refactor: remove emoji icons and normalize dashes in client UI.

web/client/src/api/standards.js

@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ async function safeFetch(url, options = {}) {
   try {
     res = await fetch(url, options);
   } catch (networkErr) {
-    const err = new Error(`Network error — is the server running? (${networkErr.message})`);
+    const err = new Error(`Network error - is the server running? (${networkErr.message})`);
     err.cause = networkErr;
     throw err;
   }

web/client/src/components/StandardModal.jsx

@@ -86,9 +86,7 @@ export default function StandardModal({ standard, onClose }) {
             ref={closeBtnRef}
             onClick={onClose}
             aria-label={t("modal.closeLabel")}
-          >
-            ✕
-          </button>
+          />
         </div>
 
         {/* Standard detail */}
@@ -128,7 +126,6 @@ export default function StandardModal({ standard, onClose }) {
           {/* AI chat panel */}
           <div className="modal-section ai-panel" aria-label={t("modal.askAI")}>
             <p className="modal-section-title">
-              <span className="ai-label-icon" aria-hidden="true">✦</span>
               {t("modal.askAI")}
             </p>
 
@@ -136,15 +133,11 @@ export default function StandardModal({ standard, onClose }) {
               <div className="chat-log" aria-live="polite" aria-label={t("modal.conversation")}>
                 {messages.map((m, i) => (
                   <div key={i} className={`chat-bubble chat-bubble--${m.role}`}>
-                    {m.role === "ai" && (
-                      <span className="bubble-label" aria-label={t("modal.aiResponse")}>✦</span>
-                    )}
                     <p className="bubble-text">{m.text}</p>
                   </div>
                 ))}
                 {asking && (
                   <div className="chat-bubble chat-bubble--ai chat-bubble--loading" aria-label={t("modal.aiThinking")}>
-                    <span className="bubble-label" aria-hidden="true">✦</span>
                     <span className="typing-dots">
                       <span /><span /><span />
                     </span>

web/client/src/pages/Categories.jsx

@@ -4,33 +4,6 @@ import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
 import { fetchCategories } from "../api/standards";
 import "./Categories.css";
 
-const CATEGORY_ICONS = {
-  "Adhesives": "🧲",
-  "Bitumen and Tar Products": "🛣️",
-  "Builder's Hardware": "🔩",
-  "Building Limes": "🪨",
-  "Cement and Concrete": "🏗️",
-  "Concrete Reinforcement": "⚙️",
-  "Doors, Windows and Shutters": "🚪",
-  "Electrical Installations": "⚡",
-  "Floor, Wall, Roof Coverings and Finishes": "🏛️",
-  "Gypsum Building Materials": "🏺",
-  "Light Metal and Their Alloys": "🔧",
-  "Paints, Varnishes and Allied Products": "🎨",
-  "Pipes and Fittings": "🔧",
-  "Sanitary Appliances and Water Fittings": "🚿",
-  "Stones": "🪨",
-  "Structural Shapes": "📐",
-  "Structural Steels": "🏗️",
-  "Thermal Insulation Materials": "🌡️",
-  "Threaded Fasteners and Rivets": "🔩",
-  "Timber": "🪵",
-  "Water Proofing and Damp Proofing Materials": "💧",
-  "Welding Electrodes and Wires": "🔌",
-  "Wire Ropes and Wire Products": "🪢",
-  "Wood Products": "🪵",
-  "Wood Products for Building": "🏠",
-};
 
 export default function Categories() {
   const { t } = useTranslation();
@@ -76,9 +49,6 @@ export default function Categories() {
                   role="listitem"
                   onClick={() => navigate(`/standards?category=${encodeURIComponent(cat.name)}`)}
                 >
-                  <span className="cat-page-icon" aria-hidden="true">
-                    {CATEGORY_ICONS[cat.name] || "📋"}
-                  </span>
                   <span className="cat-page-name">{cat.name}</span>
                   <span className="cat-page-count">{t("categories.standardCount", { count: cat.count })}</span>
                   <span className="cat-page-arrow" aria-hidden="true">→</span>

