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Exit

Note: Since emergency exits often are not to be used as regular way out, the use of two different pictograms for Exit and Emergency Exit is essential.

Synonyms / Other Terms Used

Way Out

Category

Regulations, Directions, Public Facilities, Travel

Message / Function

To indicate and identify the location of an exit or preferred way to go out

 

Source Description
Icon Way Out by Luca Fruzza Luca Fruzza Perspective view of room with open door
Icograda Test Design 05 05 01: Way out Icograda Wall with door, arrow pointing downwards
Icograda Test Design 05 08 03: Way out Icograda Human figure walking through open door, arrow pointing in walking direction
Testdesign from 1974: Way out Zwaga 1974 Diagonal wall with door, arrow pointing outwards, walking human figure
Testdesign from 1974: Way out Zwaga 1974 Diagonal wall with door, arrow pointing outwards, walking human figure
Testdesign from 1974: Way out Zwaga 1974 Human figure walking towards opening of rectangular enclosure, arrow pointing outwards
McLaren & Braunstein: Pictogram Exit (Sortie) McLaren & Braunstein Human figure with hat walking towards opening of rectangular enclosure
Icograda Test Design 05 15 02: Way out 1) Icograda Human figure walking towards opening of rectangular enclosure
Athens International Airport Pictogram: Exit ATH Human figure walking out of partial rectangular enclosure
Modley & Myers page 95, Summer Olympics Munich 1972: Exit - Pedestrians O'72 Human figure walking away from vertical bar indicating wall
Simlinger: Pictogram Way out / Exit 2) Simlinger Arrow pointing at opened double wing door of rectangular enclosure
Icograda Test Design 05 05 06: Way out Icograda Direction arrow pointing towards opening in rectangular enclosure
Modley & Myers page 91: Symbol Exit O'64 Direction arrow pointing into opening in rectangular enclosure
Exit Symbol NS 1980 NS 1980 Direction arrow pointing out of opening of rectangular enclosure
Modley & Myers page 122: UIC Exit Symbol UIC Direction arrow pointing out of opening of rectangular enclosure
Modley & Myers page 85: Exit Symbol KFAI Direction arrow pointing out of opening of rectangular enclosure
Exit Symbol (Vienna) Wiener Linien Direction arrow pointing out of opening of rectangular enclosure
D'source Symbol for Exit D'source Direction arrow pointing out of opening of rectangular enclosure with rounded corners
UIC 413 Exit 3) UIC 413 Direction arrow pointing out of opening of rectangular enclosure
UIC 413 Symbol B.4.5: Exit UIC 413 Direction arrow pointing out of opening of rectangular enclosure
Expo 67 Exit Symbol X'67 Direction arrow pointing out of opening of rectangular enclosure
British Rail sign: Way out 4) British Rail Direction arrow pointing out of opening of rectangular enclosure
TS0802, TS0803 Way out / Exit Tern Direction arrow pointing out of opening of rectangular enclosure
Modley & Myers page 102: Exit Symbol Picto'grafics Two lines with direction arrow between pointing outwards
ISO 7001 Public Information Symbol PI PF 029: Way out or exit ISO 7001 Two lines with direction arrow between, pointing out
Ota page 37: Prague Subway Symbol Sign Exit Rathouský Two vertical red lines with black arrow pointing outwards
Icograda Test Design 05 05 09: Way out Icograda Outwards pointing arrow filling gap of arc
Dreyfuss page 34: Symbol Exit Dreyfuss Semicircle, arrow pointing away from middle
Modley & Myers page 124: Exit Symbol WO'72 Semicircle, two arrows, one pointing in, one out
AIGA Symbol Sign No 48: Exit AIGA Green disk vertically bisected

Discussion

The collection shown above is only a fragment of the wide variety of pictograms used all over the world to signify Exit.

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 Exit. More than 50 % of the subjects were not able to deliver responses or solutions without adding text. 44 % of the subjects offered either a door opening with an arrow (39 %) or just an open door (5 %) The remaining 2 % showed other concepts. The pattern of responses indicated notable difficulties caused by a missing typical visual stereotype. This fact probably is a main reason why the way to an exit often is marked by corresponding text/wording in the local language.

