A power symbol is a

symbol A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...

indicating that a control activates or deactivates a particular device. Such a control may be a

rocker switch In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type ...

, a

toggle switch In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type of ...

, a push-button, a virtual switch on a display screen, or some other user interface. The internationally standardized symbols are intended to communicate their function in a language-independent manner.

Description

The well-known on/off power symbol was the result of the logical evolution in user interface design. Originally, most early power controls consisted of switches that were toggled between two states demarcated by the words ''On'' and ''Off''. As technology became more ubiquitous, these English words were replaced with the universal symbols line ", " for "on" and circle "◯" for "off" (typically without

serifs In typography, a serif () is a small line or stroke regularly attached to the end of a larger stroke in a letter or symbol within a particular font or family of fonts. A typeface or "font family" making use of serifs is called a serif typeface ( ...

) to bypass language barriers. This standard is still used on toggle power switches. The symbol for the standby button was created by superimposing the symbols ", " and "◯"; however, it is commonly interpreted as the numerals "0" and "1" (binary code); yet, the

International Electrotechnical Commission The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC; in French: ''Commission électrotechnique internationale'') is an international standards organization that prepares and publishes international standards for all electrical, electronic and r ...

(IEC) holds these symbols as a graphical representation of a line and a circle.

Standby symbol ambiguity

Because the exact meaning of the standby symbol on a given device may be unclear until the control is tried, it has been proposed that a separate sleep symbol, a

crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is often shown wearing a crescent moon on his ...

moon, instead be used to indicate a low power state. Proponents include the

California Energy Commission The California Energy Commission, formally the Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, is the primary energy policy and planning agency for California. Created in 1974 and headquartered in Sacramento, the Commission'core respon ...

and the

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operation ...

. Under this proposal, the older standby symbol would be redefined as a generic "power" indication, in cases where the difference between it and the other power symbols would not present a safety concern. This alternative symbolism was published as IEEE standard 1621 on December 8, 2004.

Standards

Universal power symbols are described in the

(IEC) 60417 standard, ''Graphical symbols for use on equipment'', appearing in the 1973 edition of the document (as IEC 417) and informally used earlier.

Unicode

Because of widespread use of the power symbol, a campaign was launched to add the set of characters to

Unicode Unicode, formally The Unicode Standard,The formal version reference is is an information technology Technical standard, standard for the consistent character encoding, encoding, representation, and handling of Character (computing), text expre ...

. In February 2015, the proposal was accepted by Unicode and the characters were included in Unicode 9.0. The characters are in the "

Miscellaneous Technical Miscellaneous Technical is a Unicode block ranging from U+2300 to U+23FF, which contains various common symbols which are related to and used in the various technical, programming language, and academic professions. For example: * Symbol ⌂ (H ...

" block, with code points 23FB-FE, with the exception of , which belongs to the "

Miscellaneous Symbols and Arrows Miscellaneous Symbols and Arrows is a Unicode block A Unicode block is one of several contiguous ranges of numeric character codes ( code points) of the Unicode character set that are defined by the Unicode Consortium for administrative and ...

" block. * * * * *

In popular culture

The standby symbol, frequently seen on

personal computer A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...

s, is a popular icon among technology enthusiasts. It is often found emblazoned on fashion items including t-shirts and cuff-links. It has also been used in corporate

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wordma ...

s, such as for

Gateway, Inc. Gateway, Inc., previously Gateway 2000, is an American computer hardware company. The company developed, manufactured, supported, and marketed a wide range of personal computers, computer monitors, servers, and computer accessories. It was acqui ...

(circa 2002), Staples, Inc. easytech,

Exelon Exelon Corporation is an American Fortune 100 energy company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and incorporated in Pennsylvania. It generates revenues of approximately $33.5 billion and employs approximately 33,400 people. Exelon is the larges ...

Toggl Toggl Track (formerly Toggl) is a time tracking software operated by Toggl OÜ, headquartered in Tallinn, Estonia, that offers online time tracking and reporting services through their website along with mobile and desktop applications. Toggl ...

and others, as record sleeve art ( Garbage's " Push It") and even as personal tattoos. In March 2010, the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

health department announced they would be using it on condom wrappers. The 2012 television series ''Revolution'', set in a dystopian future in which "the power went out", as the opening narration puts it, stylized the second last letter 'o' of its title as the standby symbol. The power symbol was a part of exhibition at MoMA. In the anime ''

Dimension W ''Dimension W'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yūji Iwahara. It was published in Square Enix's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Young Gangan'' from September 2011 to November 2015 and later in '' Monthly Big Gangan'' fr ...

'', Kyouma Mabuchi wears a

Happi A is a traditional tube-sleeved Japanese coat, usually worn only during festivals. typically feature symbols and/or text on the lapels, with a larger design on the back of the coat, typically the name or the festival or the participating ...

with the power symbol on his back. In the television series ''

Sense8 ''Sense8'' (a play on the word '' sensate'' ) is an American science fiction drama streaming television series created by Lana and Lilly Wachowski and J. Michael Straczynski for Netflix. The production companies behind ''Sense8'' included ...

'', the

hacktivist In Internet activism, hacktivism, or hactivism (a portmanteau of '' hack'' and '' activism''), is the use of computer-based techniques such as hacking as a form of civil disobedience to promote a political agenda or social change. With roots in h ...

character Nomi has a tattoo of the power symbol behind her ear. The symbol, rotated clockwise by 90 degrees so it looks like a capital G, becomes part of the logo for Channel 5's programme

The Gadget Show ''The Gadget Show'' (currently known as ''The Gadget Show: Better Tech, Better Life'') is a British television series which focuses on consumer technology. The show, which is broadcast on Channel 5, is currently presented by Ortis Deley, Geo ...

. On 15th October 2019, 786 employees of Volkswagen Group United Kingdom Limited formed the world's largest human power symbol at Millbrook Proving Ground.

References

External links

IEC/ISO Database on Graphical Symbols for Use on Equipment
* IE
Graphical Symbols for Use on Equipment

ISO/IEC/JTC1 Graphical Symbols for Office Equipment
Environmental Energy Technologies Division,

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), commonly referred to as the Berkeley Lab, is a United States Department of Energy National Labs, United States national laboratory that is owned by, and conducts scientific research on behalf of, t ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Power Symbol Pictograms IEC standards IEEE standards