# \[POLL\]: UI Icons - Blue or Orange? **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Created:** [June 22, 2018, 6:38am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/poll-ui-icons-blue-or-orange/44031 "2018-06-22T06:38:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Steve\_Kelepouris](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/steve_kelepouris/32/13856_2.png) [@Steve\_Kelepouris](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Steve_Kelepouris)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 6:38am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/poll-ui-icons-blue-or-orange/44031/1 "2018-06-22T06:38:47Z")
I did post this question as part of another thread, but thought I’d create a new thread and therefore hopefully get more responses. I’m creating the user help system. The user can toggle on/off the larger “information” icon, and the smaller icons will display around the window as shown. This has become important now because I’m taking screen shots for the entire help system, and I don’t really want to go back and replace images. ![](https://i.imgur.com/4BDXXiI.jpg) ![](https://i.imgur.com/ZEN40r7.jpg) The “standard” does seem to be white text on a blue background, but I’m not sure weather it’s best in this case. My preference is the Orange, I don’t know why, but to me it just looks better. Or, do I stick with convention and go for the blue? So which colour icons do you prefer? Blue or Orange? ---
**Author:** ![Sascha\_S](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/sascha_s/32/22328_2.png) [@Sascha\_S](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Sascha_S)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 6:43am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/poll-ui-icons-blue-or-orange/44031/2 "2018-06-22T06:43:00Z")
+1 for Orange. Because it fits more to the Paper Background which takes most of space. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Rowlands](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/sam_rowlands/32/265_2.png) [@Sam\_Rowlands](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Sam_Rowlands)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 7:10am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/poll-ui-icons-blue-or-orange/44031/3 "2018-06-22T07:10:27Z")
The orange pops more. ---
**Author:** ![Emile\_Schwarz](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/90ced4/32.png) [@Emile\_Schwarz](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Emile_Schwarz)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 7:34am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/poll-ui-icons-blue-or-orange/44031/4 "2018-06-22T07:34:47Z")
On the streets, the road sign (information) is white i on blue background to give you the way to the nearest information point… I usually saw that too on macOS, on the Internet and on one Xojo Web example. I love blue, my today’s pants and shirt are blue… Some use a i (nowadays) some use (used) a question mark (?). In both cases, everybody will understand. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Kelepouris](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/steve_kelepouris/32/13856_2.png) [@Steve\_Kelepouris](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Steve_Kelepouris)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 8:14am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/poll-ui-icons-blue-or-orange/44031/5 "2018-06-22T08:14:45Z")
Yes true Emile - blue does seem to be the standard, but I can’t help but feel it doesn’t look right. Colour preference is individual and therefore subjective, but I also don’t want to go against “the standard” if indeed that standard is important. Originally I did have a (?) symbol but that competed with the “Help” in the main menu and looked confusing. ---
**Author:** ![Emile\_Schwarz](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/90ced4/32.png) [@Emile\_Schwarz](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Emile_Schwarz)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 9:01am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/poll-ui-icons-blue-or-orange/44031/6 "2018-06-22T09:01:45Z")
@Steve: sometimes I too do not like standard, but if our users are awaiting something, I think we have to provide it. For the question mark / i: may be a question of susceptibility. Some people do not like (or cannot) ask for help. So using the Information mark is for them 😉 At a time, Apple used a (orange) life buoy. In computer life, people that want help are not in danger: they only need some help. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Kelepouris](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/steve_kelepouris/32/13856_2.png) [@Steve\_Kelepouris](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Steve_Kelepouris)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 10:21am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/poll-ui-icons-blue-or-orange/44031/7 "2018-06-22T10:21:49Z")
There was a point that I considered a “coercive” approach to the help system, where if the user made the wrong choice they were gently reminded with an electric shock delivered via the mouse. Then when I thought about it, the thing that really bothered me with that solution was that they could easily run the software from a laptop using the touchpad - or find some other method. Pure Anarchy!!! and complications indeed. Users . . . God Bless Them. You have to give them points for inventiveness. If it wasn’t for the complete disregard and complacency that Users have, then my software solution would work perfectly!! It’s almost as though they know the weak points and just tease and enjoy wrecking a perfectly good piece of working software. It’s almost as though they don’t understand that I’m just trying to help them. Did I mention that writing this help system is driving me crazy? teeeeheeeeeeeeeee 🙂 🙂 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Emile\_Schwarz](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/90ced4/32.png) [@Emile\_Schwarz](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Emile_Schwarz)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 10:37am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/poll-ui-icons-blue-or-orange/44031/8 "2018-06-22T10:37:26Z")
