A Guide to Picture and Symbol Sets for Communication by Sally Millar, CALL Scotland 2011 Name of Examples Type / Distinguishing Use & comments Associated Software Contact Pics/Symbols Features Info Colour Any – digital or ‘ordinary’ Colour, fully pictorial, can be 100% Widely used, especially as Printed photos need to be www.irfanview.com Photographs photo specific and fully personalized so more & more people are scanned in. Otherwise, .jpg is meaningful to user. But photos can online and /or have digital the most useful graphic format, often be too ‘busy’, poorly composed cameras or iPads, phones for use in any software that Email photos from phones and poorly lit, so may be visually etc. with built-in cameras. handles graphics. Might want to or other mobile devices difficult to process, for some users. Remember to take single crop / edit etc. using graphics item against contrasting viewer / editing software e.g. background to make it clear IrfanView (free from internet) or Use App Bump to transfer to see, for user. .jpg is the PhotoShop etc. from iPhone to iPad or best format, need to keep iPod iPhoto is useful for handling file size down photos from iPhones, etc. Coloured pictures E.g. cut from magazines, mail- Often better quality and clearer than Nice way to involve the Not useful digitally – would need (on paper) order catalogues etc. Use self-taken photos (but not service-user in choosing to be ‘scanned in’ then treated postcards, cuttings from tourist personalized) their own pictures, can be as any graphics file (see above) leaflets etc. for outings and cut out, stuck into diaries, trips albums Photo Albums etc. Images taken Like photos in Useful for being very Import into any software that Download images from general, can specific, e.g. to represent TV handles graphics, to edit or crop from the Internet www.google.co.uk be more program, etc. Watch out for etc., as above, (if your health (images) board or local specific than copyright issues – do not authority network symbols. reproduce or sell, though www.images.google.co.uk may be OK to use with does not block Not always Also see CALL handout individual learners this) good quality ‘Finding & Using Images’ Product Logos McDonalds, These are not ‘transparent’ or Some of these are very Might need a graphics program Cut from materials from Marks and ‘guessable’ pictures/ symbols – you familiar to everybody; others like Irfanview or Photoshop to the stores or products Spencer, Coca either know what they represent or may have particular crop images. themselves, or search you don’t (and it’s hard to predict significance for a specific Internet in Google images Cola etc. CameraPlus is a useful photo which service users will know which) individual. If used, must be editing App for iPhone/Pod/Pad tailored to individual’s experience and interests. Cartoon style May seem appealing to staff, but very As above, not widely used, From Clip art. Internet image Search in Google Images pictures often difficult to process, not not standardised, so cannot search etc. for name of cartoon meaningful to child or appropriate to transfer from / to different character or ‘XXX cartoon’ situation. Can be a bit ‘childish’. situations and be meaningful to all CALL Scotland 2011 1 [email protected] This is a continuous ‘work in progress’ as things keep changing! Apologies for any inaccuracies or omissions - please let me know if there is anything you think should be changed or added Type / Distinguishing Name of Examples Use & comments Associated Software Contact Features Clip Art You can buy big (usually too Like any photos (see above) clip art in Handy to have a collection Clip Art is widely available free www.free-clipart- big and unwieldy!) or small photo form will be highly specific available, but not on the Internet and commercially pictures.net/ or search in more specialized sets, E.g. (although unlike your own photos, standardised, so cannot (and in Microsoft Word, if Google for ‘free clip art’. Flash! Pro 2 (photos) NOT personalized). Graphic clip art transfer from / to different installed) Commercial sets are www.inclusive.co.uk can sometimes tend to be a bit situations. generally not useful unless they Picture This...Pro http://office.micros Let’s Sign and Write ‘cartoony’ so not always appropriate or Pages using a lot of random have a searchable index and meaningful (see below). There is even visual preview facility. oft.com/clipart/ for Word (graphics for signing) clip art from different clip art ORT and Wellington a collection of video clips (Animals sources can look over-‘busy’ Specialised sets for use with Square clip art (to go with and Transport CDs, £29 each) and ‘bitty’. Special Needs are www.Cricksoft.com/uk for reading schemes) available from Inclusive Technology recommended, (see ‘Examples’ ORT & Wellington Square Ltd, see ‘Video Bank’ on their website box, left) sets as Clicker add-on