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 the ...
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 ...
