Abstraction of Visual Languages in Pictograms Using Color Expression and its Verification

Abstract

Pictograms attract attention in supporting the non-verbal communication and using of interface icon. The existing pictograms are basically painted in monochrome. It was clarified from existing studies that we could clear the mean of pictograms using color expression. However, there were few studies which analyzed the relation between comprehensibility and color express of pictograms and few useful design indexes when painting colors of the pictogram. Then, this study aims to analyze comprehensibility of the pictograms using color expression and to abstract the visual languages. The visual languages are visual elements that composing the design of pictograms communicating information visually. Concretely, we clarified typical colors and color combinations of morphological elements in 20 pictograms conveying meanings of verbs. On the basis of this result, we investigated the relation between comprehensibility and color expression of pictograms by experimental design method. And, we abstracted the visual languages for painting colors of the pictogram and verified its usefulness. As a result, we have clarified the usefulness of some visual languages. However, the comprehensibility of some pictograms was decreased by colorization, we considered characteristics of those color expression.