Rowing

Synonyms / Other Terms Used

Rowboating, Boating, Rowboat, Rowing Boat

Category

Sports, Water Sports, Sporting Activities, Activities, Leisure Activities, Tourism, Recreation

Message / Function

To signify a rowboat or the activity of rowing/rowboating

	Source	Description
1)	SSRS	Side view of human figure in rowboat, water shown as two wavy lines
	BS 8501:2002	Side view of human figure in rowboat, water shown as two wavy lines
	CNIS	Side view of human figure in rowboat, water shown as two wavy lines
	ÖNORM A 3011	Side view of human figure in rowboat, water shown as two wavy lines
	Tern	Side view of human figure in rowboat, water shown as two wavy lines
	NZS 8603	Side view of human figure in rowboat, water shown as two wavy lines
	Peru MST	Side view of human figure in rowboat, water shown as two wavy lines
	BS 8501:2002	Side view of human figure in racing shell, water shown as two wavy lines
	U.S. National Park Service	Side view of human figure in rowboat, water shown as wavy line
	TAC	Side view of human figure in rowboat, water shown as wavy contour
3)	NPS	Side view of human figure in rowboat, water shown as wavy contour
	Dutchicon	Side view of human figure rowing, racing shell indicated by horizontal line and water shown as wavy line
	O'64	Side view of human figure rowing, racing shell indicated by horizontal line
	O'72	Side view of two human figures rowing
	O'24	Top view of double sculls racing shell, water indicated by lines
2)	Erco	Front view of rowboat, water shown as six wavy lines
	SN 640 827	Front view of rowboat, water shown as two wavy lines
4)	SSRS mod.	Side view of rowboat, water shown as two wavy lines
	O'68	Four oars above each other, size increasing, water below indicated by three wavy lines
	O'36	Two oars crossed, water shown as wavy line, grey ring in background

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 Rowing / Rowboating. While renderings side views of a human figure in a rowboat are very frequent, one also can find front views of a person rowing, but also solutions just showing a boat or details with oars as characteristic element signifying this activity. There also are significant differences in the appearance of rowboats for leisure activities used by the general public and racing shells employed for rowing as a competitive sport.

In our research we discovered that there is only very limited test data available for the referent Rowing / Rowboating:

The results of an Appropriateness Ranking Test of four variants conducted by Gehringer (1977) indicate that pictograms with a human figure rowing are preferred to versions without a human figure. Nevertheless the variants marked with 1) and 2) were quite close together. The numbers 1) to 4) represent the final rank order of the symbols tested.

Recommendations

Based on the test results known and regarding further considerations, we recommend the use of a pictogram like symbol TS0224 of the Tern symbol set, an improved version of Public Information Symbol No 157 of the Austrian Standard ÖNORM A 3011 part 10 to signify the activity of rowing/rowboating.

Tests of pictograms of referent Rowboating

Bräuer, E. (1977): Die Wirkung verschiedener Darstellungen von Verbotspiktogrammen. Dissertation, Psychology Department, University of Vienna.

Gehringer, J. (1976): Reihungstest über 18 Begriffe aus dem Sportwesen - Priorität I. Report to the Austrian Standards Institute (ON) dated January 1976, Vienna.