pictograms.info
Facts and data on pictograms Literature

Information

Synonyms / Other Terms Used

Information Desk, Info, Advice

Category

Public Facilities, Services, Public Services

Message / Function

To indicate where information is to be obtained

 

Source Description
Test item: Information from an unknown source Unknown Text 'Info'
Symbol Information (AIT, Alliance Internationale de Tourisme) AIT Letters 'INF'
Old UIC 413 Pictogram: Information UIC 413 b Lower case letter i inside circle, text 'Information' below
Abdullah & Hübner page 119: Pictogram Information Desk BVG Small lower case block letter i plus two figures, one behind desk
Experience Japan Pictograms: Information EJP Lower case letter i inside circle
No 2760: Product information; Information point ISO 7000 Lower case letter i inside circle
British Rail Pictogram: Information British Rail Lower case letter i inside circle
IT4-21 Tourist Information Center (Centro de Información Turística) Ecuador Lower case letter i inside arc almost froming a circle
Wiener Linien Pictogram: Information Wiener Linien Lower case block letter i
Pictogram GDLS A2-1 Information Centre/Layby (South Africa) SADC Lower case letter i
BTA Map Symbol: Information BTA Lower case letter i
BS 8501 Public Information Symbol No 6002: Tourist Information BS 8501:2002 Lower case letter i
Pictogram: Information from an unknown source Unknown Lower case letter i
ISO 7001 Public Information Symbol PI PF 001 Information ISO 7001 Lower case block letter i
Tern Pictogram TS0660 Information Tern Lower case block letter i
LG Icon Information Source LG Lower case block letter i
Test symbol: Information from an unknown source Unknown Lower case block letter i with question mark inside dot
Summer Olympics Munich 1972: Pictogram Information O'72 Question mark in outline and lower case letter i
Erco Pictogram No 054: Information Erco Question mark, and lower case letter i in outline
Summer Olympics Munich 1972: Pictogram Information O'72 Standing and seated figure with large question mark in between
Modley & Myers page 62: Information ADV Standing and seated figure with small question mark in between
Abdullah & Hübner page 90, ADV: Pictogram Information ADV Standing and seated figure with small question mark in between
Modley & Myers page 62, ICAO: Pictogram Information ICAO Standing and seated figure with small question mark in between
Pictogram: Information from an unknown source Unknown Two heads facing each other, bubble with question mark
Expo 67 Pictogram: Information Expo 67 Head facing large question mark
Easterby & Zwaga page 6: Information EZ Question mark surrounded by head in outline
AIGA Symbol Sign No 18: Information AIGA Question mark inside a circle
Public Information Symbol A01: Question & Answer Eco-Mo
Foundation		 Question mark inside a circle
Modley & Myers page 61, Summer Olympics Mexico 1968: Symbol Information O'68 Pair of question marks inside circle
Modley & Myers page 61: Symbol Information PORT Pair of question marks
Modley & Myers page 62: Expo 1970 in Osaka, Symbol Information Booth Expo '70 Question mark inside rhombus
Olympic Winter Games 1972 in Sapporo: Pictogram Information WO'72 Question mark, fingers pointing in various directions
Symbol Information (International Committee for Breaking the Language Barrier - Vicomundi 2) ICBLB Question mark, inside arrows pointing in four directions and two diagonal lines between
Symbol Information (International Committee for Travel Signs and Symbols, 1968/69) ICTSS Disk with question mark inside, surrounded by circle with three arrows pointing outwards
Symbol: Information from an unknown source Unknown Two arrows pointing in opposite directions starting at circle in the middle
Summer Olympics Tokyo 1964: Pictogram Information O'64 Fingers pointing in various directions
Easterby & Zwaga page 6: Information EZ Outline rectangle with circle, larger filled rectangle below

Discussion

The examples shown above are only a small selection from the wide range of pictograms and symbols for Information that can be found as public information symbols in guiding systems worldwide. Most concepts emerged before 1975, while later design mostly focus on variations of the letter i and question marks. In our collection we especially left out manifold variations of the letter i and question marks in use that differ in minor details only.

