How Pictographs and Icons Break Down Language Barriers.

Recently I had the chance to travel abroad to Australia and though I knew it would be an English-speaking country, I found myself shocked at the familiarity of things. I’m not talking about the McDonald’s on every other corner or the familiar clothing brands – but how the way-finding was designed.

Driving down the road in Utah you will see many deer crossing signs. They’re so common, you probably don’t even realize them anymore. Yet if you were teaching a new driver you’d be sure to point them out to remind them to be careful in that strip of road and stay alert for deer.

I found myself driving along the roads of Australia and there it was. The deer crossing sign. Only it had a picture of a kangaroo on it! I realized immediately that kangaroos must be popular in the area and began looking out the window. I quickly realized that, just like back at home, the chances of me seeing a kangaroo in the middle of the day during heavy traffic was not likely. Then the next sign came. Koala bear crossing! What?! Repeat the staring out the window act and searching for a slow walking koala bear to cross the road. (One never came.)

These signs got me thinking though. They were so familiar to me, except that they had a different animal on them. I saw the sign and immediately knew what they meant. The rest of the trip I started to notice more and more of these signs. Train stations, public restrooms, theaters, beaches, restaurants and even signs with graphics of which side of the road to drive on. Though I found myself speaking the same Language as most of the people in the country, Australia is a melting pot of hundreds of nationalities, and for many these common signs are how they knew where to go or how to act.

Pictographs and iconography have become a worldwide language. Once used in ancient times to write out languages, it is now becoming a new language that doesn’t have a hold to one culture or nation. A pictograph allows you to display a simplified image of something that is quickly and easily identified by many people.

These are popular in way-finding design for many reasons. Drivers don’t have to take the time to read a wordy sign and become distracted while driving. Tourists from other countries can recognize the symbols without knowing the native language. Way-finding can overall simplify the look of a design, among other reasons.

Pictographs are everywhere. We just have to pay attention to design to see them. So take a walk down your street or your favorite hiking trail or on your next vacation. See how often you are using those same pictographs that you know to locate what you want or know what you should do. You will be surprised at how often you see them when you start to pay attention.