We see them everywhere – simple pictographic signs that inform us of everything, from where the baggage claim or restroom is to whether a rest area has a picnic or dog-walk area. We take these instructional images for granted; it’s no simple task to create a symbol that transcends language and cultural barriers, that cuts through the visual noise of our surroundings, and that is legible from many yards away while cruising down the highway at 70 mph.
They’ve existed for centuries – in pre-modern Europe, pictorial symbols were the main visual guides for strangers who came into town and needed to find the shops of the barber, the apothecary, or even the pawnbroker.
In the 1970s, the U.S. Department of Transportation commissioned the AIGA to create a master set of symbols for use in transportation facilities. After extensive research of symbols in use throughout the world, the final set was designed by Cook & Shanosky Associates:
Cook & Shanosky, 1974.
No standard has emerged, in part, because designers can’t resist the draw (pun intended) to design new pictograms; just look at the collection created for each new Olympic games.
Today, their beauty and ubiquity has lead many artists and designers, myself included, to extract pictorial and symbolic signs from their original context for new expressions. Here a just few examples…
IBPI logo and secondary graphic, 2007, Jen Bracy.
Two works by French artist Pippo Lionni
SIMPLE brand bag design competition, 2005, Jen Bracy.
manipulated digital images, 2006-08, Jen Bracy.