Gehringer (1979) used the Production Method to explore which mental images or visual stereotypes exist concerning the message 'Information'. The results were about as heterogeneous as the selection shown above with one concept dominating: the letter i was drawn by 40% of the respondents. The other images were: a book or newspaper (20%), a person at a desk (5%), and a question mark or an exclamation mark (4%). 25% produced either nothing or images that could not be used to derive any hints or ideas.

More than thirty different variants were examined in the Appropriateness Ranking Tests of the first stage of the ISO 1975 test series (Easterby & Zwaga, 1976) and the 1985/86 series (Gärling, 1985). Results were inconsistent between countries, but text versions always were ranked best. The lower case block letter i always was ranked better than the italic script variants. Versions based on the letter i mostly outperformed variants with question marks. Contrary to these results the AIGA question mark received a much better Efficiency Index - a score based on several tests - than a variant similar to the British Rail lower case block letter i inside a circle (Mackett-Stout & Dewar, 1981).

Comprehension Test results of the year 1975 were insufficient for all variants tested (Easterby & Zwaga, 1976). While the ICAO and PORT variants reached about 50% correct responses, the British Rail lower case block letter i inside a circle elicited just 35% correct responses. Particularly in Canada performance of this variant was very poor. Eleven years later the letter i worked quite well in conveying the message 'Information' in several countries except for Japan (Brugger, 1987). Inserting a question mark into the dot did not improve performance. In another study in Japan 15 years later (Eco-Mo Foundation, 2001) comprehensibility of the letter i as symbol for Information again was not successful with a comprehension score of 22.2, while the question mark inside a circle reached a score of 68.1 regarding the message Question & Answer.

When Fiori (2008) examined an Information map symbol based on the letter i in Brazil, 42.3 % answered correctly. Wrong responses were for example Internet, Cyber Cafe, (Banco) Itaú, or just Letter i.

Meanwhile the lower case letter i is the standard symbol, and it also was approved as part of Unicode 3.0 in 1999 under the name “Information Source” and added to Emoji 1.0 in 2015. Usage in various applications probably has improved comprehensibility of this symbol up to now.

Recommendation

Information

We recommend the use of symbol PI PF 001 Information from ISO 7001.

Tests of pictograms of referent Information

Brugger, Ch. (1987): Evaluation of Public Information Symbols, ISO 1986 Test Series: Comprehension/Recognition Test. Vienna: ISO / TC 145 / SC 1.

Easterby, R.S. & Zwaga, H.J.G. (1976): Evaluation of Public Information Symbols, ISO Tests: 1975 Series. AP Report 60, Department of Applied Psychology, University of Aston, Birmingham, March 1976.

Eco-Mo Foundation (2001): Test data of public information symbols in Japan - Procedure for the testing of public information symbols by the Study Committee. ISO: ISO/TC 145/SC 1 N 329.

Fiori, S. R. (2008): Mapas para o turismo e a interatividade - proposta teórica e prática. Tese de Doutorado - Depto. de Geografia, FFLCH-USP.

Gärling, T. (1985): ISO Appropriateness Ranking Test 1985 - Redovisning av genomförande. Report to the Swedish Standards Institute dated 1985-07-24.

Gehringer, J. (1979): Untersuchung über die zeichnerische Gestaltung von Pictogrammen in Abhängigkeit von einigen Persönlichkeitsmerkmalen, sowie Überprüfung einiger Bildzeichen auf ihre Erkennbarkeit. Dissertation, Psychology Department, University of Vienna.

Mackett-Stout, J. & Dewar, R.L. (1981): Evaluation of Public Information Signs. Human Factors, 1981, 23, 139-151.

Neill, J., Hurwitz, D., & Olsen, M. (2015): Alternative Information Signs: Evaluation of Driver Comprehension and Visual Attention. Journal of Transportation Engineering. 142. 04015036. 10.1061/(ASCE)TE.1943-5436.0000807.

Rammerstorfer, U. (2005): Piktogramme als internationaler Beitrag zur interkulturellen Kommunikation. Dipl.Arb., University of Vienna.

Zwaga, H.J. & Boersema, T. (1983): Evaluation of a set of graphic symbols. Applied Ergonomics, 14, 1, 43-54.

 

Updated 2024-03-19 by Ch.Brugger