A pictogram, also called a pictogramme, pictograph, or simply picto,[1] and in computer usage an icon, is a graphicsymbol that conveys its meaning through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object. Pictographs are often used in writing and graphic systems in which the characters are to a considerable extent pictorial in appearance. A pictogram may also be used in subjects such as leisure, tourism, and geography.
The top traffic sign warns people of horses and riders.
"Pictograph" has a different definition in the field of prehistoric art (which includes recent art by traditional societies), where it means art painted on rock surfaces. This is in comparison to petroglyphs, where the images are carved or incised. Such images may or may not be considered pictograms in the general sense.
Early written symbols were based on pictographs (pictures which resemble what they signify) and ideograms (symbols which represent ideas). Ancient Sumerian, Egyptian, and Chinese civilizations began to adapt such symbols to represent concepts, developing them into logographic writing systems. Pictographs are still in use as the main medium of written communication in some non-literate cultures in Africa, the Americas, and Oceania[citation needed]. Pictographs are often used as simple, pictorial, representational symbols by most contemporary cultures.
Some scientists in the field of neuropsychiatry and neuropsychology, such as Mario Christian Meyer, are studying the symbolic meaning of indigenous pictograms and petroglyphs,[7] aiming to create new ways of communication between native people and modern scientists to safeguard and valorize their cultural diversity.[8]
Modern uses
An early modern example of the extensive use of pictographs may be seen in the map in the London suburban timetables of the London and North Eastern Railway, 1936–1947, designed by George Dow, in which a variety of pictographs was used to indicate facilities available at or near each station. Pictographs remain in common use today, serving as pictorial, representational signs, instructions, or statistical diagrams. Because of their graphical nature and fairly realistic style, they are widely used to indicate public toilets, or places such as airports and train stations. Because they are a concise way to communicate a concept to people who speak many different languages, pictograms have also been used extensively at the Olympics since 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics, designed by Masaru Katsumi, and are redesigned for each set of games.[9][10][11]
Contemporary artist Xu Bing created Book from the Ground, a universal language made up of pictograms collected from around the world. A Book from the Ground chat program has been exhibited in museums and galleries internationally.
Pictograms are used in many areas of modern life for commodity purposes, often as a formal language (see the In mathematics section).
In mathematics
A compound pictogram showing the breakdown of the survivors and deaths of the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic by class and age/gender.
In statistics, pictograms are charts in which icons represent numbers to make it more interesting and easier to understand. A key is often included to indicate what each icon represents. All icons must be of the same size, but a fraction of an icon can be used to show the respective fraction of that amount.[13]
For example, the following table:
Day
Letters sent
Monday
10
Tuesday
17
Wednesday
29
Thursday
41
Friday
18
can be graphed as follows:
Day
Letters sent
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Key: = 10 letters
As the values are rounded to the nearest 5 letters, the second icon on Tuesday is the left half of the original.
Standardization
Pictographs can often transcend languages in that they can communicate to speakers of a number of tongues and language families equally effectively, even if the languages and cultures are completely different. This is why road signs and similar pictographic material are often applied as global standards expected to be understood by nearly all.
Pictograms have been popularized in use on the web and in software, better known as "icons" displayed on a computer screen in order to help user navigate a computer system or mobile device.
This highly influential pictogram design was introduced at the 1972 Munich Olympics, although pictograms first began to appear in the games at Tokyo in 1964.
^Gove, Philip Babcock. (1993). Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged. Merriam-Webster Inc. ISBN0-87779-201-1.
^Goody, Jack (1987). The interface between the written and the oral. Cambridge [Cambridgeshire]. p. 4. ISBN0-521-33268-0. OCLC 14242868.
^Pharo, Lars Kirkhusmo (2018). "Multilingualism and Lingua Francae of Indigenous Civilizations of America". In Braarvig, Jens; Geller, Markham J. (eds.). Studies in Multilingualism, Lingua Franca and Lingua Sacra. Edition Open Access Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. p. 488. ISBN9783945561133.
^Ambrosino, Gordon (2018-10-20). "Painted origins: inscribed landscape histories in the Fortaleza pictograph style during the Andean, late pre-Hispanic period". World Archaeology. 50 (5): 804–819. doi:10.1080/00438243.2019.1612272. ISSN 0043-8243. S2CID 198820112.
^"Petroglyphic Complexes of the Mongolian Altai". WHC.UNESCO.org. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. 2011.
^Meyer, Mario Christian (December 1985). Apprentissage de la langue maternelle écrite: étude sur des populations "les moins favorisées" dans une approche interdisciplinaire(PDF). ED-85/WS/65.