Cartoon style May seem appealing to staff, but very As above, not widely used, From Clip art. Internet image Search in Google Images pictures often difficult to process, not not standardised, so cannot search etc. for name of cartoon meaningful to child or appropriate to transfer from / to different character or ‘XXX cartoon’ situation. Can be a bit ‘childish’. situations and be meaningful to all CALL Scotland 2011 2 [email protected] This is a continuous ‘work in progress’ as things keep changing! Apologies for any inaccuracies or omissions - please let me know if there is anything you think should be changed or added Name of Pics Examples Type / Distinguishing Use & comments Associated Software Contact Info /Symbols Features Product Logos McDonalds, These are not ‘transparent’ or Some of these are very Might need a graphics program Cut from materials from Marks and ‘guessable’ pictures/ symbols – you familiar to everybody; others like Irfanview or Photoshop to the stores or products Spencer, Coca either know what they represent or may have particular crop images. themselves, or search Cola etc. you don’t (and it’s hard to predict significance for a specific CameraPlus is a useful photo Internet in Google images which service users will know which) individual. If used, must be editing App for iPhone/Pod/Pad tailored to individual’s experience and interests – these are not Hand-drawn Black and white line drawings, Easy, quick and always available! Not Probably not widely used – If you wanted to make life really pictures usually. always good quality but can be can be highly specific to complicated, could be scanned recognizable and ‘do the job’ situation and powerful tool. in and saved / imported as temporarily at least, if closely linked to However, not standardized, graphics, drawn on tablet context and done in front of service- not easily replicable. computer screen and saved user in ‘real time’. etc…..nah….! Picture / Symbol Sets (clip art collections with limited or specialised vocabulary for communication, disability, or for making information accessible to non/weak readers) Mainly for Children Ispeek Visual Images come on CDs - Ispeek at Designed by a parent / Image sets on CD Ispeek - Communication Home and Ispeek at School. Over educator and designed for images (metafiles or .jpgs) can http://www.jkp.com/catalog 1300 coloured images per CD (£23 ex use by children with autistic be imported like any clip art or ue/book/9781843105107/ VAT per CD), organized into spectrum disorder. other graphics into whatever categories. Categories and images software you want to use. geared primarily to ASD e.g. facial http://www.jkp.com/catalog Company also sells low-tech Available online through expressions / emotions, sounds that Jessica Kingsley Publishers ue/book/9781843105114 cause sensitivity / distress. communication materials e.g. communication books, There are also a few ‘Freebies’ for and keyring communicators. www.ispeek.co.uk/ down-load, e.g. schedules, ‘Boy Passport’, ‘Girl Passport’, ‘getting dressed’ etc. Approximately 2,400 brightly coloured Some people think if you are Pics for PECS 2010 Image set www.pecs.org.uk/ Pics for PECS and clear images in .jpg format doing PECS you have to use comes on a CD £33.49. If Vocabulary selection and type of image these images – not true – bought with ‘Card Creator’ are designed mainly for children / ASD you can use any images or software (a bit like symbols. Equally these BoardMaker?) the total is pictures could be used for £57.40 client groups and purposes Again, the images can be other than PECS schedules, imported and used in any PECS books etc. software. CALL Scotland 2011 3 [email protected] This is a continuous ‘work in progress’ as things keep changing! Apologies for any inaccuracies or omissions - please let me know if there is anything you think should be changed or added Name of Examples Type / Distinguishing Use & comments Associated Software Contact Info Pics/Symbols Features Picture This Picture This Pro contains over 5,000 These photos are all very Costs £55 ex VAT. The CD with Available from Inclusive Pro photos, designed for creating clear, on a white the photos on also contains an Technology Ltd. schedules, lotto boards, games, background. Some are great easy-to-use program that www.inclusive.co.uk reading activities, worksheets etc. etc. while others are strangely allows you to format photos into The photos are categorized, e.g: old-fashioned or very ‘middle various size flashcards with or class America’. without text, with coloured actions, animals, bathroom, bedroom, borders etc. Search for the body, buildings, clothing, colours, The Picture This Standard images you want either by More details and Standard electronics, emotions, food, furniture, Edition is cheaper with a name or by sounds within a Edition from holidays, household, kitchen, line art, smaller picture collection - word.