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A complete grammar in seven parts, and the clearest example in this catalogue of a symbol system designed rather than accumulated. The frame's shape carries affiliation — rectangle friendly, diamond hostile, square neutral, cloverleaf unknown — before any icon inside it is read. The icon carries function: an X for infantry, an oval for armour, both together for mechanised infantry. Marks above the frame carry size, from dots for a squad to three Xs for a corps. Shape does all the work because colour cannot be relied on: a map may be photocopied, faxed or read in monochrome, and the system has to survive that. Unlike rank insignia, these records can state meanings, because a published standard defines them.
A rectangle marking a friendly force on a military map.
A diamond marking a hostile force on a military map.
A square marking a neutral force on a military map.
A quatrefoil marking a force of undetermined affiliation.
Two crossed diagonal lines inside a unit frame, marking infantry.
A rounded oval inside a unit frame, marking armoured forces.
Dots, vertical bars and X marks above a unit frame, showing its size.