Dr. Enass Hassan The semiotics of pictogram in the Signage Systems The semiotics of pictogram in the Signage Systems Dr. Enass Mahmoud Mohamed Hassan Associate Professor, Advertising Department, Faculty of Applied arts, Helwan University, Egypt. Abstract: The purpose of this research is to investigate the printed RFID Keywords: In the signage systems, the most important concern for people who design - Semiotics pictograms is to ensure that they will be understood by the greatest possible number - Symbol among the addressed people. Therefore, the institutions who want to promote the - Icon use of pictograms as an iconic signs on a rational basis are now making efforts to define design and interpretation methodologies of the pictogram. - Index The aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of studying the semiotics of - Pictogram pictogram and its role in the signage systems and clarify the extent of the impact of - Degree of Abstraction cultural determinism and the surrounding changes on the interpretation of - Degree of Iconicity pictogram. The study problem can be demonstrated in the following two questions: to what extent can the study of pictogram’s semiotics help the designer in choosing the graphic Elements of pictograms which are involved in the construction of meaning into the signage systems?, how do the surrounding changes affect the meaning of the pictogram?, and how do the cultural determinisms affect the appearance in which the pictogram appears?. The study follows an inductive approach, and “Descriptive-Analytical Methodology”. It reached to the understanding of a pictogram’s characteristics and features. It analyzed the advantages of the usage of the pictogram’s “iconic” form and the role of the pictogram’s surrounding in interpreting its meaning. The cultural determinisms also affect the “appearance” of the pictogram, where any difference of cultural context can entail differences in the representation without changing the core meaning of the pictogram itself. Paper received 25th of January 2015, Accepted 12th of February 2015 Published 1st of April 2015 Introduction: Semiotics can help “make us aware of what we message and meaning. It replaces written take for granted in representing the world, re- indications and instructions and increases the minding us that we are always dealing with signs, users’ awareness of the information they are not with an unmediated objective reality, and that subjected to, generally by serving as an sign systems are involved in the construction of "instantaneous memorandum". (2) meaning. Based upon the wide use of the semiotic Although these pictograms are universal icons, approach in various fields and its specific subtle changes occur to them according to the application in the iconic signs such as pictograms, cultural background they are used in. Different It appears that with conscientious application cultures demonstrate different shapes of semiotics can serve as an effective theoretical pictograms that the inhabitants of this culture foundation for information design. It helps explain accustom with, still maintain the basic form of the the job of signs and categorizes them to symbolic, pictogram further achieving the goal of the indexical, and iconic according to each’s way of signage systems. indication. (1) The Research’s Problem is demonstrated in the Throughout history, Humans have attempted to following questions: communicate with signs for thousands of years, 1- To what extent can the study of and the use of pictures to convey messages has pictogram’s semiotics help the designer in evolved to the modern pictogram. A pictogram is choosing the graphic Elements of an iconic sign that helps improve all pictograms which are involved in the communication process especially signage construction of meaning into the signage systems. It is not just any means of systems? communication; rather, it conveys a very specific 2- How do the surrounding changes affect the International Design Journal, Volume 5, Issue 2, pp 301-315 301 The semiotics of pictogram in the Signage Systems Dr. Enass Hassan meaning of the pictogram? - The following section is a description that 3- How do the cultural determinisms affect highlights the pictogram’s visual function the appearance in which the pictogram in the signage systems: appears? - “A pictogram is an image created by 4- The research aims to: people for the purpose of quick and clear 5- Highlight the importance of studying the communication without language or words, semiotics of pictogram and its role in the in order to draw attention to something”. If signage systems. we extrapolate the statements inherent in 6- Clarify the extent of the impact of cultural this description, we perceive four tasks and determinism and the surrounding changes four aims: on the interpretation of pictogram. First - Resultant task: 1- The role of pictogram in signage statement: A pictogram is not a systems: ‘created by natural phenomenon, but is 1-1 The description of pictogram: people –‘ created artificially. Pictograms constitute a particular