Marina

Category

Facilities, Transportation, Transport Facilities, Travel, Public Facilities, Tourism

Message / Function

To indicate the location of an area of water where privately owned boats like yachts are kept

	Source	Description
	BS 8501:2002	Side view of three sailing boats with sails set, water shown as two wavy lines, human figure on jetty
	Slovenia 2015	Side view of a sailing boat with sails set, water shown as three wavy lines
	SVI	Side view of a sailing boat with sails set, water shown as two wavy lines
	BTA 1989	Anchor
	DER	Anchor
	NST Portugal	Anchor
	Fiori	Anchor
	NPS	Anchor
	SEGD	Anchor
	Neves	Anchor placed diagonally
	USGS	Anchor inside oval shape

Note: Some of the examples shown above were mirrored horizontally to contrast differences.

Discussion

The set of symbols above already indicates that no single visual stereotype exists concerning the message Marina. Designs range from all kinds of renderings of anchors to solutions showing one or more sailing boats with sails set, but versions showing an anchor are preponderating.

In our research we discovered that there is only very limited test data available:

When Fiori (2008) examined a map symbol almost identical with the version labled Fiori in the table above, 13.4 % of the responses were classified as correct. 10.1 % of the participants answered with Anchor and 68.1 % of the answers were classified as wrong.

Neves (2012) examined two pictograms - all showing views of an anchor - on basis of the Comprehensibility Estimation procedure, where the best variant reached a mean value of 85.4 and the other 80.4, indicating this image content might be comprehensable enough. But in this study the message was rather wide covering not only Marina, but Shipyard and Maritime Attractions as well (Marina / Estaleiro / Atracção de interesse marítimo). Therefore these results do not represent comprehensibility of the symbols tested for the very specific referent Marina alone.

Recommendations

We suggest to develop additional pictogram variants and to research all concepts available also among subjects with knowledge of the field investigated. The study design should also include a Comprehension Test to identify possible misinterpretations and to improve designs. Only on such a basis a clear decision concerning a specific recommendation can be reached.

Tests of pictograms of referent Marina

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

Neves, J. (2012): Sistema de signos para informação turística: Metodologia para o desenvolvimento de sistemas sinaléticos. Tese de Doutorado - Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Arquitetura.