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
	Luca Fruzza	Perspective view of room with open door
	Icograda	Wall with door, arrow pointing downwards
	Icograda	Human figure walking through open door, arrow pointing in walking direction
	Zwaga 1974	Diagonal wall with door, arrow pointing outwards, walking human figure
	Zwaga 1974	Diagonal wall with door, arrow pointing outwards, walking human figure
	Zwaga 1974	Human figure walking towards opening of rectangular enclosure, arrow pointing outwards
	McLaren & Braunstein	Human figure with hat walking towards opening of rectangular enclosure
1)	Icograda	Human figure walking towards opening of rectangular enclosure
	ATH	Human figure walking out of partial rectangular enclosure
	O'72	Human figure walking away from vertical bar indicating wall
2)	Simlinger	Arrow pointing at opened double wing door of rectangular enclosure
	Icograda	Direction arrow pointing towards opening in rectangular enclosure
	O'64	Direction arrow pointing into opening in rectangular enclosure
	NS 1980	Direction arrow pointing out of opening of rectangular enclosure
	UIC	Direction arrow pointing out of opening of rectangular enclosure
	KFAI	Direction arrow pointing out of opening of rectangular enclosure
	Wiener Linien	Direction arrow pointing out of opening of rectangular enclosure
	D'source	Direction arrow pointing out of opening of rectangular enclosure with rounded corners
3)	UIC 413	Direction arrow pointing out of opening of rectangular enclosure
	UIC 413	Direction arrow pointing out of opening of rectangular enclosure
	X'67	Direction arrow pointing out of opening of rectangular enclosure
4)	British Rail	Direction arrow pointing out of opening of rectangular enclosure
	Tern	Direction arrow pointing out of opening of rectangular enclosure
	Picto'grafics	Two lines with direction arrow between pointing outwards
	ISO 7001	Two lines with direction arrow between, pointing out
	Rathouský	Two vertical red lines with black arrow pointing outwards
	Icograda	Outwards pointing arrow filling gap of arc
	Dreyfuss	Semicircle, arrow pointing away from middle
	WO'72	Semicircle, two arrows, one pointing in, one out
	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

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.