved contexts.
2. Distinguish action, status, object, navigation, and decorative uses.
3. Define whether accessible name comes from visible text, control label, alternate text, or is intentionally hidden.
4. Document size, view box, stroke, fill, alignment, optical adjustment, theme, state, and animation variants.
5. Show correct and prohibited pairings, especially meanings that conflict across locales or platforms.
6. Test at supported sizes, zoom, contrast modes, themes, and with adjacent labels.
7. Link the source file, exported asset, component, tests, and change history.

Done

• An icon document lists meaning, contexts, accessible naming, construction, variants, source, rights, and prohibited uses
• Visual and accessibility checks verify the approved icon remains legible and correctly labeled across sizes, states, and themes