No Sandwiches Allowed.

Design serves an often overlooked function in society – simple, straightforward pictures can portray important messages to people everyday. Street signs portray symbols called pictograms (e.g., a picture of a dog) and/or ideograms (e.g., a red slash that symbolizes the meaning “no”) that are universally recognized in most cultures, even if they appear slightly different visually. Even signs that portray particular instructions or rules can be accomplished through design across different cultures, but still serve the same purpose. For example, a “no eating” sign in America may be presented as a pictogram of a knife and fork with the red slash ideogram through it [left picture below]. However, in another country, like the Czech Republic, a “no eating” sign may be presented as a more specific pictogram of a sandwich with the red slash ideogram through it [right picture below].

(Personal photo)

However, this other foreign sign would still be universally recognized as a general “no eating” instruction, not as a strictly “no eating sandwiches” instruction. This example of a universally accepted and recognized pictogram and ideogram shows how implemented the concept of design has become in everyday life.