Symbol Signs: The Development of Passenger/Pedestrian Oriented Symbols for Use in Transportation-Related Facilities
The final report, dated November 1974, that the American Institute of Graphic Arts delivered to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
What it is
The final report, dated November 1974, that the American Institute of Graphic Arts delivered to the U.S. Department of Transportation. It records how 34 pictograms for airports, stations and other travel facilities were argued into existence. A five-member committee chaired by Thomas H. Geismar, with Seymour Chwast, Rudolph deHarak, John Lees and Massimo Vignelli, gathered symbols from 24 systems in real use, among them the Tokyo, Mexico and Munich Olympics, the British Airports Authority and Expo 67. Each member privately rated every symbol from 1 to 5 on three dimensions: semantic (does it carry the meaning), syntactic (does it fit the set) and pragmatic (can people see it). The committee then chose one concept per message, such as the red cross for First Aid, and Cook and Shanosky redrew all 34 in one style. A guidelines section sets sizes, a layout grid, Helvetica Medium lettering and color rules.
Why read it now
The report's closing finding still holds: repeated exposure does more for a symbol's recognition than the quality of the drawing or the cleverness of the idea. Jenni Romaniuk's research on distinctive brand assets reaches the same place for logos, colors and characters, which work once people have seen them with the brand many times. The three-part scoring of meaning, fit with the set and visibility is a usable checklist for any icon set, app menu or brand asset review, and so is the rule that the least legible symbol sets the size for all of them. What has dated: the ratings were five designers' opinions, not user tests, as the report admits; some concepts belong to 1974, such as cigarettes and a dial telephone; and the committee chose the red cross while noting that Muslim countries use the Red Crescent. One way to use it: before launching icons or bilingual signs, score each item on the three dimensions, test the weakest at real viewing distance, and give the Arabic line equal weight, as the report asks of translations.
Passages worth keeping
We are convinced that it is more harmful to oversign than to undersign.
كثرة اللافتات أضر من قلتها؛ فخلط الرسائل الثانوية بالرسائل الأساسية يضعف التواصل كله.
We are convinced that symbols are useless at a facility unless incorporated as part of an intelligent total sign system.
الرمز وحده لا يكفي؛ قيمته تظهر حين يكون جزءًا من نظام لافتات كامل ومدروس يشمل الكلمات أيضًا.
Research has disclosed that figures with legs separated, such as those in Group 2, are inviting targets for graffiti artists, especially when the background color is light.
تفاصيل الرسم الصغيرة لها عواقب في الواقع؛ فالأشكال ذات الساقين المنفرجتين تغري العابثين بالرسم فوقها، لذلك اختارت اللجنة شكلًا مغلقًا.
Translations should be different from, but not subordinant to, the English messages.
النص المترجم يُميَّز عن النص الإنجليزي باللون والموضع، لكنه لا يُعامل على أنه أقل منه أهمية.
Experience shows that constant repetition has more to do with effectiveness than does a difference in style of drawing or appropriateness of concept.
فاعلية الرمز تأتي من كثرة ظهوره أمام الناس أكثر مما تأتي من أسلوب رسمه أو مناسبة فكرته.
The scanned text has OCR errors. The passages are quoted from it, with only obvious slips fixed.
What it teaches best
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