web/client/src/pages/Home.jsx

@@ -23,10 +23,10 @@ export default function Home() {
   };
 
   const PILLARS = [
-    { icon: "⚡", titleKey: "home.pillar_instantRetrieval_title", bodyKey: "home.pillar_instantRetrieval_body" },
-    { icon: "📐", titleKey: "home.pillar_sectionDetail_title",    bodyKey: "home.pillar_sectionDetail_body" },
-    { icon: "🗂",  titleKey: "home.pillar_categories_title",       bodyKey: "home.pillar_categories_body" },
-    { icon: "🔒", titleKey: "home.pillar_officialSource_title",   bodyKey: "home.pillar_officialSource_body" },
+    { titleKey: "home.pillar_instantRetrieval_title", bodyKey: "home.pillar_instantRetrieval_body" },
+    { titleKey: "home.pillar_sectionDetail_title",    bodyKey: "home.pillar_sectionDetail_body" },
+    { titleKey: "home.pillar_categories_title",       bodyKey: "home.pillar_categories_body" },
+    { titleKey: "home.pillar_officialSource_title",   bodyKey: "home.pillar_officialSource_body" },
   ];
 
   return (
@@ -116,9 +116,8 @@ export default function Home() {
               </a>
             </div>
             <div className="feature-pillars" role="list">
-              {PILLARS.map(({ icon, titleKey, bodyKey }) => (
+              {PILLARS.map(({ titleKey, bodyKey }) => (
                 <div className="pillar" role="listitem" key={titleKey}>
-                  <span className="pillar-icon" aria-hidden="true">{icon}</span>
                   <h3 className="pillar-title">{t(titleKey)}</h3>
                   <p className="pillar-body">{t(bodyKey)}</p>
                 </div>

web/client/src/pages/Recommend.jsx

@@ -128,8 +128,8 @@ export default function Recommend() {
             {loading && (
               <div className="loading-state" aria-label={t("common.loading")}>
                 <div className="loading-steps">
-                  <LoadingStep icon="🔍" label={t("recommend.loadingRetrieval")} />
-                  <LoadingStep icon="✦"  label={t("recommend.loadingAI")} delay />
+                  <LoadingStep label={t("recommend.loadingRetrieval")} />
+                  <LoadingStep label={t("recommend.loadingAI")} delay />
                 </div>
               </div>
             )}
@@ -232,10 +232,9 @@ function LatencyBadge({ label, ms, accent, bold }) {
   );
 }
 
-function LoadingStep({ icon, label, delay }) {
+function LoadingStep({ label, delay }) {
   return (
     <div className={`loading-step${delay ? " loading-step--delay" : ""}`}>
-      <span className="loading-step-icon" aria-hidden="true">{icon}</span>
       <span>{label}</span>
     </div>
   );
@@ -251,7 +250,7 @@ function SearchIcon() {
 }
 
 function SpinIcon() {
-  return <span className="spin-icon" aria-hidden="true">⟳</span>;
+  return <span className="spin-icon" aria-hidden="true" />;
 }
 
 function standardsFullRecord(s) {

web/client/src/pages/Standards.jsx

@@ -98,9 +98,7 @@ export default function Standards() {
                   type="button"
                   onClick={handleClearSearch}
                   aria-label={t("standards.clearSearch")}
-                >
-                  ✕
-                </button>
+                />
               )}
             </div>
             <div className="filter-row">
@@ -131,7 +129,7 @@ export default function Standards() {
               {loading
                 ? t("standards.searching")
                 : t("standards.found", { count: meta.total })}
-              {!loading && meta.total > 0 && ` — ${t("standards.page", { page: meta.page, total: meta.totalPages })}`}
+              {!loading && meta.total > 0 && ` -- ${t("standards.page", { page: meta.page, total: meta.totalPages })}`}
             </p>
           )}