Airport

Synonyms / Other Terms Used

Air Transportation, Aerodrome, Airplane, Aircraft

Category

Transportation, Transport Facilities, Transport Modes, Travel, Public Facilities, Tourism

Message / Function

To indicate the location of an airport or aircraft

	Source	Description
	Eco-Mo Foundation	Simplified plan view of airplane
	AIGA	Simplified plan view of airplane
	ÖNORM A 3011	Simplified plan view of airplane
	ISO 7001	Simplified plan view of airplane
	ADCA	Simplified plan view of airplane
	NPS	Simplified plan view of airplane
	Düsseldorf Airport	Simplified plan view of airplane, placed diagonally
	France IISR	Simplified plan view of airplane, placed diagonally
	SVI	Simplified plan view of airplane
	UIC 413 b	Simplified plan view of airplane
	Slovenia 2015	Simplified plan view of airplane
	O'72	Simplified plan view of airplane
	Zurich Airport	Simplified plan view of airplane
	Düsseldorf Airport	Simplified plan view of airplane
	PMP RI	Plan view of airplane with two engines
	swisstopo	Plan view of airplane with two engines, placed diagonally
	DER	Plan view of airplane with four engines
	LVA	Plan view of airplane with four engines
	TAC	Plan view of airplane with four engines
	X'67	Plan view of airplane with four engines
	Schiphol	Simplified airplane, tail in side view
	BTA 1974	Plan view of airplane placed inside circle
	BTA 1989	Plan view of airplane placed inside circle
	Icograda	Plan view of airplane, runway markings
	Icograda	Front view of airplane with four engines flying a turn
	Icograda	Front view of airplane
	Muthesius	Detailed side view of airplane
	Icograda	Side view of airplane nose area with passenger boarding stairs
	CGN	Side view of airplane in outline

Note: Some of the examples shown above were mirrored horizontally to contrast differences.

Discussion

The collection shown above is only a small selection of the wide variety of pictograms used all over the world for the messages Aircraft and Airport.

A number of studies examined several aspects regarding this referent:

Using the Production Method Gehringer (1979) explored which mental images or visual stereotypes exist concerning the message Airport. 85 % of the responses showed a plan view of airplane and 5 % an airplane plus a building. While 8 % produced other images that could have been understood, only 2 % of the respondents did not produce anything. Responses show clearly that a plan view of airplane is the dominating visual stereotype.

In the Appropriateness Ranking Tests of the ISO test series 1979/80 regarding more than fifty pictogram variants to indicate the location of an airport (Easterby & Graydon 1981 a), only simplified plan views of airplanes were judged as most appropriate, while side and especially front views of airplanes were placed at the end of the rankings.

The Comprehension Tests in several countries (Easterby & Graydon 1981 b) revealed that all pictogram variants tested were identified as airplanes by about 90 % of the respondents.

In a Japanese study to propose domestically unified graphical symbols based on scientific methods, the pictogram variant labeled as Eco-Mo Foundation reached a comprehension score of 94.6, an almost perfect value (Eco-Mo Foundation, 2001). And when Fiori (2008) examined a map symbol showing a simplified plan view of an airplane placed diagonally, 97.2 % of the respondents answered correctly.

These results confirm that a simplified plan view of an airplane - the concept usually followed - is well understood. Displaying additional elements like engines or runway markings does not enhance comprehensibility. The authors of the AIGA study 'Symbol Signs' also mention that 'Details or characteristics that tend to define a specific type of aircraft should be avoided because they cannot remain up to date'.

Recommendations

An aircraft in plan view like the example from AIGA should be used to signify this message, as it is highly comprehensible, not directional when placed like this, and almost impossible to improve concerning distance legibility/visibility (see Eco-Mo Foundation, 2001).

Tests of pictograms of referent Aircraft / Airport

Easterby, R.S. & Graydon, I.R. (1981 a): Evaluation of Public Information Symbols: ISO Test: 1979/80 Series. Part I: Appropriateness Ranking Tests. AP Report 99, Applied Psychology Department, University of Aston in Birmingham, January 1981.

Easterby, R.S. & Graydon, I.R. (1981 b): Evaluation of Public Information Symbols: ISO 1979/80 Test Series. Part II: Comprehension/Recognition Tests. AP Report 100, Applied Psychology Department, University of Aston in Birmingham, January 1981.

Eco-Mo Foundation (2001): Test data of public information symbols in Japan - Procedure for the testing of public information symbols by the Study Committee. ISO: ISO/TC 145/SC 1 N 329.

Fiori, S. R. (2008): Mapas para o turismo e a interatividade - proposta teórica e prática. Tese de Doutorado - Depto. de Geografia, FFLCH-USP.

Gehringer, J. (1976): Reihungstest über 8 Begriffe aus dem Sportwesen - Priorität II. Report to the Austrian Standards Institute (ON) dated February 1976, Vienna.

Gehringer, J. (1979): Untersuchung über die zeichnerische Gestaltung von Pictogrammen in Abhängigkeit von einigen Persönlichkeitsmerkmalen, sowie Überprüfung einiger Bildzeichen auf ihre Erkennbarkeit. Dissertation, Psychology Department, University of Vienna.