^Meyer, Mario Christian. (PDF). In Bloom, Pamela (ed.). Amazon Up Close. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-17.
^Hall, C. Justin; Allen, Zachary. "Olympic Pictograms". Visual Rhetoric.
^"Olympic Pictograms: Design through History". MediaMadeGreat.com. 16 August 2016.
^Popovic, John Jan (ed.). "Olympic Games Pictograms". 1stMuse.com.
^. BBC — Skillswise. Archived from the original on 2013-12-29. Retrieved 2014-05-11.
References
Reed, Ishmael (2003). From Totems to Hip-Hop: A Multicultural Anthology of Poetry Across the Americas, 1900-2002, Ishmael Reed, ed. ISBN1-56025-458-0.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pictograms.
Look up pictogram in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Pictogram & Communication: About 1,500 practical pictograms based on Design principles of pictorial symbols for communication support(JIS T 0103:2005)
CAPL:The Culturally Authentic Pictorial Lexicon, photographic illustrations of objects for multiple languages
Pictopen - Modern Pictographic Writing
NounProject - Free Pictograms under open licences
Modern Pictograms - Explore word and pictogram relationships
Wolfram|Alpha - Number to pictogram translator
icons - download free icons for commercial and non commercial uses
January 26, 2023
pictogram, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, november, 2006, . This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Pictogram news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2006 Learn how and when to remove this template message A pictogram also called a pictogramme pictograph or simply picto 1 and in computer usage an icon is a graphic symbol that conveys its meaning through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object Pictographs are often used in writing and graphic systems in which the characters are to a considerable extent pictorial in appearance A pictogram may also be used in subjects such as leisure tourism and geography The top traffic sign warns people of horses and riders Pictography is a form of writing 2 which uses representational pictorial drawings similarly to cuneiform and to some extent hieroglyphic writing which also uses drawings as phonetic letters or determinative rhymes Some pictograms such as Hazards pictograms are elements of formal languages Pictograph has a different definition in the field of prehistoric art which includes recent art by traditional societies where it means art painted on rock surfaces This is in comparison to petroglyphs where the images are carved or incised Such images may or may not be considered pictograms in the general sense Contents 1 Historical 2 Modern uses 3 In mathematics 4 Standardization 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 External linksHistorical Edit Ojibwa pictographs on cliff face at Agawa Rock Lake Superior Provincial Park of a boat and Mishipeshu an animal with horns painted with red ochre Early written symbols were based on pictographs pictures which resemble what they signify and ideograms symbols which represent ideas Ancient Sumerian Egyptian and Chinese civilizations began to adapt such symbols to represent concepts developing them into logographic writing systems Pictographs are still in use as the main medium of written communication in some non literate cultures in Africa the Americas and Oceania citation needed Pictographs are often used as simple pictorial representational symbols by most contemporary cultures Several prehistoric engravings can be found around La Silla Observatory 3 Pictographs can be considered an art form or can be considered a written language and are designated as such in Pre Columbian art Native American art Ancient Mesopotamia and Painting in the Americas before Colonization 4 5 One example of many is the Rock art of the Chumash people part of the Native American history of California In 2011 UNESCO s World Heritage List added Petroglyph Complexes of the Mongolian Altai Mongolia 6 to celebrate the importance of the pictograms engraved in rocks Some scientists in the field of neuropsychiatry and neuropsychology such as Mario Christian Meyer are studying the symbolic meaning of indigenous pictograms and petroglyphs 7 aiming to create new ways of communication between native people and modern scientists to safeguard and valorize their cultural diversity 8 Modern uses EditAn early modern example of the extensive use of pictographs may be seen in the map in the London suburban timetables of the London and North Eastern Railway 1936 1947 designed by George Dow in which a variety of pictographs was used to indicate facilities available at or near each station Pictographs remain in common use today serving as pictorial representational signs instructions or statistical diagrams Because of their graphical nature and fairly realistic style they are widely used to indicate public toilets or places such as airports and train stations Because they are a concise way to communicate a concept to people who speak many different languages pictograms have also been used extensively at the Olympics since 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics designed by Masaru Katsumi and are redesigned for each set of games 9 10 11 Pictographic writing as a modernist poetic technique is credited to Ezra Pound though French surrealists credit the Pacific Northwest American Indians of Alaska who introduced writing via totem poles to North America 12 Contemporary artist Xu Bing created Book from the Ground a universal language made up of pictograms