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Biohazard: Iconic symbol designed to be “memorable but meaningless” (2016)
- rdiddly 4y agoSomewhere (my own head I guess) I got the idea it was supposed to evoke the business end of a microscope, albeit abstracted, y'know with the 3 rotatable lenses.
- agumonkey 4y agoThe open circles gives this an insect mandible vibes that clearly screams "bio" something. Just like cats fly away from cucumbers, we probably have a few innate patterns triggered by some shapes. Snakes maybe, multi legged things.. oh and Trypophobic patterns.
- zeristor 4y agoFlying cats?
- agumonkey 4y agothis https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cats+cucumbers https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cats+cucumbers
- atoav 4y agoSome cats jump ("fly") away scared when they see a cucumber as if something deep in the reptilian part of their brain is reminded of some threat.
- remarkEon 4y agoNot really related to the biohazard subject, but has anyone figured out why cats do this? Or even posited a theory? It was a source of amusement on vine way back when that was a thing but I’ve never really seen an explanation for the phenomenon.
- DoktorDelta 4y agoI've seen some quotes from animal behaviorists that it's likely related to a hard-wired fear of snakes in the feline brain. Cucumbers have the vague shape and color of certain types of snakes, which can trigger a sudden, violent reaction.
- CalRobert 4y agoMy cat absolutely flipped out at seeing a wrench on his chair a few days ago...
- spacephysics 4y agoSnakes. Humans have a similar adaptation, our lower periphery is tuned for it, as well as our reflexes override our conscious choice when, say, a snake goes for your face behind glass
- agumonkey 4y agoI think so too, I even think that the 's' sound is also linked to snakes and slowly creeping dangers in many cultures.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- aleksiy123 4y agoI think the curviness as opposed to straight lines make it seem more bio. The other examples they have are made of straight lines and feel man made. Finally, I guess the spikiness conveys danger.
- thriftwy 4y agoIf you wanted to be a sign of theological danger, it would obviously be an eye inside the yellow triangle.* In this fashion, Bill Cipher character from Gravity Falls is the walking sign of theological danger and also that danger incarnate. * - if ancient Greek would be inventing that sign, they'll surely pick Zeus' ligtning bolt inside the yellow triangle - e.g. the one we use for electricity
- nmstoker 4y agoI always associated the image with a gas mask: the two lower circles suggested the filters on each side of a mask.
- severak_cz 4y agoThere is a Czech food supplement brand called Diochi which literally uses biohazard symbol as it's logo. It made me smiling when I found out this. I wonder if they were trolled by their graphics designer or what. https://www.diochi.cz/cs/o-nas/zapomenute-jmeno https://www.diochi.cz/cs/o-nas/zapomenute-jmeno
- fractallyte 4y agoFurther down their webpage, an explanation of the logo: „The three ellipses - 3 basic principles by which primordial matter differentiated. The sacred trinity found in all religious and philosophical systems. They are rotated to each other at an angle of 120°, expressing their harmonious relationship. The circle within each ellipse - symbolizing the interconnectedness of the microcosm and macrocosm. The open ellipse and the circle to the outer space - expresses the necessity of constant energy exchange with the environment. When this requirement is violated, any existence ceases to exist.“
- nektro 4y agothis was covered too in a great crossover video they did with Vox https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOEqzt36JEM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOEqzt36JEM
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- danmostudco 4y agoIconography is hard! Interesting to see the criteria the biohazard symbol was developed against and how that informed the result. It reminds me of the complexities explored in a localization firm’s proposal for McDonalds as they explored creating a universal visual language for nutritional information. The archived pdf is here: https://web.archive.org/web/20170719080459/http://www.enlaso.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/McDibaks-Nutrition-Icons-Case-Study.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20170719080459/http://www.enlaso... The reactions from testing varied quite widely based on geography, as they were trying to create a system that worked in 109 countries. For example, the original orange icon for sugar was said to resemble Scottish subway signs, Canadian road signs, and Danish danger signs. An early symbol for calcium showed a milk carton, but was scrapped because some regions mistook it for a building, portable toilet, phallic symbol, or tombstone. They had to take into consideration cultural and religious connotations for certain shapes as well.
- s1artibartfast 4y agoThe article touches on this, but it seems like the intuition of the biohazard symbol benefited from the earlier radiation symbol. Both have a central object and shapes radiating from it. In the case of radiation, the projections have hard edges and linear Direction. In the case of biohazard, the projections are curved. Curves are associated with Biology and hard lines and sharp Corners are associated with technology. Both have three radial repetitions building similarity. While the article calls the symbol meaningless there is clear intuition to both. There is a center and projections spreading from it. This indicates a source and danger spreading from it
- TEP_Kim_Il_Sung 4y agoPretty sure it symbolizes apoptosis.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- toss1 4y agoImpressed with their criteria and design of their experiment. Also, very sympathetic with the inventor being upset with use of the symbol out of it's place, thereby reducing it's effectiveness. This seems like one instance where copyright law should be implemented and strictly enforced, some kind of license free-to-use for actual biohazards but not anything else.
