Should the US ditch the classic red "exit" sign and replace it with a green man? There are arguments both for and against. For the red:
But in other parts of the world, pictograms rule. The "running man" sign was designed by Yukio Ota and adopted internationally for exits a quarter century ago!
Slate lays out the arguments for both and a history of exit signs in one chapter of a six-part series on signs. Links to all the chapters are found at the top of each. Link -via Simply Left Behind
The contrast between the letters and the background renders it highly legible, the illumination stresses the importance of the message, and the color is evocative of both fire and fire-safety devices (fire extinguishers, fire engines, fire alarms, and the like).
But in other parts of the world, pictograms rule. The "running man" sign was designed by Yukio Ota and adopted internationally for exits a quarter century ago!
The sign's wordlessness means it can be understood even by people who don't speak the local language. And the green color, they argue, just makes sense. Green is the color of safety, a color that means go the world over. Red, on the other hand, most often means danger, alert, halt, please don't touch. Why confuse panicked evacuees with a sign that means right this way in a color that means stop?
Slate lays out the arguments for both and a history of exit signs in one chapter of a six-part series on signs. Links to all the chapters are found at the top of each. Link -via Simply Left Behind
http://www.ajet-japan.com/EmergencyTrap.gif
The big lighted exit signs are visible from further away than the small "international" style placards.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wac3aGn5twc
As for metric, I've yet to find a country that has adopted it. When laboring in Europe I worked out quickly that the standard 2440 x 1220 mm plywood sheet is really 4 x 8 feet. 2440 x 1220 mm does roll off the tongue better though.
I did have a bit of a pickle in England when tying in new metric pipe into an old house with old plumbing. But when I asked at the "plumbers merchant" they told me that I just needed a 15mm coupling to solder the two together -- 15mm copper pipe is exactly the same size as the old 1/2" copper pipe, it is just measured to the inside diameter rather than the outside...
Anyways... meh... I don't care either way. I'm used to seeing the EXIT signs, but I'm sure if the green man were used more often, I'd get used to associating it w/ an exit as well.
In my office, we've gravitated to the green "EXIT" signs, which is a little like splitting the baby in half as a compromise.
When I was in England a few years back, that was the first time I had encountered the green man sign. It took me a while to first notice it, and then a little while longer to understand what it meant. Once I did, it made perfect sense.
I slapped my forehead about ten minutes later, recalculated, and a good dinner was had by all.
Peace
My mother said, "If they can't read it, they deserve to be burned alive."
http://www.dan-dare.org/FreeFun/Images/TheMatrixWallpaper1024.jpg
Um... 350C = 662F, so your bird would have been turned to charcoal.
I agree, first and foremost, EXIT signs should be placed closer to the floor as well.
people elsewhere in the world look at their exit signs written in kanji/hiragana/hanja/greek/cyrillic/etc and realized that there may be people out there who didn't understand these writing systems. so rather than let people who didn't know die in a fire, they tried to come up with a universally recognizable sign for an exit.
people in america (judging by the slate comments) don't recognize that there may be a problem, or if they do realize that there may be a problem think that other people should just adapt to the existing sign. in either case, the general attitude is "you should understand our way of doing things or you could DIAF".
sad.
Or would there still be people complaining that red and green don't look nice next to each other?
As for the metric system, DOuglas2, adopting it as a standard way of measuring things doesn't imply chopping bits off plywood and replumbing the whole country so that stuff becomes easier to say.
It just means: using a ruler that has centimeters on it.
I've backpacked Europe and learned a lot of basic sayings and customs to make sure I was prepared and kept an open mind about where I traveled, including different signage and just accepted them.
So if someone cam to the United States from anywhere, Europe, Asia, Africa, Middle East, Pacific, South America, anywhere, and can't be bothered to learn the rules, customs, and language, zero sympathy for you, sorry. Not every country on the planet kowtows to other country's customs, so this exit sign thing is silly, understand and accept differences in countries and move on.
I personally love the idea of pictographic symbols being used worldwide, a sort of rudimentary universal language that everyone can understand. It's a great way to spread basic information to everyone without worrying about the dominance of one language over another.
There is a regular consultative process that will allow change to the standard if change is warranted. Oddly, this process seems to be driven by data generated in the real world. Change to the color green and addition of the running man symbol may well be appropriate, and are not disallowed.
Because the USA was 50 years ahead of most of the world in this it has a preexisting standard. Because the signs have been in use for the entire lifetime of most of the population, they are more easily recognized in the near-term future than any replacement will be.
New Jersey is inventing a symbol to mark the back of the car for new drivers that have recently passed the driving test. THAT is a stupid action, ignoring the existing "p-plate" symbol already in use in most of the English-speaking world and elsewhere, to come up with a new one that won't be recognizable to anyone from outside your jurisdiction. But replacing a proven symbol just because a new ISO standard exists is not a good reason by itself.
Also don't forget about people only on a 2 hour stop off at an airport, or children who can't yet read. Inclusive design isn't something to scoff at. Go progression!
No, I think every country should hire students to accompany every foreign visitor wherever they travel in that country. That way, there would be no possibility of error.
It really takes no time at all to learn the basic repeating signs when you go to a new Country. Things like stop signs, and subway signs aren't that hard to figure out.
Now if we had other signs that looked just like that with different words I might agree, but the EXIT sign is pretty unique.
No seriously- I agree with those who say that in fact it doesn't matter what sign is used and that different signs are used in different countries, as long as that sign is used uniformly and as long as is communicated clearly that that sign stands for "When in danger, this is the fastest way to get the hell out". And then I couldn't care less if I see that sign in Japanese, Chinese, Urdu, Jewish, Cyrillic or Sign. As long as somehow is made clear to me that that is where I have to go when disaster strikes and I don't run straight into the toilets or the broomlocker, it's fine with me.
I could see being in a foreign country somewhere and being confused in an emergency if their signs were all in the countries native language.
Call me crazy but I also think it would also promote a little bit of comfort for foreigners who visit our country.... cool article.