At some point in the development curve, this certainly happens to everyone ☹ Be cool, it’s Friday ! ---
**Author:** ![Dana\_Brown](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/dana_brown/32/15210_2.png) [@Dana\_Brown](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Dana_Brown)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 12:03pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/poll-ui-icons-blue-or-orange/44031/9 "2018-06-22T12:03:32Z")
+1 for orange. I agree, it does match the paper background better than the blue. ---
**Author:** ![Carlo\_Rubini](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/94ad74/32.png) [@Carlo\_Rubini](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Carlo_Rubini)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 12:39pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/poll-ui-icons-blue-or-orange/44031/10 "2018-06-22T12:39:37Z")
- 1 for orange. ---
**Author:** ![Emile\_Schwarz](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/90ced4/32.png) [@Emile\_Schwarz](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Emile_Schwarz)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 12:43pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/poll-ui-icons-blue-or-orange/44031/11 "2018-06-22T12:43:02Z")
Simple example from my ISP (its name is Orange): ![](https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/96e6/e111at18s8z2w1e6g.jpg) That’s say, you are free to decide the best for you, of course. Also, I will not cry if I saw that button in orange (put orange in the help mechanism too to be coherent). Have a nice week-end ! ---
**Author:** ![Lewis\_Poppelreiter](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/ea666f/32.png) [@Lewis\_Poppelreiter](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Lewis_Poppelreiter)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 12:59pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/poll-ui-icons-blue-or-orange/44031/12 "2018-06-22T12:59:57Z")
I totally disagree about the orange. The blue makes for a much classier interface. IMHO I would not try to match paper, but look at the overall interface and just by looking, the orange makes it look cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Tanner\_Lee1](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@Tanner\_Lee1](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Tanner_Lee1)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 1:28pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/poll-ui-icons-blue-or-orange/44031/13 "2018-06-22T13:28:53Z")
+1 blue ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Carlton](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/9dc877/32.png) [@Mark\_Carlton](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Mark_Carlton)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 1:45pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/poll-ui-icons-blue-or-orange/44031/14 "2018-06-22T13:45:27Z")
you know my opinion, blue obviously ---
**Author:** ![Dunn\_Robert](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@Dunn\_Robert](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Dunn_Robert)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 2:02pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/poll-ui-icons-blue-or-orange/44031/15 "2018-06-22T14:02:42Z")
It looks okay with Blue or the Orange, But the orange just kinda pops out a bit more than the blue one. +1 for the orange ---
**Author:** ![Louis\_D](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/cab0a1/32.png) [@Louis\_D](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Louis_D)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 2:46pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/poll-ui-icons-blue-or-orange/44031/16 "2018-06-22T14:46:20Z")
My first reaction was orange. After looking for a while longer at both images, blue is less distracting. (to me of course. YMMV) so, +1 for blue. ---
**Author:** ![PaulS](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/pauls/32/199_2.png) [@PaulS](https://forum.xojo.com/u/PaulS)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 3:43pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/poll-ui-icons-blue-or-orange/44031/17 "2018-06-22T15:43:49Z")
An option is to give the customer the choice as a setting in the preferences. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DaveS](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@DaveS](https://forum.xojo.com/u/DaveS)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 4:33pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/poll-ui-icons-blue-or-orange/44031/18 "2018-06-22T16:33:07Z")
Green ---
**Author:** ![Axel\_Schneider](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/axel_schneider/32/465_2.png) [@Axel\_Schneider](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Axel_Schneider)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 5:14pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/poll-ui-icons-blue-or-orange/44031/19 "2018-06-22T17:14:08Z")
+1 blue ---
**Author:** ![Jeremie\_L](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/jeremie_l/32/150_2.png) [@Jeremie\_L](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Jeremie_L)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2018, 5:15pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/poll-ui-icons-blue-or-orange/44031/20 "2018-06-22T17:15:09Z")
[quote=393133:@Louis Desjardins]My first reaction was orange. After looking for a while longer at both images, blue is less distracting. (to me of course. YMMV) so, +1 for blue.[/quote] +1 for blue [Next page](https://forum.xojo.com/t/poll-ui-icons-blue-or-orange/44031.md?page=2)