pictograms.info
Facts and data on pictograms Literature

Pharmacy

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 Pictogram C08: Pharmacy Eco-Mo
Foundation
Bottle with cross to indicate medical care plus capsules in blister pack
Experience Japan Pictograms: Pharmacy EJP Bottle with cross to indicate medical care plus capsules in blister pack
Hora page 115, Schiphol Airport Pictogram Pharmacy Schiphol Bottle with cross to indicate medical care plus capsules and pills
Public Information Symbol PI CF 007 Pharmacy ISO 7001 Bottle with stopper and pills, cross to indicate medical care
Tern Pictogram TS0826 Pharmacy Tern Bottle with stopper and pills, cross to indicate medical care
BSI 8501 Public Information Symbol No 6015: Pharmacy BS 8501:2002 Cross and bottle with pills
Hora page 166: CNIS Pictogram Pharmacy CNIS Cross and bottle with pills
Pictogram Pharmacy (Source: Olmstead) Olmstead Bottle with pills and capsules
Pictogram Pharmacy from India by Ravi Poovaiah (D'source) D'source Pills and capsules
Pictogram Pharmacy by Woodrow, 2016 ULOU Pills and capsule
Erco Pictogram No 068: Pharmacy Erco Mortar, pestle, and cross
Pictogram Pharmacy (Korea) KSA Cross plus mortar and pestle
Pictogram Pharmacy (Korea) Lee Mortar with cross plus pestle
Modley & Myers page 119: Pictogram Drug Store TC Mortar and pestle
Pictogram Pharmacy (IATA) IATA Mortar with ℞ medical prescription symbol and pestle, bottle with cross
Hablamos Juntos Pictogram Pharmacy Hablamos Juntos Bottle with ℞ medical prescription symbol
Pictogram Pharmacy (Source: Olmstead) Olmstead ℞ medical prescription symbol
Modley & Myers page 103, Picto'grafics: Symbol Pharmacy Picto'grafics ℞ medical prescription symbol
Symbol Pharmacy from Wikipedia (Hongkong) Wikipedia Red cross with ℞ medical prescription symbol
UIC 413 Pictogram B.3.5 Pharmacy UIC 413 Aesculapian snake and chalice within an outline cross
UIC 413 Pictogram Pharmacy before 1995 UIC 413 b Aesculapian snake and chalice within an outline cross
Pictogram Pharmacy (Switzerland) Wikipedia Green cross with Aesculapian snake and scales
Hora page 166: Chinese Pharmacy Pictogram from standard GB/T 10001 CNIS Cross and tuber with roots
Pictogram Pharmacy (Source: Olmstead) Olmstead Two bottles and toothbrush
Children's Hospital of Buenos Aires, Pictogram Pharmacy CHBA Face above hands holding bottel and spoon
Pictogram SAL004 Pharmacy (Farmacia) from Bolivia Bolivia Human figure behind desk, cabinet on the right
Symbol Pharmacy (India) Wikipedia Green cross on white ground within circle
Symbol Pharmacy (France etc.) Wikipedia Green cross
Symbol Pharmacy (Spain) Galicia Green cross pattée
Symbol Pharmacy (Italy) Wikipedia Red cross with white cross
Symbol Pharmacy used in Vienna, Austria (German: Apotheke) Stadt Wien Bowl on a column and a snake form the letter A
Symbol Pharmacy from Germany (German: Apotheke) 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

PI CF 007 Pharmacy   Pharmacy

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