To start talking about what a pictogram is, we have to go back many years. Decades, centuries... until we find the first cave paintings that can be considered as what is now a pictogram. Thus, although many seem not to find a relationship between the small societies or tribes of millions of years ago, he has a reason. At that time and on stone, the first symbols began to be painted representative.
Thus, a horse, the head of a person, a cow or any symbol they saw was represented on stones. That is why to talk about pictograms we can go back to that time first. Establishing a first visual language, to understand what they wanted to express and what could happen around them. Whether it is the danger of an animal that lurks or the need to eat, among many other issues that they expressed.
What is a pictogram
Taking as a reference those times, where images were drawn, a pictogram refers to a visual object that expresses a specific function. For it to be called a pictogram, it does not need any text that accompanies or explains what said drawing means. Since the own, has the proper function of expressing what it means. According to the technical definition we can say:
A pictogram is a graphic representation understood as a sign that conveys information about a specific object in a figurative way without the need to use language.
But in order not to get confused, let's give an example of what this representation can be. If we imagine a restaurant or a shopping center, we can see the symbol of a man and a woman on the bathroom door. Or indicating where it is. For society, it is not necessary to know what it is about by putting text. Given that we all know that when those two symbols appear, we can know that there is a public toilet for the people.
This is something that also happens on the road. The signs we see when we are driving tell us many things. The nearest population, what type of road we are on or the number of the mileage of that same road. But we can also find the symbols of a rest area. Such as the pump of a gas station or the fork of a restaurant.
These symbols are pictograms. Since they are graphic representations that a society understands without needing any other explanation. And they are very valid to express something very specific, visually and quickly. As it can happen on the highway, due to the high speed, we should not spend much time seeing these types of symbols.
Characteristics of a pictogram
As in the previous examples, these pictograms are created for a certain occasion. Its easy inclusion in the posters to make them visual to the naked eye have made them a good option for certain things. That is why we are going to list the positive characteristics that these pictograms have in our day to day.
- Highlighted. The drawing effectively represents the object to which the message is attributed.
- Understanding. The drawing has to be understandable for the whole of a society. It may be strange for a very different culture, but in the same country it should be the same message for everyone.
- Simplicity. Delete any details. It does not have to be a representation with a high degree of design. Something very simple and monocolor, without adding anything that does not serve to quickly receive the message.
- Legibility in drawings. As we have commented, the drawing has to be legible at the scale that is printed. Bigger or smaller should be simple at first glance.
When are pictograms used?
As we have discussed above in this article, the use of these should be to locate in a simple way what the drawing represents. As an example, we have put a restaurant or a shopping center and the bathrooms. Or also the road where it specifies where there is a service area. But this doesn't just end here, we can see an infinite number of pictograms, including animals. That they represent the danger or the care that we must have when having them close.
However the pictograms are also used for our most current works, not only in our most personal environment. It is also useful to use it for business presentations, for example. How can an infographic be in which you want to represent which foods are more or less spicy. A chilli represents that very well and the more you add, the spicier it becomes. It can also be used to create a grade for your students. The stars are usually representative of a higher or lower rating depending on the number of them.
Another use that is becoming more and more characteristic is in social networks. Today, we all know that to indicate that you like content, we use the heart. This is an adaptation to the new digital language that we accept as a pictogram of the heart. In this way we show an interest in it. But this is not the only pictogram that we can see. The "retweet", the symbol to comment or the direct message envelope are many others. As well as the use in email.
Differences between Pictograms and Ideograms
Pictograms, as has already become clear, are simple ideas that represent the everyday objects of our lives.. But there are also some that are more complex to visualize and that not everyone can understand at first glance. To differentiate them, the latter are called ideograms. It is a second categorization and differs from pictograms because they do not represent a clear object.
Nobody has a conception of some symbols nor are they represented, such as a biological risk. There is no symbol that clearly defines what we mean by this type of risk. However, an idea of it has been created, hence its name. That is why these ideograms do need to be accompanied by a short explanation in text. On some occasions, being very old, society has known how to adapt it, but on others not so much. That is why it is better to represent it with one or two words under the symbol that accompanies it.