In the ISO 1979/80 Test Series the AIGA variant dropped out already at a preliminary stage of research (an Appropriateness Ranking Test of 12 variants, see Easterby & Graydon, 1981 a), as it is to abstract. In the studies of Collins, Lerner & Pierman (1982) as well as Collins & Lerner (1983) the symbol received a very small percentage of correct answers and simply was not recognized without the benefit of prior familiarization. In the latter study the pictogram of the Munich Olympics 1972 did not work well either. Displaying just a vertical bar seems insufficient to indicate 'indoor'.

While the variant from Simlinger shown above (marked with 2)) reached the best score in the Comprehension Tests of the ISO 1979/80 Test Series in several countries (Easterby & Graydon 1981 b), the variant from UIC (3)) reached an equivalent score in a later study (Brugger, 1996). In the ISO 1979/80 Test Series the British Rail version (4)) reached a lower comprehension rate than the Icograda pictogram labeled 1), which also could not reach the top score.

As error percentages in the experiments of Collins & Lerner (1983) were rather low for the best versions, one has to ask the question if differences between the versions of Simlinger, UIC and British Rail still exist under real life conditions: in the ISO 1979/80 Test Series no context information was provided. Therefore we encourage further testing to identify the best version in more realistic scenarios and to optimize directional effect and legibility distance.

Recommendation

TS0802, TS0803 Way out / Exit    British Rail sign: Way out

Based on the test results known there is no perfect recommendation, but pictograms like TS0802/TS0803 from the TERN symbols set (left symbol) or equivalent variants might be a good choice.

Tests of pictograms of referents Exit and Emergency Exit

The list below is only a small section from the wide range of studies concerning aspects of how to indicate and identify an escape route or the location of an exit.

Brugger: Ch. (1987): Evaluation of Public Information Symbols, ISO 1986 Test Series: Comprehension/Recognition Test. Vienna: ISO / TC 145 / SC 1.

Brugger: Ch. (1996): Verständnistest UIC Kodex Merkblatt 413. Report to ÖBB GD 02 (Austrian Railways), Vienna, March 1996.

Collins, B.L. (1982): The Development and Evaluation of Effective Symbol Signs. Washington, D.C.: National Bureau of Standards, NBS BSS 141, May 1982.

Collins, B.L. & Lerner, N.D. (1982): Assessment of Fire-Safety Symbols. Human Factors, 24(1), 75-84.

Collins, B.L. & Lerner, N.D. (1983): An Evaluation of Exit Symbol Visibility. Washington, D.C.: National Bureau of Standards, NBSIR 83-2675, April 1983.

Collins, B.L., Lerner, N.D. & Pierman, B.C. (1982): Symbols for Industrial Safety. Washington, D.C.: National Bureau of Standards, NBSIR 82-2485, April 1982.

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.

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.

Kinateder, M., Warren, W.H., & Schloss, K.B. (2018). What color are emergency exit signs? Egress behavior differs from verbal report. Applied Ergonomics, Volume 75, 155-160.

Transportation Research Board (2015): Emergency Exit Signs and Marking Systems for Highway Tunnels. National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Web-Only Document 216.

Vukelich, M. & Whitaker, L. (1993): Effects of context on the comprehension of graphic symbols. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. 1. 511-515. 10.1177/154193129303700804.

Wolff, J.S. & Wogalter, M.S. (1998): Comprehension of Pictorial Symbols: Effects of Context and Test Method. Human Factors 40 (2), 173-186.

Zamanian, Z., Afshin, A., Davoudiantalab, A.H. & Hashemi, H. (2013): Comprehension of workplace safety signs: A case study in Shiraz industrial park. Journal of Occupational Health and Epidemiology. 2. 37-43.

Zwaga, H.J. & Boersema, T. (1983): Evaluation of a set of graphic symbols. Applied Ergonomics, 14, 1, 43-54.

See also

Emergency Exit, Entrance

 

Updated 2024-06-26 by Ch.Brugger