Sign and language

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Sign and language

• an introduction
• in the minds eye

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Semiotics

• Semiotics is a science concerning semantics and
  visual perception of signs and symbols.
• In semiotics scientists assume people think in
  signs, which makes rather disputable.
• However it does hand us a way of looking at
  understanding how our brain handles the
  perception images.

In semiotics we draw distinction between three
sorts of functions. Despite of this distinction,
each individual image can contain all of these
three, depending on the context it been viewed.
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Semiotics
An image can function as

• an icon shows what it is. No more than that.
• an index refers to something invisible. It could
  be something that occurred or is about to happen
  as well.
• a symbol contains information which is agreed
  upon. E.g. laws, religion, (unwritten) rules.

symbol
icon
index
! Note that the meaning of the word icon in this
setting differs from the one, you might know from
the desktop of your computer or any other daily
device. Icon used in connection to daily devices,
has become the collective noun for all three
terms as mentioned above.
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Testing of Pictograms
The first serious tests in naming pictures are
done by Snodgrass Vanderwart, in 1980. Subjects
were asked to name the pictures shown in one of
the tests. The other test let subjects give the
answer to the question which picture resembled a
noun most. The pictures used were visualizations
of objects. Nouns such as thought or wind
werent tested. One of their main findings in
relation to form was The intricate detail in a
complex picture (e.g. motorcycle) or the utter
lack of it in a simple picture (e.g. star) may
function to make a stimulus novel and thus more
recognizable than medium complex pictures.
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Testing of Pictograms
Snodgrass Vanderwart test methods are still
used for testing pictograms by e.g. Prof. Zwaga
. He says there are three kinds of
pictograms - public symbols, - pictograms for
consumer products, and - pictograms for
professional products. Zwaga makes two
distinctions in clarity in form within
pictograms The contrast principle shows a sort
of cause and consequence. The generalization
principle refers to the similarity of two or more
objects to pass through the message. (repr
esentative for the Netherlands for the
international standardization organization ISO)
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Testing of Pictograms
Percentages show results from clarity tests
Other findings by Zwaga show that - subjects in
the age of 20-35 years show a remarkable better
comprehension than subjects over 65 years of
age - elderly subjects are less efficient in
processing information - elderly subjects have
far more difficulty in combining different
sources of information - earlier experiences can
decrease the speed of comprehension when the
object is put in a new context.
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Colour
A contradiction in colour and text decreases the
speed of comprehension. This so called Stroop
effect proofs that the human brain makes a
connection between form and meaning.
RED BLUE BROWN
ORANGE RED BLUE
In daily life colour can change the intention of
a message completely, if it is not used in the
correct way.
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Detail
Snodgrass Vanderwart already pointed at the
role of detail within a picture. Detail itself is
a good key to recognize from memory. In the
following example the usage of detail works even
extra, because of the rich contrast with the
environment. Travelers have their minds set on
catching their plane or pick up somebody. Overall
the information given at the airport is given in
quite low detailed signs.
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Detail
The more detail, the more time you need to read.
Note the second g from the left it is the
screen version from the regular print version. On
the screen this is the best you can get.
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Priming and Association
An environment is part of the communication
context. It allows a designer to make some
assumptions in favour of sparing detail, or even
leave visual information. In extreme situations,
such as professional environments, a completely
different array of symbols could even work better
than the ones used in general public.
In this case the environment is daily traffic.
All users, assumed they know some basic rules,
understand the meaning of the colour red. The
environment primes the road-user how to interpret
the pictograms in their total form.
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Priming and Association
Cutting in detail and referring to a specialized
environment, when your target group is the
average computer- or copy machine-user, is due to
fail.
Without the use of words, these pictograms are
hard to understand. They were found on a box
DATACOPY A4-format paper.
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Priming and Association
Symbols used in printing.
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Priming and Recognition
Another way of priming is one you can apply
consciously, but may pop up unconsciously as
well. Consciously a subject is asked to
concentrate on one specific word, while he or she
views a piece of text briefly - not in close
detail. When the mind is being set into
recognizing this word, it can be found quite
easy, without having to have read the whole text
word by word. Unconsciously one specific word
can pop up out of a whole page of text as well.
In this case hidden attention recognizes
something familiar to the long term memory of the
brain.
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Negation
Different ways of saying NO!
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Variations
an illustration for an article about Scandinavian
design
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Variations
Instructions on how to behave at the railway
platform.
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Variations
Routing signs for the Dutch railways. Obviously
they were not too sure whether they were clear
enough using just symbols.
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Variations
What do these symbols mean? From left to
right Stop! Take a closer look, New,
Informative, Interesting Guest, Hardware,
Software, Service. These symbols were designed
for routing a designers meeting.
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Variations
When in Tokyo, travelling by tube, little girls
should ask a guard for help if they dropped
something beside the tracks. The doors do not
close more carefully for those who bring their
cats along.
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Source list
Semiotics Lubbe, J.C.A. van der, en Zoest,
1997, Tekens en betekenis Testing of Pictograms
Ruisch, P. en E. Theys, 1998, Pictogrammen en
Iconen Snodgrass, J.G., and M. Vanderwart,
1980, Norm for picture stimuli (art. Journal
of Experimental Psychology) Colour, Detail,
Priming and Association/Recognition Posner,
M.I., and M.E. Raichle, 1994, Images of
Mind Illustrations Dreyfuss, H., 1972,
Symbol Sourcebook Ruisch, P. en E. Theys,
1998, Pictogrammen en Iconen CAPDesign, iss.
1997 - 2001.