How sane is it to use a pictogram or pictography to keep seed phrases?

[dkbit98]

‎What do you think?
‎

I would not use pictogram or pictography to save anything important, and I never hear anyone standardized this method.
One of the safest method of creating backup is using encrypted backup, maybe something like Satochip Seedkeeper cards with open source code.
It's easy to move this cards anywhere and you can even use cards with blank (or any other) design to avoid any connection with bitcoin backup.

[Hewlet]

‎That is, an individual holder or investor decides that instead of writing down the actual words, it would be better to use hand-drawn symbols or images that only them can decode.
‎
‎What do you think?
‎

The simple answer I can give is that if it works for you, go for it and let it be that way. I think that the idea of real safety is in knowing that you're the only one that knows what strategy you're using and that you've proven it to be true that such strategy is good for you and can keep your asset really secured. Getting the validation of others and going on to use It means you've actually decoded your seed phrase to an extent.

The goal is to secure your seed phrase from a third party and to ensure that you're able to get to it whenever you want to. Trying to make things overly complex doesn't make a lot of sense.

[Furball808]

‎That is, an individual holder or investor decides that instead of writing down the actual words, it would be better to use hand-drawn symbols or images that only them can decode.
‎
‎What do you think?
‎

You could try that but there’s still risks to that. What happens if you remember incorrectly the symbols you made up? Are you just going to store another cheat code and that would be again a risk. Seed phrases are already cryptographic, are you sure you wanna add more layers to that? If you are confident in remembering your symbols then it’s an added security so go for it.

[WannaParadise]

‎The idea of using pictogram or pictography to keep or save key phrases or seed phrases seems like a genuine way besides inscribing these phrases on metal plates or writing them on paper and hiding it somewhere safe.
‎Although using pictograms or pictography to secure a very important information like a seed phrase may be a more creative approach for me because it aims to provide security through obscurity, I wonder what others may think of this approach to saving their seed phrases while saving Bitcoin on a hardware wallet or air gapped wallet.

‎That is, an individual holder or investor decides that instead of writing down the actual words, it would be better to use hand-drawn symbols or images that only them can decode.
‎
‎What do you think?
‎

Although the idea of storing seed phrases using pictograms may seem like a practical and creative alternative, it must be carefully assessed from a security perspective. i believe this method could provide an additional layer of security in scenarios such as social engineering or physical theft...  However, in my view, one of the fundamental principles of security is transparency and reproducibility: you must be able to recall the code even in the event of a disaster so that you can recover your seed phrase. Hand drawn symbols may be prone to differences in interpretation fading or accidental alteration over time. i think if pictograms are to be used, the rules for their interpretation must be clearly documented at least two independent backups must be created and these must be distributed across different secure physical locations... You should also make contingency plans in case the key used to interpret the symbols (which symbol represents which word) is lost...  In conclusion, pictograms make sense as an additional layer of protection but may not be reliable on their own. i recommend using this method to complement basic backup procedures.
Do you think my approach is technically feasible, and where do the greatest risks lie?

[coinlary]

..you must be able to recall the code even in the event of a disaster so that you can recover your seed phrase.

Depends on the type of disaster , if we consider OP's method:
 "That is, an individual holder or investor decides that instead of writing down the actual words, it would be better to use hand-drawn symbols or images that only them can decode." -- then  apart from damage on the human nervous sys,disaster like fire and flood (natural) will damage the visual  data even if you remember the code to decipher it  unless you have backups that are resistant to such disaster.

When it comes to sign pictograms , there'r much lesser options if you won't be using any digital method for it.

You should also make contingency plans in case the key used to interpret the symbols (which symbol represents which word) is lost..

Just back your seed and the passphrase.

[Dex_master25]

..you must be able to recall the code even in the event of a disaster so that you can recover your seed phrase.

Depends on the type of disaster , if we consider OP's method:
 "That is, an individual holder or investor decides that instead of writing down the actual words, it would be better to use hand-drawn symbols or images that only them can decode." -- then  apart from damage on the human nervous sys,disaster like fire and flood (natural) will damage the visual  data even if you remember the code to decipher it  unless you have backups that are resistant to such disaster.

When it comes to sign pictograms , there'r much lesser options if you won't be using any digital method for it.

You should also make contingency plans in case the key used to interpret the symbols (which symbol represents which word) is lost..

Just back your seed and the passphrase.

There could be those who have a very pictographic memory and not forget the words accompanying the images or pictogram, hence why I think this could qualify as a good method to preserve seed phrase without fear of loss and am sure if the images are arranged in a format they could be more valuable that bothering about managing the location or method of keeping the seed phrase safe.

[coinlary]

There could be those who have a very pictographic memory and not forget the words accompanying the images or pictogram

If they can rely on memory for a very long time, there’s a chance the pattern may not be complex enough which means someone determined could possibly decipher it without their keys, codes or whatever especially if the method is predictable , unless it’s something unique to them but this still is not  immune to memory loss.

hence why I think this could qualify as a good method to preserve seed phrase without fear of loss and am sure if the images are arranged in a format they could be more valuable that bothering about managing the location or method of keeping the seed phrase safe.

you mean if the visual data are arranged in a complicated  format?  Because that's  probably  the only way that can make your seed phrase secure (not valuable ) using this method since you don't want to worry about hiding anything. Can a brain really handle that for a long time? No, you still need a backup if you ask me .

[uchegod-21]

Before you choose any method of storing a seed phrase or backing it up, one of the things you should consider is the ease of recovery of the seed phrase in case of an emergency. With this method you have recommended, it means you are the only one who understands it, and if unfortunately anything happens to you, your Bitcoin is gone. What this means is that your share of Bitcoin ends the day you lose your memory or die.