- ComputerGuru 4y agoThis is actually the case for the washing machine/dryer/care tag symbols on clothes. They’re actually licensed trademarks of an organization that (freely?) licenses them specifically for use on clothing labels for care instructions but forbids their use otherwise such as a part of a t-shirt design for aesthetic reasons or on a mug or the cover of a magazine (fair use excepted).
- wizofaus 4y agoWould this count as fair use? https://www.spreadshirt.com.au/shop/design/funny+washing+instructions+kids+t-shirt-D5e09b9c32051761c00ed18ed?sellable=ZbBrrEA3XMT9R2QL17xv-48-9 https://www.spreadshirt.com.au/shop/design/funny+washing+ins...
- ComputerGuru 4y agoSarcasm is technically fair use! But the commercial aspect of it might cause a judge to reconsider. Of course, that shirt is for sale in Australia and I have no idea what fair use encompasses there. (Also, the design aesthetic of that shirt is atrocious in every sense.)
- thejohnconway 4y agoYeah, I’d never thought of the overuse aspect of symbols like this, and I agree. I think it should be enforced.
- kipari 4y agoRelated to this is the Red Cross and Crescent symbols, which have their usage protected usage (mainly for armed forces and emergency relief) by the Geneva Convention: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emblems_of_the_International_Red_Cross_and_Red_Crescent_Movement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emblems_of_the_International_R...
- dclowd9901 4y agoThere’s something really insidious about the design I can’t quite put my finger on. The sharp points maybe? It also looks vaguely like a satanic symbol, but that would require knowing about satanic symbols to be effective, and I assume this symbol is used universally!
- mLuby 4y agoI wonder how it's perceived in Muslim cultures where the crescent moon shape is much more common and positive.
- twic 4y agoSee also the bouba/kiki effect: spiky shape = spiky sound = negative valence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouba/kiki_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouba/kiki_effect In particular, this little experiment: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327766252_The_Good_the_Bad_the_Bouba_and_the_Kiki_Cross-Modal_Correspondences_Between_Evaluative_Meanings_Speech-Sounds_and_Object_Shapes https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327766252_The_Good_...
- arthurcolle 4y agoThey look vaguely like demonic sigils, but I think for me its more the sharp black/yellow contrast
- ModernMech 4y agoIt looks 3 insect pincers or mandibles.
- twic 4y agoYes, it looks very insectile to me too, and as such, instinctively unclean and repulsive.
- zoomablemind 4y agoEven though the sign shows the test tube holders, what it invokes in my mind is the image of dust or skin mites under the microscope. Those that look like alien monsters with claws and armor. DANGER, Will Robinson! Weird, but that's the power of association.
- loa_in_ 4y agoEvery symbol with a completely novel meaning must be meaningless. That's the definition of something new...
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- Etheryte 4y agoThat's not really true and the radiation sign is a good example of that. Even though it was a new symbol at the time, because it visually looked similar to the related phenomenon it was possible to find meaning in it without prior knowledge. Not necessarily the right one and that's a part of the point. If your icon looks visually similar to something else, people might incorrectly infer a different meaning.
- wizofaus 4y agoIt's hard to argue the radiation symbol inherently indicates danger though. That our seemingly natural reaction to it is "beware" can only be the result of learning the meaning of it. Unlike, say, signs showing "danger to cyclists" by literally depicting a cyclist flying off their bike (https://www.roadtrafficsigns.com/signs/cyclists-falling-on-streetcar-track-symbol/sku-k-9082 https://www.roadtrafficsigns.com/signs/cyclists-falling-on-s... - actually the only place I recall seeing signs like this was NZ).
- croes 4y agoFrom the proposed symbols in the picture down in the article, do you think the right most one would be considered meaningless?
- steve-atx-7600 4y agoIt could just be me, but a skull and cross bones "poisonous" type icon seems more effective. I don't see the problem with using a symbol already associated with death/harm. I remember seeing a skull/bones icon as a kid and the message was clear. You could paint this in pink - or use in on a bike helmet - and the meaning isn't lost when labeled on a hazardous substance. I don't think the same is true for the logo they chose. I can also understand a skull/bones symbol rotated by any angle. Might it offend someone? Probably...what doesn't.
- kzrdude 4y agoDifferent symbols for different hazards, like in data sheets: https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/whmis_ghs/pictograms.html https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/whmis_ghs/pictogra...
- whatshisface 4y agoThat was already taken to indicate piratehazzards.
- nukeman 4y agoSkull and crossbones isn’t universal, especially through time. At one point it was actually considered to represent life and rebirth.
- 7952 4y agoBut such a symbol could mean a lot of different types of threat. Sometimes we need to be specific. A bin in a hospital full of needles is different to a bin with iodine 125 inside. It requires a different response. A skull and cross bones could mean stay off my land, mine shaft, deep water, posion, anything.
- hojjat12000 4y agopirates...