The pictograms or "symbol signs" used by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) are intended to convey information useful to travelers without resorting to verbal language. Among these pictograms, for example, are the now-familiar graphics representing "Toilets" and "Telephone." Since their introduction in 1974, they have found widespread use in airports, train stations, hotels and other public places not only in the United States but also around the world. As a result of this near-universal acceptance, some describe them as the "Helvetica" of pictograms, and the character portrayed within them as "Helvetica Man" (Lupton).
D.O.T. pictograms representing, from left, "Escalator (up)," "Nursery" and "Ground transportation."
History
In 1974, the DOT, recognizing the shortcomings of pictograms drawn on an ad hoc basis across the United States interstate highway system, commissioned the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) to produce a comprehensive set of pictograms. In collaboration with Cook and Shanosky Associates , the designers conducted an exhaustive survey of pictograms already in use around the world, drawing from sources as diverse as Tokyo International Airport and the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. The designers rated these pictograms based on criteria such as their legibility, their international recognizability and their resistance to vandalism. After determining which features were the most successful and appropriate, the designers drew a set of pictograms to represent each of 34 meanings requested by the DOT.
In 1979, 16 symbols were added, bringing the total to 50.
References
- Ellen Lupton and J. Abbot Miller . Design Writing Research: Writing About Graphic Design. New York: Kiosk, 1996.
- American Institute of Graphic Arts for the U.S. Department of Transportation. Symbol signs, 2nd ed. New York: American Institute of Graphic Arts, 1993.
See also
External links
Last updated: 10-29-2005 02:13:46
