1. A programmed computer system for designing animated visualization interfaces including associations between graphical symbols and components of a process control system application, the system including: a processor; a graphical symbol library for maintaining a set of graphical symbol templates wherein the graphical symbol templates each comprise: a graphics definition including graphics data for generating a graphical symbol, and a reference to an application component data source type, the reference facilitating identifying candidate application components for creating an association between a graphical symbol instance created from a graphical symbol template and one of the candidate application components; and a graphical symbol design environment including a visualization interface design tool facilitating: designating the graphical symbol template, from the graphical symbol library, from which the graphical symbol instance is created, specifying an application component corresponding to the reference to an application component data source type, and creating an association between the graphical symbol instance and the specified application component, wherein the association facilitates providing data from the application component for driving an animation characteristic of the graphical symbol instance.