In the 1930s, a graphic artist was commissioned to develop the International System of Typographic Picture Education, or an ‘Isotype’, based on the belief that the world needed a unified, international visual language to support (but not replace) each of the world’s spoken languages.
From the outset the primary goal of this ‘Isotype’ was to visually communicate a concept to the reader more quickly. Over time, these concepts have become gradually more complex and the application of the ‘Isotype’ model has become the Icon-based visual language that we see on our smart phones, car dashboards, remote controls and management system software platforms.
While the Icon-based visual language has evolved with technological advances, the underpinning principles have remained constant: a desire to communicate information with brevity, clarity, readability and ease of use.
The adoption and evolution of an Icon-based visual language is logical, given the fact that we are all time poor. There is also a benefit to be gained from standardised imagery in assisting to communicate key information and concepts to workers with English as a second language and literacy challenges.
But looking over management systems, there is regularly a disconnect between the time efficient visual language presented on the front-screen / entry screen of management system software platforms, and the reams of documentation presented when clicking onto specific documents.
Given that we operate in industries that require processes and procedures, it’s important to look for smarter ways of packaging that information based on the principles of ‘brevity, clarity, readability and ease of use’, so that it helps Management and workers to (a) understand their requirements quickly, and (b) apply them consistently.
At a workplace level, safety signs, symbols and icons started to become standardised in the 1970s, and now we see this enshrined within AS 1319 Safety Signs for the Occupational Environment. Consistent application of the safety symbols detailed in AS1319 will assist organisations in providing clear, concise and fast safety messaging in our time-poor workdays.
Please contact QRMC for more information or assistance.
