Synonyms / Other Terms Used
Drug Store, Apothecary, Chemist
Category
Commercial Facilities, Safety, Health Care, Health Services, Travel
Message / Function
For notice in general and to indicate the location of a pharmacy
Source | Description | |
---|---|---|
Eco-Mo Foundation |
Bottle with cross to indicate medical care plus capsules in blister pack | |
EJP | Bottle with cross to indicate medical care plus capsules in blister pack | |
Schiphol | Bottle with cross to indicate medical care plus capsules and pills | |
ISO 7001 | Bottle with stopper and pills, cross to indicate medical care | |
Tern | Bottle with stopper and pills, cross to indicate medical care | |
BS 8501:2002 | Cross and bottle with pills | |
CNIS | Cross and bottle with pills | |
Olmstead | Bottle with pills and capsules | |
D'source | Pills and capsules | |
ULOU | Pills and capsule | |
Erco | Mortar, pestle, and cross | |
KSA | Cross plus mortar and pestle | |
Lee | Mortar with cross plus pestle | |
TC | Mortar and pestle | |
IATA | Mortar with ℞ medical prescription symbol and pestle, bottle with cross | |
Hablamos Juntos | Bottle with ℞ medical prescription symbol | |
Olmstead | ℞ medical prescription symbol | |
Picto'grafics | ℞ medical prescription symbol | |
Wikipedia | Red cross with ℞ medical prescription symbol | |
UIC 413 | Aesculapian snake and chalice within an outline cross | |
UIC 413 b | Aesculapian snake and chalice within an outline cross | |
Wikipedia | Green cross with Aesculapian snake and scales | |
CNIS | Cross and tuber with roots | |
Olmstead | Two bottles and toothbrush | |
CHBA | Face above hands holding bottel and spoon | |
Bolivia | Human figure behind desk, cabinet on the right | |
Wikipedia | Green cross on white ground within circle | |
Wikipedia | Green cross | |
Galicia | Green cross pattée | |
Wikipedia | Red cross with white cross | |
Stadt Wien | Bowl on a column and a snake form the letter A | |
DAM | Gothic letter A with chalice and Aesculapian snake |
Discussion
The collection shown above is only a small selection of the wide variety of pictograms, symbols and logos used all over the world to indicate the location of a pharmacy. Many are only known locally, which limits their usefulness. No single visual stereotype can be identified.
From research findings available it can be summarized:
Recommendations
Based on data known, we recommend the use of pictograms similar to PI CF 007 of ISO 7001, Tern Pictogram TS0826 Pharmacy, or the Pharmacy pictogram of the Eco-Mo Foundation.
The cross to indicate medical care may be substituted with another symbol appropriate to the culture of the using country.
Tests of pictograms of referent Pharmacy
Brugger: Ch. (1995): ÖBB / ON Testserie 1995, Teil 2 Verständnisschätzungen nach ISO 9186. Report to ÖBB GD 02 (Austrian Railways) dated February 1995, Vienna.
Brugger, Ch. (1995): Verständnistest 1995 - Im Auftrag der ÖBB und des ON - FNA 133. Vienna, November 1995.
Brugger: Ch. (1996): Verständnistest UIC Kodex Merkblatt 413. Report to ÖBB GD 02 (Austrian Railways), Vienna, March 1996.
Brugger: Ch. (1999): Verständnisschätzungen - Projekt 1999. Report to the Austrian Standards Institute dated December 1999.
Brugger: Ch. (2000): Verständlichkeitstest ON 2000. Report to the Austrian Standards Institute (ON) dated November 2000, Vienna.
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.
Hashim, M. J., Alkaabi, M. S., & Bharwani, S. (2014): Interpretation of way-finding healthcare symbols by a multicultural population: navigation signage design for global health. Applied ergonomics, 45(3), 503–509. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2013.07.002
Lee, S., Dazkir, S. S., Paik, H. S., & Coskun, A. (2014). Comprehensibility of universal healthcare symbols for wayfinding in healthcare facilities. Applied Ergonomics, 45(4), 878-885. doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2013.11.003
Olmstead, W.T. (1999): The usability of symbols for health care facilities: the effect of culture, gender and age. In: Zwaga, H., Boersema, T. & Hoonhout, H. (Eds.): Visual information for everyday use. London: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
Zender, M., & Cassedy, A.E. (2014): (Mis)understanding: Icon Comprehension in Different Cultural Contexts. Visible Language, 48, 69.
Zou C., Wang G. (2019) Comparative Analysis Comprehensibility of Healthcare Symbols Between USA and China. In: Rau PL. (eds) Cross-Cultural Design. Methods, Tools and User Experience. HCII 2019. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 11576. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007
See also
First Aid, Hospital, Health Care Center
Updated 2024-08-22 by Ch.Brugger