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Telephone

Synonyms / Other Terms Used

Phone, Public Telephone, Telephone Facility, Telephone Booth, Telephone Box

Category

Public Facilities, General Information, Communications and Technology

Message / Function

To indicate the location of public telephone facilities and to identify telephone booths
Note: This does not cover cell phone / mobile phone and the specific use to indicate telephone numbers

 

Source Description
Pictogram Telephone proposed by the International Committee for Breaking the Language Barrier (ICBLB) ICBLB Telephone with dial, receiver on the side
BTA 1989 Page 3.22: Symbol Telephone BTA 1989 Telephone with keypad, receiver with cable on the side
HafenCity Hamburg: Telephone by Elga Design HafenCity Hamburg Telephone with keypad, receiver on the side
Abdullah & Hübner page 123: BVG Pictogram Telephone BVG Front view of telephone with keypad
Transantiago: Pictogram Telephone Transantiago Telephone receiver, keypad on the right indicated by array of nine dots
MIS International information system, Sign Telephone by Vukovic Vuković Extremely simplified front view of telephone
Modley & Myers page 75, Australian Department of Civil Aviation (ADCA): Pictogram Telephone ADCA Simplified front view of telephone
Aicher & Krampen page 126: Expo 70 Pictogram Telephone Expo 70 Front view of telephone with dial
Modley & Myers page 90: Olympic Games Tokyo 1964 Pictogram Telephone O'64 Front view of vintage telephone with dial
D'source Pictogram Telephone by Prof. Ravi Poovaiah, India D'source Telephone receiver, dial on the right
Modley page 92: Olympic Games Mexico 1968 Pictogram Telephone O'68 Telephone dial
Stiebner & Urban page 331: Pictogram Telephone from the Université libre de Bruxelles ULB Telephone dial
Pictogram Telephone (AIT) AIT Side view of telephone receiver with cable
Pictogram Telephone by Haettenschweiler (Switzerland) Haettenschweiler Side view of telephone receiver with spiral cord
Abdullah & Hübner page 156: Pictogram Telephone from Zurich Airport Zurich Airport Side view of telephone receiver with spiral cord
Modley & Myers page 128, Nova Scotia Department of Tourism: Pictogram Telephone Nova Scotia Side view of telephone receiver with spiral cord
Hora page 63: Traffic Sign Telephone UNCRT Side view of telephone receiver with cable
Dreyfuss page 153, Marine: Telephone Dreyfuss Side view of telephone receiver with cable
Abdullah & Hübner page 136: Pictogram Telephone by Renner Renner Side view of telephone receiver with cable
Icon Telephone (Vienna) from Handbuch wien.gv.at Handbuch wien.gv.at Side view of telephone receiver, three parallel arcs
Aicher: Pictogram Telephone Aicher Side view of telephone receiver
Tern symbol TS2430 Telephone. VCRSS F3 Tern Side view of telephone receiver
Transport for London Pictogram Telephone Facility Transport for
London		 Side view of telephone receiver
ÖNORM A 3011, Public Information Symbol No 77: Telephone ÖNORM A 3011 Side view of telephone receiver
Hora page 89, Parks Canada: Sign Telephone PC Side view of telephone receiver
Hora page 154: CNIS Pictogram Telephone CNIS Side view of telephone receiver
BS 8501 Public Information Symbol No 6003: Telephone BS 8501:2002 Side view of telephone receiver
ISO 7001 Public Information Symbol PI PF 017: Telephone ISO 7001 Side view of telephone receiver
Aicher & Krampen page 126: Telephone Muthesius Side view of telephone receiver
U.S. Highway Sign: Telephone MUTCD Side view of telephone receiver
Eco-Mo Foundation Pictogram A24: Telephone Eco-Mo
Foundation		 Side view of telephone receiver
Symbol Sign No 1: Telephone AIGA Side view of telephone receiver
Communications and Technology: Telephone U.S. National
Park Service		 Side view of telephone receiver
Ota page 206: Facsimile Pictograms: Telephone/Manual Reception Ota Side view of telephone receiver in outline
Symbol Reference 5090: Telephone; Telephone Adapter IEC 60417 Side view of telephone receiver in outline
Pictogram Telephone by adlerschmidt kommunikationsdesign, Berlin adlerschmidt Side view of telephone receiver in outline

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

Discussion

The collection shown above is only a small selection of the wide variety of pictograms used all over the world for the message Telephone. Most of these differ just in small details.
Note: Pictograms for cell phone / mobile phone and symbols to indicate telephone numbers as well as telephone emojis were not included in this compilation.

Gehringer (1979) used the Production Method to explore which mental images or visual stereotypes exist concerning the message Telephone. The results were somewhat more heterogeneous than the selection shown above with two concepts dominating: a telephone receiver was drawn by 28 % of the respondents and a telephone by 25 %. A telephone booth with telephone receiver was drawn by 13 % of the respondents, a version not found in our internal collection of more than 150 symbols used in public. 16 % of the drawings had a different image content and 18 % of the participants did not produce any image. Due to the change in technology we probably would find quite a different picture if this research would be repeated today.

In her dissertation concerning optimization of pictograms, Skone (1977) examined three different renderings of a telephone receiver with varying level of detail. The outline version tested seemed to be least effective. Reaction times were slightly better for a pictogram variant where earpiece and mouthpiece were distinct parts of the receiver and clearly separated from the handset.

In almost all papers referenced below with data concerning comprehensibility of pictograms for the referent Telephone, pictogram variants showing a side view of telephone receiver evoked close to 100 % correct responses. Only in a Brazilean study of map symbols just 79.6 % of the responses were classified as correct (Fiori, 2008). Also in a Matching Test with a set of 29 symbols (Zwaga & Boersema, 1983) 94 % selected the correct symbol.

The excellent test results for variants showing a side view of telephone receiver can also be seen as a good example of how using a part can work effectively in representing the whole.

The importance of this symbol, even though still highly comprehensable for most people, will diminish in the long term, as public telephones are being removed more and more. Probably variations of this theme used to indicate telephone numbers will stay relevant.

Recommendations

Telephone  Telephone

Regarding all data available, we recommend the use of a pictogram where earpiece and mouthpiece are distinct parts of the receiver and clearly separated from the handset, as for example in these renderings from ÖNORM or CNIS.

Tests of pictograms of referent Telephone

Brugger, Ch. (1978): Bericht über die Auswertung des Erkennungstests vom November/Dezember 1977. Report to the Austrian Standards Institute, Vienna, 1978-03-06.

Collins, B.L. & Pierman, B.C. (1979): Evaluation of Safety Symbols. Washington, D.C.: National Bureau of Standards, NBSIR 79-1760, June 1979.

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.

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.

Skone, K. (1977): Erkennbarkeit von Symbolvarianten. Dissertation, Psychology Department, University of Vienna.

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

 

Updated 2024-04-09 by Ch.Brugger