READING IMAGES - Signs and symbols

In this exercise you will read existing signs, symbols and images, and then drawing on their visual language create your own symbols. Choose one of the following concepts:

Danger Movement Love Here

How does existing visual language represent these concepts, for example both ‘danger’ and ‘love’ use red, while ‘movement’ and ‘here’ use arrows. Research the different similes and metaphors that are in common use. Document them through drawings, collecting examples and mind maps. Now create an alternative symbol to represent at least one of the concepts. Pencil and paper is the fastest and most practical way of working out your initial designs. You may then want to develop your idea further using computer software.

Analysis

To choose one of the following concepts: "danger, movement, love or here" and research the different similes and metaphors that are currently in use by collecting examples and brainstorming ideas. To create an alternative symbol that represents one of the concepts of either danger, movement, love or here. Develop your idea using computer software.

Keywords

Danger

Similes

Metaphors

Alternative symbol

Computer software

Danger signs

As I was brainstorming different words associated with danger and caution, I came up with a list of different danger and caution words. Later on, when I do decide what direction I want to go, I think this could make it easier for me to design an alternative danger symbol.

From this exercise, the words exposure, injury, death and deadly were standing out strongly to me.

Examples of danger signs

A moodboard helped me collect danger signs already in use.

(Click on the image for more examples).

Semiotics

Semiotics is the study of signs. The study of semiotics provides a look into how language, sounds and images are understood by people. In semiotics, there are three elements:

a sign
a system
a context

Signs contain information based on the content,

the system they operate in (such as road signs)
and the context in which they are located (e.g. near moving machinery).

Artwork and design often communicate multiple meanings through symbolic references or signs.

Images, words and colours used in signs have different meanings for different cultures, which makes semiotics culturally dependent. (Ambrose, G. and Harris, P. 2019)

We live our lives in such diverse ways, but on the whole, universally, we understand the meanings of signs created.

We get this right by having a sign, a system and a context as explained by Ambrose, G. and Harris, P. 2019. Sometimes semiotics involves questioning, reframing, and sometimes shifting the perspectives from which certain signs are viewed. (Hall, 2012)

Icons

This graphic element represents an object, person, or something else by simplifying its characteristics to a few simple features.

Symbols and pictograms are not the same as icons. If an icon is too detailed, it loses its effectiveness as most people are able to recognise it from its silhouette. (Ambrose and Harris, 2019). Silhouette shapes that mimic real-world contours promote quick perception and fast comprehension. (Malamed, 2009)

It is essential that the icon forms are precise and simple, if the goal is to convey an immediate and clear message. (Malamed, 2009)

Fig.1 Danger (2019)

Icons are easily identifiable and processed, and their meaning can easily be remembered.(Malamed, 2009)

"Visual communication is characterized by icons, symbols, and pictograms. A concept can be conveyed quickly and effectively regardless of language or culture". (Black Coffee Design, 2006)

Symbols

The visual representation of an idea, concept, or object.

It is easy to recognise road signs as symbols, since they contain images and designs with a defined meaning. There can be no entry when a white bar is placed against a red circle. (See Fig.2)

As an example, the traffic light warning sign is an iconic symbol on some road signs. It helps to understand a physical object by presenting a simplified image.

Symbols facilitate quick communication, making them ideal for a variety of purposes. (Malamed, 2009)

Simile

The use of a figure of speech to make a comparison between a topic and an unrelated feature. For example ‘as fresh as a daisy’. Similes can enhance verbal or visual descriptions. (Ambrose, G. and Harris, P. 2019)

Fig. 2 No entry sign (2021)

Metaphor

There may not be any close relationship between one thing and another, but it serves to transfer meaning between them. By drawing a comparison with something familiar, a visual metaphor conveys an impression that is relatively unfamiliar. (Ambrose, G. and Harris, P. 2019)

Visual Language for danger

While looking at all the images I collected for danger signs I noticed a recurring theme was the colours red, black, yellow and some orange. The signs were used with triangles, circles or lines to highlight the danger. Many used bold black symbols like exclamation marks, hands, danger lines, skull-and-cross-bones or bold black writing in capitals.

Below (Fig. 3) explains the correct usage of colours for warning signs.

Fig. 3 Keep out of reach of children (2020)

Red: used in prohibition and hazard signs, fire extinguishers, representing the red colour of heat and fire.
Yellow: used in biohazard signs to indicate nuclear wastes or toxic chemicals, associated with the glow emanating from radioactive substances.
Blue: used to designate the importance of safety measures, since blue is perceived in many cultures as a sign of security.
Green: used for emergency escape signs (on doors, exits, and routes) and first aid signs (showing location of first aid equipment and facilities). Since this colour is also associated with safety, contrasting with red as indicating danger. (Danesi, 2021)

Ideas

In my sketchbook I started to play around with a few ideas. I was thinking of the words that stood out earlier: exposure, injury, death and deadly. Then started to think about the warnings on cigarette packets. Below are some found online.

All the cigarette boxes show graphic photo images of what your lungs will look like and give written warnings on the packets. I wanted to try this in a symbol format, to see if I could create the same effect?

In my sketchbook I experimented with lungs, coffins, toxic symbols, skull-and-cross-bones and no smoking signs. I them moved to Adobe Illustrator to see how the sketches would look on the screen.

The first image shows a person smoking with a toxic warning symbol on one of their lungs. The second image shows a coffin as one of the lungs and the their head as a skull-and-cross-bones, I thought that this might be over-kill (no pun intended) The third image is without the skull-and-cross-bones and an image of a coffin on one of the lungs. I then realised that neither of these could work because I can't prohibit a person from smoking, so it would be useless on a cigarette packet.

I then worked on the warning approach using the same images above.

Fig. 4 Smoking warning sign (2022)

I tried to keep the symbol as simple as possible.

Fig. 5 Smoking warning sign Mock-up (2022)

Critique

I showed a selection of people the symbol and asked them what they thought the symbol meant.

The response was that the person was smoking then they saw the lung replaced with the coffin, then concluded that if you smoke your lungs will get damaged and it can cause death.

Reflection

I found this exercise very interesting as I had never heard of semiotics before. The more I researched the subject the more interesting it became. I watched a video called "Icon Design Creating Pictograms with purpose" on Skillshare and this video went in-depth about semiotics. I also looked at the Noun Project website that had thousands of alternative icons from danger to arrows.

Creating my own symbol was much more challenging, I found I was putting too much detail when the idea is to simplify as much as possible.

This exercise remined me of the unit two exercise "too much or not enough information" once I had a few designs I realised that using a red prohibition sign was not quite the correct sign to use when warning people of possible dangers and hazards. I adjusted this to a yellow hazard triangle instead. I liked the concept of using one of the lungs as a coffin to represent the danger smoking can do to the lungs.