A pictogram is a sign that represents something.
Pictogram is a term that can be classified as a neologism and that has its etymological origin in Greek and Latin, since it is made up of two words from these languages:
-”Picto”, which derives from the Latin adjective “pinctus” which can be translated as “painted”.
-”Grama”, which is a Greek word that means “written”.
Pictograms are signs that, through a figure or a symbol , allow the representation of something to be developed. Certain ancient alphabets were created around pictograms.
From cave paintings to ideograms
In prehistory , man recorded various events through pictograms. The figures that appear in cave paintings , for example, can be considered as pictograms. In the development of writing, therefore, pictograms were essential.
From those drawings that, due to similarity, represented some reality, human beings went on to create more complex symbols that transmitted thoughts (the so-called ideograms ). The advance of abstraction came with the development of cuneiform writing , whose symbols not only represented specific words but were also associated with a sound.
Pictograms today
Nowadays, pictograms are used to convey a message that is immediately understandable . These symbols must be clear and precise, so that the person can understand them as soon as they look at them. The pictograms, in this way, dispense with details or ornamentation in pursuit of the message.
Pictograms help eliminate language barriers as they are universally understandable. That is why they are often used as signs , providing useful information or warnings.
In the bathrooms of bars and restaurants, pictograms are often used to differentiate between spaces for men and spaces for women.
Some examples
There are many cases of pictograms that we currently use daily and that quickly provide us with information:
-In the bathrooms of restaurants or bars, for example, two simple figures appear on the doors whose lines indicate whether we are in the men's bathroom or the women's bathroom.
-In leisure establishments, we find a round sign on which a “crossed out” cigarette appears. This pictogram tells us that smoking is prohibited in that place.
In educational centers, such as daycare centers, the use of pictograms is very common. And it is the way for students, who have not yet learned to read, to know what rules exist, what tasks they have to perform or what activity they have to develop.
The drawing of a fork and knife, or a fork and spoon, is a pictogram that refers to a restaurant. In a similar sense, the drawing of a person on a bed or stretcher is linked to a health center. These are pictograms whose messages can be understood by people from any country, regardless of the language they speak.
The magazine «Pictograma»
We cannot forget either that there is a publication called “Pictograma Magazine”. This is published in Seville and is made by different authors, graduates in Philosophy or Advertising for example.
These writers are responsible for presenting their readers with endless articles of interest about aspects such as art, music, cinema, human behavior...