Pictorial push pull signs for doors

A pictorial "push" sign on a door

Pictorial push pull signs for doors are intended to avoid confusion. In English the words "PUSH" and "PULL" are both four letters long and contain the same first two letters. They may occasionally be confused by people in a hurry. For people with dyslexia the chances of error may be even higher.

Background

In international cities, there will be foreign visitors who do not necessarily speak the local language. Regardless of language, a picture is sometimes more noticeable and more quickly understood than words.

The initial ideas in the design of the push pull door pictograms were to use an image of a hand for "Push". Research confirmed that a symbol of a hand is used for "Stop", "Halt", or "No Public Access", and these hand image symbols are widely used in the construction industry. Red indicates caution as "pull" is the direction in which accidents happen. (Kleine Beitel study 1994). The changes to green and red were made following the study from Oxford Brookes University, Psychology Dept on the human pictograms (Angus Gelatly and Meera Dulabh 2012).

Gallery

• 

  Pictorial "pull" sign on a door

• 

  "Push" sign, using vertical text with the human pictogram in green

• 

  "Pull" sign, using vertical text with the human pictogram in red

External links

• "Assessment of Push/Pull Door Signs" - A Laboratory and Field Study by Professor Theresa J B Kline, Gerald A Beitel, University of Calgary 1994
• Slough Observer Midweek Newspaper Article - To Push or Pull Dilemma Solved - written by Jonathan Kelly - July 2011
• Sign Update Magazine - Sept/Oct 2011 - Sign Trade Magazine Article and Product News - Push or Pull? New Pictograms make it obvious - Features Editor - Janet Brennan
• Civic & Public Building Projects magazine - "Could a picture push pull door sign help in a public building?" - 4 October 2011
• Winner of the PUSH-PULL Pictogram Design Challenge - Written by Lindsey Jones Art Director, Denver, Colorado, US - 20 October 2011
• Sign Update Magazine - Sept/Oct 2015 - Sign Trade Magazine Article and Product News - Sign News - Push and pull symbols are changed to red and green
• OHIM European Design Registration 001823618
• US Design Patent USD0654957 - Push Symbol
• US Design Patent USD0654956 - Pull Symbol
• "PUSH & PULL MAN" UK IPO Office Trademark No 2651654

See also

• Exit sign
• Pictogram
• Design patent
• Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market