In the mad dash to wordless labels much has been lost.

Symbols are a great addition to almost any label, but we cannot rely upon them solely. In spite of the best of intentions to increase the universality of warnings and to help illiterate viewers understand potential dangers, many hazards just cannot be adequately described with a symbol.

So, how do we design good symbols? Here are several rules to follow:

• Test. Make sure you test your symbol on the intended audience. Also understand that the first test will NOT be the last. Use the information from the first round of testing to refine the symbol. Here is an example of a symbol that was not tested. This sign was used on the highways near the border between the United States and Mexico. The intention was to warn motorists about families fleeing across the border. The horrible consequences, however, was that was these same immigrant families saw this sign as showing that crossing the highway at that point was permissible. The results were deadly. Now, the signs all add "Prohibido" to the bottom. (Click on phot for larger view.)
• No Cartoon: A simplified depiction of the hazard doesn't have to be a cartoon. As an example, the illustration below makes an electrical hazard into a cartoon, when, in fact, electrocution is no joke. What may be a good symbol for a 2-5 year old toddler seems overly trivial to older children or to non-English speaking adults.
• Create a family look. Too many times, symbols are derived from divergent designers. The head that shows "wear a hard hat" has one look, whereas the head that shows "wear goggles" uses an entirely different head. In other words, symbols should not look like an array of bumper stickers on the back of a camper or from some foreign land. They should use a consistent line width and proportions, just like text messages. (Click on photo for larger view.)
•  Avoid abstract symbols when possible. The symbols for biohazard, cancer, RF, radiation can be hard to understand. Training is needed to teach their meaning. In many situations however, the only symbol that can be used is abstract.
• Add text to reinforce message. It is the rare sign that cannot be improved with the addition of text. This helps teach the symbol's meaning.
• Keep graphics simple. Remember that you only have a short time to convey the hazard. Also, many symbols must be seen at very small sizes and that detail can be lost.
• Use consequence symbols. Trying to show what not to do can be very difficult. Generally, research shows that a symbol describing what happens to you should you not heed the warning, results in the best compliance.

Old	New

Note the two symbols shown here. The new symbol shows a number of improvements. The shock is shown in yellow. The hand is now shown as distressed. And, the shock more realistically starts with the finger tips and not at the palm.