collected from around the world A Book from the Ground chat program has been exhibited in museums and galleries internationally Pictograms are used in many areas of modern life for commodity purposes often as a formal language see the In mathematics section In mathematics Edit A compound pictogram showing the breakdown of the survivors and deaths of the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic by class and age gender In statistics pictograms are charts in which icons represent numbers to make it more interesting and easier to understand A key is often included to indicate what each icon represents All icons must be of the same size but a fraction of an icon can be used to show the respective fraction of that amount 13 For example the following table Day Letters sentMonday 10Tuesday 17Wednesday 29Thursday 41Friday 18can be graphed as follows Day Letters sentMonday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Key 10 lettersAs the values are rounded to the nearest 5 letters the second icon on Tuesday is the left half of the original Standardization EditPictographs can often transcend languages in that they can communicate to speakers of a number of tongues and language families equally effectively even if the languages and cultures are completely different This is why road signs and similar pictographic material are often applied as global standards expected to be understood by nearly all A standard set of pictographs was defined in the international standard ISO 7001 Public Information Symbols Other common sets of pictographs are the laundry symbols used on clothing tags and the chemical hazard symbols as standardized by the GHS system Pictograms have been popularized in use on the web and in software better known as icons displayed on a computer screen in order to help user navigate a computer system or mobile device Native American Pictographs from the Great Gallery Horseshoe Canyon Canyonlands National Park Sample National Park Service pictographs Pictograph from 1510 telling a story of coming of missionaries to Hispaniola This highly influential pictogram design was introduced at the 1972 Munich Olympics although pictograms first began to appear in the games at Tokyo in 1964 British Rail passenger safety pictographs at the end of the platform at Meols railway station Water rabbit deer pictographs on a replica of an Aztec Stone of the SunSee also EditBouba kiki effect Crop art Emoticon Emoji Icon computing Ideasthesia Ideogram List of Stone Age art List of symbols List of writing systems Pictographic ideographic writing systems Pecked curvilinear nucleated Petroform Petroglyph Rebus Road sign Rock art Rock art of the Chumash people Sound symbolism Stick figure in art Symbol Traffic sign Warning sign Yakima Indian Painted RocksNotes Edit Gove Philip Babcock 1993 Webster s Third New International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged Merriam Webster Inc ISBN 0 87779 201 1 Goody Jack 1987 The interface between the written and the oral Cambridge Cambridgeshire p 4 ISBN 0 521 33268 0 OCLC 14242868 Signatures from the Past ESO org European Southern Observatory 30 January 2017 Retrieved 30 January 2017 Pharo Lars Kirkhusmo 2018 Multilingualism and Lingua Francae of Indigenous Civilizations of America In Braarvig Jens Geller Markham J eds Studies in Multilingualism Lingua Franca and Lingua Sacra Edition Open Access Max Planck Institute for the History of Science p 488 ISBN 9783945561133 Ambrosino Gordon 2018 10 20 Painted origins inscribed landscape histories in the Fortaleza pictograph style during the Andean late pre Hispanic period World Archaeology 50 5 804 819 doi 10 1080 00438243 2019 1612272 ISSN 0043 8243 S2CID 198820112 Petroglyphic Complexes of the Mongolian Altai WHC UNESCO org UNESCO World Heritage Centre 2011 Meyer Mario Christian December 1985 Apprentissage de la langue maternelle ecrite etude sur des populations les moins favorisees dans une approche interdisciplinaire PDF ED 85 WS 65 Meyer Mario Christian Out Of The Forest amp Into The Lab Amerindian Initiation Into Sacred Science PDF In Bloom Pamela ed Amazon Up Close Archived from the original PDF on 2012 03 17 Hall C Justin Allen Zachary Olympic Pictograms Visual Rhetoric Olympic Pictograms Design through History MediaMadeGreat com 16 August 2016 Popovic John Jan ed Olympic Games Pictograms 1stMuse com Reed 2003 p xix Understanding pictograms BBC Skillswise Archived from the original on 2013 12 29 Retrieved 2014 05 11 References EditReed Ishmael 2003 From Totems to Hip Hop A Multicultural Anthology of Poetry Across the Americas 1900 2002 Ishmael Reed ed ISBN 1 56025 458 0 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pictograms Look up pictogram in Wiktionary the free dictionary Pictogram amp Communication About 1 500 practical pictograms based on Design principles of pictorial symbols for communication support JIS T 0103 2005 CAPL The Culturally Authentic Pictorial Lexicon photographic illustrations of objects for multiple languages Pictogram Encyclopedia The collection site of more than 500 pictograms Pictograms are categorized and easy to find unique pictogram Pictopen Modern Pictographic Writing NounProject Free Pictograms under open licences Modern Pictograms Explore word and pictogram relationships Wolfram Alpha Number to pictogram translator icons download free icons for commercial and non commercial uses Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Pictogram amp oldid 1122588404, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
