1. designtechnology
Symbols, Signs & Labels

2. Why do we use Symbols, Signs and Labels?
designtechnology
Don’t have to read the language
Categorize meanings
Internationally recognizable
Takes up less space
Speed to interpret
Saves lives
Reduces
accidents
Why do we use Symbols, Signs and Labels?

3. What makes a Good Symbol, Sign or Label?
designtechnology
Not misleading
Informative
Bold
Simple
Clear
The right position
What makes a
Good Symbol, Sign
or Label?

4. a Symbol, a Sign and a Label?
designtechnology
What is the
difference between
a Symbol, a Sign and a Label?

5. Symbols Pictograms Ideogram • Abstract symbol
designtechnology
Symbols
Pictograms
Ideogram
• Abstract symbol
• Conveys a feeling, a movement or an idea
• Not instantly recognizable
• Represent an event, an object or an activity
• Illustration
• A graphically reduced form

6. Signs Use symbols Use colour Use shapes
designtechnology
Signs
Signs are often used to communicate information very quickly and often
in a very small space. To do this successfully signs use a number of strategies.
Use symbols
Use colour
Use shapes

7. Health & Safety or the Environment
designtechnology
Categories of Signs
Blue
Green
Red
Brown
Yellow
Health & Safety or the Environment
Mandatory
Danger or Prohibitive
Tourism
Warning

8. designtechnology
Labels
Labels use similar strategies to signs to communicate information quickly. However, labels are primarily attached to an object such as a clothes label or a hazard-warning symbol on a car dashboard.
Where might you see a label then?

9. Why Symbols, Signs and Labels sometimes
designtechnology
Why Symbols, Signs and Labels sometimes
don’t work.

10. Can signs be misinterpreted?
designtechnology
Can signs be misinterpreted?

11. Can signs be misinterpreted?
designtechnology
Can signs be misinterpreted?

12. Can signs be misinterpreted?
designtechnology
Can signs be misinterpreted?