Peirce's three-category semiotic sign taxonomy (iconic, index, symbol) as a basis for selecting infographic signs¶

Design · All designs
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The article applies semiotic theory to educational infographics, stating that "Semiotic signs have been classified by Charles Sanders Peirce; who adopted three main classifications of signs: iconic, index and symbol". Icons resemble the object represented (e.g., desktop screen icons); indexes indicate an object's location or relation without resembling it (e.g., smoke indicating fire); symbols carry information and alerts through a non-resembling signifier-object relationship. The study used these three categories, singly or in mutual links, when selecting semiotic forms for infographic lesson designs.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

infographics must apply design principles such as color, typography, signs, icons, balance, repetition and correspondence, and have a title and complete story

Constraints¶

the overall visual form may be effective for one purpose while other types cannot serve the wanted purpose, so the appropriate visual form must be determined

Target Learners¶

first-year higher education students

Learning Goals¶

perceiving the meaning of conveyed information through visual signs

Claims¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

Alqudah, D., Bidin, A., & Md Hussin, M. A. H. (2019). The Impact of Educational Infographic on Students’ Interaction and Perception in Jordanian Higher Education: Experimental Study. International Journal of Instruction, 12(4), 669-688. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2019.12443a

Page metadata

Field	Value
`type`	`design`
`id`	`peirce-semiotic-sign-taxonomy-infographics`
`title`	`Peirce's three-category semiotic sign taxonomy (iconic, index, symbol) as a basis for selecting infographic signs`
`description`	`The article applies semiotic theory to educational infographics, stating that "Semiotic signs have been classified by Charles Sanders Peirce; who adopted three main classifications of signs: iconic, index and symbol".`
`status`	`review`
`generated`	by `process:settle-candidates` on `2026-11-01`
`trust`	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
`sources`	1 — `alqudah-2019`

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