branch of Therefore it cannot be pictorial signs, the use of which has expanded learned or instinctively continuously throughout the course of human understood by natural history. It is thought that the first written means, but depends on an symbols were pictorial representation of agreement between the objects. (3) (p. 18) human sender and the Nowadays, pictograms play an increasingly human receiver which must be learned or important role in our daily life. They are very useful for communication in signage systems universally acknowledged. as they are more illustrative than text. They can - Aim: contain more complex information than text in If the widest possible highly compressed form. (figure 1) (4) understanding is to be achieved, a pictogram must be as self-explanatory as possible. In order to Figure (1-a) Figure (1-b) convey the message, a Figure (1) Using text and pictogram in symbol must be found that “Emergency exit” sign (4) will be typical of the A lot of specialists put several definitions for the subject and can easily be pictogram from their own points of views, some of associated with it through which are referred to as follows: common experience. - Collins Dictionary: Pictogram is another Second - Resultant task: word for pictograph. Pictograph is a picture statement: A pictogram must be or symbol standing for a word or group of ‘- an image – quickly and clearly words, as in Chinese writing. for the purpose recognized and of quick and understood. - Otto Neurath: Economist, philosopher and clear - Aim: co-founder (with Charles M. Morris) of the communication Not only must the content international Encyclopedia of Unified ‘ of the pictogram be a Science in The Hague, Neurath developed characteristic symbol for the international System of Typographic the intended message, but Picture Education (ISOTYPE). He the visual form too must be describes the pictogram as an element of a simple, typical and system of absolute validity. associative enough to - Otl Aicher: Graphic designer and co- permit quick and clear founder of the Ulm College of Design, identification. Aicher suggest: “The pictogram must have Third - Resultant task: the character of a sign and should not be an statement: A pictogram should be illustration.” (3) (p. 10) ‘- understood independently communication of writing, words, and International Design Journal, Volume 5, Issue 2, pp 301-315 302 Dr. Enass Hassan Deployment of printed RFID in Egyptian apparel retailing without language. road traffic signs) language or - Aim: 3- When users speak different languages (ie. words –‘ A transposition without non-natives) or have limited linguistic writing or language, with ability (eg. people with low levels of easily associated symbols literacy or little education), or have visual that are universally known problems (eg. older people) from common history. 4- When there is a legal obligation to inform, Fourth - Resultant task: and for the user to comply with information, statement: A pictogram is not meant mainly for safety purposes (eg. use of ‘- in order to to offer a complex dangerous materials at work). draw attention explanation, but it should As pictograms work to fulfill the functions to something -‘ point to one clear and needed in signage systems, some advantages concrete fact. Such facts come to surface proving the efficiency of the may be: use of pictograms in signage systems. These - Information. advantages are: - Direction. 1- Identification is more precise from a single - Prohibition. glance, at a greater distance, and at a greater - Aim: speed than with words: an image is A pictogram must always processed in parallel and therefore more convey one fact. If there is quickly than words, which require serial more than one, it cannot be processing. Thus, they can serve as “instant interpreted quickly or reminders” of a hazard or an established clearly enough. If, for message. example, a number of 2- Pictograms have a higher resistance to different activities are cognitive interference: an image, forbidden in a car park, the memorized and recalled as a single unit, different bans should be would resist interference better than a text visualized through separate made up of several parts. pictograms. Each ban 3- They improve understanding of warnings for should be represented by a those with visual or literacy difficulties. pictogram drawn from the 4- They can make warnings more noticeable or same system. “attention grabbing”, and they can improve their legibility. (3) (p. 24) 5- They capture users' attention for words 1-2 The usage of pictogram in signage sometimes fail to. systems: 6- They Increase users’ awareness of risk, Signage systems are visually oriented generally by serving as an "instantaneous information systems used to guide people's memorandum". passage through the physical world; road signs 7- A pictogram can also be better stored in on a highway, station identification signs in a memory due to dual encoding, that is both subway and overhead signs in an airport are all visual and symbolic common examples of signage systems.