Guidelines for Forming Communication Signs in the Area of Safety

As we receive 80 % of information visually, we can say that the age of visual communications in which we live belongs to signs. In this essay we do not observe signs individually, but as a part of organized Information and Communication systems [1]. High mobility of population nowadays more than ever involves the awareness of signs and their meanings, whether they are related to traffic, orientation in space, product declarations or visual identity of products [2]. The purpose of this essay is to analyze and observe the idea and the meaning of signs in achieving a better and faster communication process. History of communication by graphics starts with picture messages pictographs. They are still used in modern societies for visual communication at airports, workplaces, in traffic etc. As signs, pictographs represent a concept, an object, an activity, a place or an action, whereas as visual signs they are used as warnings, guides or protection and, more or less, as persuasive information. As such, they go beyond verbal and cultural obstacles and are superior to words as a form of communication. Pictographs are exceptionally useful in situations when it is necessary to recognize concepts quickly, as it is e.g. in traffic or in the state of danger (poison, fire, exit etc.). Although people encounter pictograms every day, the majority of them do not recognize them as such. The aim of this essay is to present possible starting points in forming signs in the area of security.