Pictograms are universal visual representations of ideas or objects, representing a word or ideas using simple and clean illustration. They communicate information effectively and memorably and allow complex ideas to be symbolised in a simple and straight forward manner.
Pictograms are available to be used with a number of components in the content management system (CMS) such as:
- Content/Icon Block
- Cards with icons
- Callouts
- Animated Stats Box
- Static Stats Box
Line pictogram with Accent color
Brand compliant pictogram and how does they look on nsw.gov.au
Our pictograms are scalable vector graphics (SVG) image format which are ‘stroked’ from a base size of 48x48px and are two-toned, consisting of a base text colour (which can reverse depending on the colour of the background) and a highlight colour. The highlight colour is generally set to the ‘Brand accent’ colour by default but a request to use the ‘Brand supplementary colour’ can be made.
Pictograms in the Content Management System (CMS)
The content management system has a suite of pictograms available to use with certain components, such as content/icon blocks, cards and callouts.
When configuring those components, find the Icons field, and the dropdown will show a list of pictograms available.
Example of how pictograms are selected on the content block
Pictograms in the nsw.gov.au design system
The nsw.gov.au design system used by the OneCX program has a visual list of all the pictograms that have been uploaded onto the CMS.
This list will show the name of the pictogram in the CMS, as well as how the pictogram looks like.
Pictogram file in the design system
Pictograms in the NSW Government Brand Pictogram Library
The NSW Government Brand team has a suite of pictograms available in their pictogram library.
Not all the pictograms in this library are available in the CMS. If you do require the pictogram to be made available in the CMS, follow the pictogram upload request process.
Requesting a new pictogram
Check the design system first to review the list of pictograms that are already available. If none of the pictograms suit your purposes, review the NSW Government Brand pictogram library to review the suite of brand approved pictograms. If you find one that suits your purposes:
- Double check to see if your desired pictogram is already in the CMS. If it is, you can use your pictogram immediately.
- If the pictogram is not in the CMS, download the .svg of your desired pictogram from the NSW Government Brand pictogram library and note the name
- Submit the 'Content changes, website updates and support from a Content Administrator' form, specifying the name and the .svg file of your desired pictogram
Important: Please make sure you allow enough time for a new pictogram to be prepared, developed and uploaded to the CMS. New pictograms involve some development work, and can only be uploaded in a scheduled deployment, which happen weekly on Tuesday nights.
If you do not find a pictogram that suits your purposes, get in touch with your brand cluster representatives to have a new one created.
Colour of the pictograms
The colour of the pictograms are not configurable, but are automatically set based on the background colour.
In the scenario that a non-corporate colour palette is used, the accent colour in that palette would be for the pictogram accent colour. Read I want to read the brand and colour guidelines for more information.
Need any more help?
If you have any questions, or require assistance with anything mentioned on this article, submit a request via the webform.