IEC ISo GUIDE 74 GraphicalsymbolsTechnical guidelines for the consideration ofconsumers'needs First edition 2004 @ISO/IEC2004 ISO/IECGUIDE74:2004(E) PDF disclaimer This PDF file may contain embedded typefaces. In accordance with Adobe's licensing policy, this file may be printed or viewed but shall not be edited unless the typefaces which are embedded are licensed to and installed on the computer performing the editing. In accepts no liability in this area. Adobe is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated. Details of the software products used to create this PDF file can be found in the General Info relative to the file; the PDF-creation ISO/IEC2004 All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, IsO's member body in the country of the requester. ISO copyright office Case postale 56 : CH-1211 Geneva 20 Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11 Fax + 41 22 749 09 47 E-mail [email protected] Web www.iso.org Published in Switzerland ii @ ISO/IEC 2004 All rights reserved ISO/IECGUIDE74:2004(E) Foreworo ISo (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are members of IsO or IEc participate in the development of International Standards through technical committees technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work. International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/lEC Directives, Part 2. Draft Guides adopted by the responsible Committee or Group are circulated to the member bodies for voting Publication as a Guide requires approval by at least 75%of the member bodies casting a vote. Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. ISO/IECGuide74 waspreparedjointlybytheISOCommittee on consumerpolicy(COPOLCO),and Technical Committee ISO/TC145,Graphicalsymbols. @ISO/IEC2004Allrightsreserved ii ISO/IECGUIDE74:2004(E) Introduction Poorly designed and researched graphical symbols, and also the proliferation of graphical symbols with the same intended meaning,can cause confusion forconsumers.Such problems will become ever more common in an age of mass travel, mobility of labour, and global trading unless graphical symbols are designed, evaluatedandstandardized inaccordance withprocedures set out intherelevant International Standards Both the International Organization for Standardization (IsO) and the International Electrotechnical producing and standardizing graphical symbols. Without doubt, graphical symbols can have important benefits in the field of communication, for example, they have visual impact, they can provide information in a compact form, they can provide information in a visual form that is independent of language, and they can guide the viewer to a desired outcome or appropriate decision. However, these benefits are not always achieved in practice and the purpose of this Guide is to ensure that being considered.Ifasymbol isto beeffective and widely understood,ithastobe usedfrequently,andforthe same function. This will help create familiarity for the user. In the case of graphical symbols used on products will be instances when optimum results can only be achieved by the provision of supplementary text. message. In particular, they should differentiate between information that relates to safety requirements (including those associated with unsafe use or the misuse of products and equipment) and those which relate to non-safety information. It is therefore recommended that when technical committees consider the groups are involved in the development process. This could be through consumer repr