Theater

Synonyms / Other Terms Used

Stage, Playhouse, Play Theater, Performing Arts

Category

Public Facilities, Entertainment, Tourism, Services, Recreation

Message / Function

To indicate the location of a theater

 

	Source	Description
	ÖNORM A 3011	Human figure with arms arms spread out between curtains gathered on both sides
	Dreyfuss	Female figure inside cone shaped light beam
	CNIS	Curtains gathered on both sides, three human figures below
	McLaren & Braunstein	Two masks indicating a smiling and a sad face inside silhouette of house
	Ehrenfels	Mask and a sprig of laurel
	DER	Two masks indicating a smiling and a sad face plus ribbon
	Catalunya	Two masks indicating a smiling and a sad face (comedy and tragedy masks)
	KSA	Two masks indicating a sad and a smiling face in differing styles
	Bolivia	Two masks indicating a laughing and a sad face
	Pierce	Two masks indicating a smiling and a sad face (comedy and tragedy masks)
	Bad Aachen	Two masks indicating a smiling and a sad face (comedy and tragedy masks)
	Slovenia 2015	Two masks indicating a smiling and a sad face
	SVI	Two masks indicating a sad face with a tear and a smiling face
	Transport for London	Two tilted masks indicating a smiling and a sad face
	APEC	Two tilted masks indicating a smiling and a sad face
	Aicher & Krampen	Two masks indicating a smiling and a sad face (comedy and tragedy masks)
	BVG	Two masks with mouth indicating a smiling and a sad face
	Picto'grafics	Profiles of two crowned heads in outline, indicating a smiling and a sad person
	BS 8501:2002	Mask indicating differing moods in each half
	EJP	Human face with typical Kabuki make-up
*)	O'72	Hand holding neutral mood mask
*)	Simlinger & Falkner	Mask showing neutral mood
	Vuković	Lines and circles forming a face
	Pannicke & Eschenbach	Two masks

Discussion

Several studies on the comprehensibility of pictograms covering also the referent Theater (Brugger, 1977, 1979), reveal the following facts:

• Pictograms with a person on a stage with curtains reach better comprehensibility and are rated as more comprehensible than variants based on masks (81 % correct answers for the ÖNORM-variant displayed above compared to 68 % for the best mask based variant).
• There are significant differences between the mask based symbols: the ones with additional elements to indicate theater relevance get far more associations to theater than variants showing neutral mood. The two neutral mood variants from the test can be found almost at the bottom of the table above and are marked with *). Only 16 % correct answers were registered for the almost abstract test design by Simlinger & Falkner just as for the symbol of the Olympics 1972 in Munich).

When Fiori (2008) examined a map symbol similar to the version labled DER, but without ribbon, 67.8 % of the responses were classified as correct. Wrong answers registered were Carnival and Masked Ball among others.

Abstract symbols like the face or mask at the bottom of the table above, designed by Radomir Vuković for the Belgrade pedestrian zone, as well as the masks by Pannicke & Eschenbach, are rather incomprehensable and would require labeling respectively a legend or systematic learning.

Recommendation

Based on these test results we recommend the use of symbol 83 of ÖNORM A 3011 part 4 to signify Theater.

Tests of pictograms of referent Theater

Brugger, Ch. (1977): Abschlußbericht über den Erkennungstest. Report to the Austrian Standards Institute, Vienna, 1977-10-04.

Brugger, Ch. (1979): Abschlußbericht über den Reihungstest für die Referents Theater, Kurmittelhaus, Sauna und Fahrradverleih. Report to the Austrian Standards Institute, Vienna, 1979-08-13.

Brugger, Ch. (1979): Abschlußbericht über den Erkennungstest. Report to the Austrian Standards Institute, Vienna, 1979-09-06.

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

Kraft, M. (1976): Ranking-Test. Report to the Austrian Standards Institute, Vienna, September 1976.

 

Updated 2023-12-30