The pictograms or "symbol signs" used by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) are intended to convey information useful to travelers without resorting to verbal language. Among these pictograms, for example, are the now-familiar graphics representing "Toilets" and "Telephone." Since their introduction in 1974, they have found widespread use in airports, train stations, hotels and other public places not only in the United States but also around the world. As a result of this near-universal acceptance, some describe them as the "Helvetica" of pictograms, and the character portrayed within them as "Helvetica Man" (Lupton). Pictogram for public toilets A pictogram or pictograph is a symbol which represents an object or a concept by illustration. ... Established October 15, 1966 Activated April 1, 1967 Secretary Norman Mineta Deputy Secretary Maria Cino Budget $58 billion (2004 estimate) Employees 58,622 (2004 estimate) The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) is a Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transport. ... Information is a word with many meanings depending on context, but is as a rule closely related to such concepts as meaning, knowledge, instruction, communication, representation, and mental stimulus. ... Flush toilet A toilet is a plumbing fixture primarily intended for the disposal of bodily wastes such as urine and feces. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... Helvetica is a typeface developed by Max Miedinger in 1957 for the Haas’sche Schriftgiesserei type foundry of Switzerland. ...

D.O.T. pictograms representing, from left, "Escalator (up)," "Nursery" and "Ground transportation."

USDOT/AIGA pictograms (public domain) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

History

In 1974, the DOT, recognizing the shortcomings of pictograms drawn on an ad hoc basis across the United States interstate highway system, commissioned the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) to produce a comprehensive set of pictograms. In collaboration with Cook and Shanosky Associates, the designers conducted an exhaustive survey of pictograms already in use around the world, drawing from sources as diverse as Tokyo International Airport and the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. The designers rated these pictograms based on criteria such as their legibility, their international recognizability and their resistance to vandalism. After determining which features were the most successful and appropriate, the designers drew a set of pictograms to represent each of 34 meanings requested by the DOT. 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... Ad hoc is a Latin phrase which means for this [purpose]. It generally signifies a solution that has been tailored to a specific purpose, such as a tailor-made suit, a handcrafted network protocol, and specific-purpose equation and things like that. ... Tokyo International Airport (Japanese: 東京国際空港 Tōkyō Kokusai KÅ«kō) (IATA: HND, ICAO: RJTT) is an airport in Ota, Tokyo, Japan (35° 33′ 8″ N 139° 46′ 47″ E). ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... The Olympic Games, or Olympics, is an international multi-sport event taking place every two years and alternating between Summer and Winter Games. ... Munich: Frauenkirche and Town Hall steeple Munich (German: München (pronounced listen) is the state capital of the German state of Bavaria. ...

In 1979, 16 symbols were added, bringing the total to 50. This page refers to the year 1979. ...

References

• Ellen Lupton and J. Abbot Miller. Design Writing Research: Writing About Graphic Design. New York: Kiosk, 1996.
• American Institute of Graphic Arts for the U.S. Department of Transportation. Symbol signs, 2nd ed. New York: American Institute of Graphic Arts, 1993.

See also

• Semiotics
• Pictogram

Semiotics - also known as semiology - is the study of signs, both individually and grouped in sign systems, and includes the study of how meaning is transmitted and understood. ... Pictogram for public toilets A pictogram or pictograph is a symbol which represents an object or a concept by illustration. ...

External links

• D.O.T. pictograms (symbol signs)