Favorite symbols for special keys

[decker]

So I was wondering, when you guys designkeycap layouts or just use http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/, what are your favorite symbols for special keys ( shift, esc, enter, pg up, etc)?
Or do you prefer text?
I find it odd to have a mix on the keyboard for special keys arrow for pg up and text for Ctrl for instance.
I like some of the ones in http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/ 's keyboard layout icons but some seem a bit strange...
The same for the ones in WASD template (I'm currently using it for an order).

I really don't like the control, altgr symbols in the ISO norm bellow


I not sure about the command symbol on macs


No symbol for Fn !!!

Any thoughts?

[LuX]

Blank keycaps work universally for anything
If I had to choose a print, I would probably just go with plain text in a nice font as it is the safest, most practical and classical approach. What I dislike about symbols is that they are easy to "get wrong", even a single bad symbol will ruin the appearance (in much the way that you said already). As for symbols I prefer the minimality of mac symbols and find most ISO symbols a little too busy, although the mac symbols are a little less obvious on first sight where as ISO are a little more clear. The benefit of symbols is that you can find a key at a glance, but that's why I like blanks, because you shouldn't be relying on sight to find a key. The problem with blanks is that other people can't find the keys, for them text is the most obvious. So that's my reason for going either blank or text, depending on the intended usage of the keyboard.

[Findecanor]

I don't think anyone uses the ISO symbols for Caps Lock and Control. I have seen the ⇬ symbol maybe once... and that was next to a LED, not on a key.

And by the way, the correct symbol for Tab is ⇥. The ⇤ symbol stands for Back-Tab which is available on the key combination Shift-Tab, hence why it is above and the other below like as on the keys on the numeric row.
Even many commercial keyboards get this wrong. Apple keyboards show only ⇥.
I suspect that IBM put both symbols there because their earlier IBM Beam-spring keyboards tended to have separate keys for Tab and Back-Tab on opposite ends of the keyboard.

[decker]

Blank keycaps work universally for anything
If I had to choose a print, I would probably just go with plain text in a nice font as it is the safest, most practical and classical approach. What I dislike about symbols is that they are easy to "get wrong", even a single bad symbol will ruin the appearance (in much the way that you said already). As for symbols I prefer the minimality of mac symbols and find most ISO symbols a little too busy, although the mac symbols are a little less obvious on first sight where as ISO are a little more clear. The benefit of symbols is that you can find a key at a glance, but that's why I like blanks, because you shouldn't be relying on sight to find a key. The problem with blanks is that other people can't find the keys, for them text is the most obvious. So that's my reason for going either blank or text, depending on the intended usage of the keyboard.

Thanks for your answer.
What i dislike in text is that it is language dependant (Echap and Entrée on my French keyboard are close to english, but Strg and Bild on German keyboards are not as close as english...). It would feel strange to have english worlds on my keyboard with a French layout...

[decker]

I don't think anyone uses the ISO symbols for Caps Lock and Control. I have seen the ⇬ symbol maybe once... and that was next to a LED, not on a key.

And by the way, the correct symbol for Tab is ⇥. The ⇤ symbol stands for Back-Tab which is available on the key combination Shift-Tab, hence why it is above and the other below like as on the keys on the numeric row.
Even many commercial keyboards get this wrong. Apple keyboards show only ⇥.
I suspect that IBM put both symbols there because their earlier IBM Beam-spring keyboards tended to have separate keys for Tab and Back-Tab on opposite ends of the keyboard.

Yeah, I find locks the nicest for shift or number locks.
I also like the fact that the shifted version of the tab (back tab) is shown on the key.

[Findecanor]

Heh. We actually have English words in Nordic layouts (Swedish/Finnish, Norwegian and Danish, sometimes all three on one keyboard).

[decker]

Heh. We actually have English words in Nordic layouts (Swedish/Finnish, Norwegian and Danish, sometimes all three on one keyboard).

That's funny, using e,glish as a lingua franca i guess!
Please write in old norse on your special keys 

[Zom-B]

As for tool: Inkscape.

As for symbols: See this symbol-only diagram:



Still a bit work-in-progress.

[decker]

As for tool: Inkscape.

As for symbols: See this symbol-only diagram:


Still a bit work-in-progress.

Thanks for sharing, it looks pretty elegant. Shift looks like a house to me however.

[Zom-B]

Ironically, it's the glyph of character 127 in CP437 which is the code point for DEL.