Beach

Synonyms / Other Terms Used

Public Beach, Bathing Beach, Beach Access, Beachfront, Strand, Sands, Seaside Resort

Category

Nature, Natural Attractions, Recreation, Tourism, Travel

Message / Function

To indicate the location of a beach

	Source	Description
	SVI	Water, shown as blue lines, two trees in foreground
	CNIS	Palm tree at curved beach, water shown as wavy line, bird flying
	Iraq	Palm tree on dune, semicircle and lines on the right, water shown as wavy line below
	Théoule sur Mer	Birds flying, sun, and water shown as three wavy lines
	PMP RI	Sun, birds flying, parasol, and water shown as two wavy lines
	Hora EL	Sun, parasol, four arcs
	Argentina MSV	Parasol, sun, and water shown as three wavy lines
	Peru 2016	Sun, parasol, and water shown as two wavy lines
	Ecuador	Sun, parasol, and water shown as two wavy lines
	RTA Algarve	Beach box, sun, and water, shown as two wavy lines
	Peru MST	Sun and water, water shown as two wavy lines
	NHW	Sun and water, water shown as two wavy lines
	MUTCD	Side view of parasol on slope and water, shown as wavy line
	CNIS	Side view of human figure, parasol and water
	ISO 7001	Side view of human figure, parasol and water
	Galicia	Side view of parasol and water, water shown as four wavy lines
1)	ISO/TC 145/ SC 1	Side view of parasol and water, water shown as two wavy lines
	DER	Side view of parasol and water, water shown as two wavy lines
	TCI	Side view of parasol and water, water shown as two wavy lines
2)	ISO/TC 145/ SC 1	Side view of parasol and sunbed
	France IISR	Side view of human figure below parasol
	Dreyfuss	Side view of parasol with shade
	U.S. National Park Service	Side view of parasol
3)	ISO/TC 145/ SC 1	Side view of parasol and water, water shown as two wavy lines
	Pacific Bell	Side view of parasol
	BS 8501:2002	Sand castle with flag, two elliptic arcs below
	UKDT	Side view of sand castle with flag
	BTA 1989	Side view of sand castle with flag
	Tern	Upper part of human figure above water, shown as two wavy lines
	BTA 1989	Water, shown as four wavy lines
	SVI	Water, shown as three blue wavy lines

Discussion

The examples shown above are only a small selection from the wide range of pictograms and symbols used to indicate the location of a beach. This set of symbols already indicates that possibly no single visual stereotype exists concerning the message Beach. In some regions pictograms intended to indicate Swimming are utilized in signs pointing to a beach, too. These were not included in the collection above.

A number of studies examined some aspects regarding this referent:

When Gehringer (1976) examined eight variants for the referent Bathing Beach in an Appropriateness Ranking Test, a variant depicting a side view of a human figure diving into water was ranked first, but closely followed by most pictograms showing a side view of a parasol plus water. The side view of a parasol with shade labeled Dreyfuss was placed close to the end, as showing water seems relevant to signify Beach. A variant similar to the BTA 1989 symbol Seaside Location at the end of the table above just showing water was seen as least appropriate.

A document provided by ISO/TC 145/SC 1 (2012) shows data based on Comprehensibility Estimation Tests conducted in South Korea and the USA. In these tests the side view of a parasol plus sunbed, labeled as 2), reached the highest score, closely followed by the side view of a parasol plus water shown as two wavy lines marked as 1). The pictogram displaying just a side view of a parasol and labeled as 3) was judged as least comprehensible. In a similar comparison of four different symbols for beach (Neves, 2012) administered in the Iberian Peninsula, the map symbol of the United Kingdom Department for Transport showing a sand castle with a flag, labeled as UKDT in the table above, was judged as rather incomprehensible.

To avoid limited applicability of a pictogram for the intended message, specific details like pine trees, palm trees or sand castles, that all indicate distinct features of a beach, should not be part of the design. Renderings with a side view of a parasol plus water shown as wavy lines seem to be significant enough to convey the message Beach: in a study of map symbols in Brazil a symbol similar to the variant above labeled DER was interpreted correctly by 93.9 % of the respondents (Fiori, 2008), but adding a lying human figure might even further improve comprehensibility.

Recommendations

ISO 7001 public information symbol PI TC 017 - Beach Hora page 156: CNIS Pictogram Bathing Beach

We recommend the use of a pictogram following the image content according to ISO 7001 for referent PI TC 017 Beach: Side view of human figure, parasol and water. The design should be improved concerning minimal detail size, rendering of the parasol and posture of the human figure, all aspects not optimized in the two examples above.

Tests of pictograms of referent Beach

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.

ISO/TC 145/SC 1 (2012): COMMITTEE DRAFT Reference No. ISO 7001-PI TC 015pr: Beach, dated 2012-01-18. ISO: ISO/TC 145/SC 1 N 517.

Neves, J. (2012): Sistema de signos para informação turística: Metodologia para o desenvolvimento de sistemas sinaléticos. Tese de Doutorado - Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Arquitetura.