[EluguHcman]

‎That is, an individual holder or investor decides that instead of writing down the actual words, it would be better to use hand-drawn symbols or images that only them can decode.
‎
‎What do you think?

That is indeed a very nice creativity in the ideal of photographing seed phrase in the image format that only you can understand it significant and be able to identify them serially even when the words designed in the image is shuffled.

Though I can only have this a possibility thought but don't recommend it better than the engraving the words on metals or writing on the paper pattern because it would be mentally tasking and time consuming in arranging the words in the right order, else, it also portrays potential risk of loosing your recovery access keys of your wallet if you are unable to identify the words correctly.

Perhaps... This pattern does not have destructive resistance such as fire or water.
Don't forget that some images also have sharp visibility duration while graphics of the image may fade away in time.

[SeriouslyGiveaway]

That is indeed a very nice creativity in the ideal of photographing seed phrase in the image format that only you can understand it significant and be able to identify them serially even when the words designed in the image is shuffled.

In cryptography, there has been a lot of development before we have good ones to use for Bitcoin blockchain and Bitcoin private keys, it has gone a long way so it's not necessarily to develop something personalized only to encrypt your wallet backups. While there is nothing to be sure that your personalized backup method is good enough in encryption and there is risk that it can be decrypted by someone else.

While there is risk of your own failure in recovering your wallets if later you lost your own notes of personalized encryption with whatever method you used.

[joniboini]

Perhaps... This pattern does not have destructive resistance such as fire or water.
Don't forget that some images also have sharp visibility duration while graphics of the image may fade away in time.

I feel like those are problems with the material where you write the symbol itself, not necessarily the encoding itself. Let's say I use a bird image to represent a bird, I don't think this would lead to error as decrypting it as "dog". It's not like you can't write "bird," and in the next 5 years, the "b" gets scratched and becomes a bit unreadable. Though I do agree that this style of encryption is probably weak and not suitable for securing your seed phrase, as I mentioned before.

[Hatchy]

Sometimes it's best to keep it simple. If satoshi-era wallets can remain untouched for 15+ years, they must be doing something right.

Totally.. no one can get 100% a security or flawless system and the more you try to push that the more your security systems begin to create flaws.. Ill always tell people to keep it simple. We don't necessarily need all these bulky processes to store our keys. I'd even prefer storing my keys on paper than on a cold storage device. Of what use will it be when you still need to get your keys out of the cold wallet and write them on paper?. Since my stay on this forum, I've seen countless ways people have tried to suggest for storing their seeds, i.e  "colours, sound, images and lots more". But still you can't beat the security of not doing too much.

[SilverCryptoBullet]

I'd even prefer storing my keys on paper than on a cold storage device. Of what use will it be when you still need to get your keys out of the cold wallet and write them on paper?

Storing your wallet backups on paper as your paper backups is a backup method, it's not about the wallet you are using for storing your bitcoin. That wallet can be a software hot wallet or a hardware cold wallet but paper can be used as a tool for that wallet backup.

You seemed to think that a cold wallet can not be backed up with paper.

Paper can be used for backups but you will need multiple paper wallet backups or if possible use one or two more backup methods, in order to make sure that you won't lose your wallet backups with any single accident.

[aylabadia05]

‎That is, an individual holder or investor decides that instead of writing down the actual words, it would be better to use hand-drawn symbols or images that only them can decode.
‎
‎What do you think?

The more complex it is, the stronger it is.
As long as I can ensure its security is guaranteed, sticking with the method I currently use is fine by me.
So what I do is write it down on a plate and store it in a place I consider safe in case of floods and other disasters, including fires.
I’ve also shared the seed phrase with my loved ones so they can access it if needed, and I can be sure they’ll store it securely once they understand how important it is to safeguard Bitcoin for the future.

[Pablo-wood]

‎That is, an individual holder or investor decides that instead of writing down the actual words, it would be better to use hand-drawn symbols or images that only them can decode.
‎
‎What do you think?
‎

What if things get twisted and we forget the sequence in which the image is being arranged. Hand-drawn symbols are nice when there is another backup that decodes the images incase of memory loss. I still think there should be a written format even if we choose to use hand-drawn symbols or images. It will only require us to stay over protective on the written phrase while we keep the encoded format at an easily accessible location since it can't be decoded by a strange person.

[PrivacyG]

There could be those who have a very pictographic memory and not forget the words accompanying the images or pictogram, hence why I think this could qualify as a good method to preserve seed phrase without fear of loss and am sure if the images are arranged in a format they could be more valuable that bothering about managing the location or method of keeping the seed phrase safe.

An idiot speeding while you are crossing the road could change that 'very pictographic memory' very fast.

You could try to re invent the wheel.  Do not complain and cry out loud like Peter Schiff does when losing access to your Bitcoin though.

[SilverCryptoBullet]

An idiot speeding while you are crossing the road could change that 'very pictographic memory' very fast.

You could try to re invent the wheel.  Do not complain and cry out loud like Peter Schiff does when losing access to your Bitcoin though.

A heart attack with consequences in the brain and memory can change everything in a person life too.

Using memory as a wallet backup is unsafe, and it's very dangerous if it is the only wallet backup method used by a person.
This risk is warned in this backup guide.

What about memorizing your backups?

Well, I can only think of one situation in which I'd ever consider that - if I'm fleeing from some calamity without much time to prepare and I'm worried about physical attackers accosting me during the journey or at border crossings. That is to say - I only think memorization is a good strategy for temporary emergency use. As a long term storage strategy it creates single points of failure:

• You may forget the seed phrase.
• You could be injured and unable to recall it.
• You could die and your heirs would be unable to access it.
• You could have seed phrase coerced out of you.