What if signs were changed to an international pictorial language that not only identified the door, room, fire extinguisher, etc., but added art to the space? Create new signs for:
Men's Room
For the men's room, I wanted to incorporate stereotypical things about restrooms and men that would automatically link the two together. I have to signs above, with an "M" made from rolls of toilet paper to come down to a tie. The second is the symbol that could be used worldwide, which is just a simplified version of the morph. The colors I chose were dark, rich colors which is the opposite of the pastels that are usually thought of for women. They are both evenly weighted on both sides, or symmetrical, and they are not the stick figure signs of today. There is shading and highlighting on both which adds the illusion of texture to the sign.
Women's Room
The women's room has the same concept of the men's room, so that the two signs would flow together since they both represent a restroom. There is still the switch from toilet paper, but it is not a pink ribbon, which is one of the most feminine things that comes to my mind. The color of the pink is more of a pastel, which reminded me more of a powder room, and that sounds much more appealing than a restroom. Again, there is the same second symbol that mirrors the men's room, but it has the ribbon attached. The women's restroom is more asymmetrical than the other sign because I did not think the concept of toilet paper made itself appear with the small sliver that would have been showing. I elaborated a little on it, but I think it adds a nice touch to get away from the normal symmetrical signs. Again, they are shaded and give a little texture to the signs.
Fire Extinguisher
The fire extinguisher was one of the harder symbols to remake because it is very self explanatory to what it is. I have the classic red fire extinguisher, but with more detail than a two-colored sign. On the label, there is the universal sign of "no" surrounding a blazing fire. From the opening of the extinguisher is the white foam that extinguishes the fire. There is slight shading to make the object look three-dimensional. The sign is asymmetrical, and the extinguisher is slightly angled as a person would hold it if there was a fire.
Janitor's Closet
In a janitor's closet, there are three things I thought would always be in it. There is the mop, a spray bottle, and the infamous yellow gloves. I think the image is weighted almost evenly on both sides because both images have more of a diagonal motion set up to where they are almost crossing in the middle, with the spray bottle being the center. The colors are basic, but they represent classic janitor supplies: the blue water, red spray bottle, and again, the yellow gloves. The primary colors worked best for this image so it was not too elaborate, but it still had colors to make it appealing. The red "J" in the middle could be swapped out for any symbol for any language, or eliminated all together.
Executive Washroom
The executive washroom seems like one of those over-exaggerated high statuses, like the jock lunch table or the parent's dresser drawer. I felt the need to over-exaggerate the executive washroom to really get the point across because to be at that status, a person had to have worked very hard to finally get that spot in the office . . . And to get to use that washroom. The symbol on the right is my universal symbol. It is a symmetrical blue, sleek sink filled with gold and jewels in the basin and diamond knobs. Of course, it is all in good humor, but the rich colors get the point across that this is no ordinary bathroom. The symbol on the left was an idea that I really liked and could not resist making it into a symbol for an American bathroom. It has an "E" for "executives" and it has a diamond crown on the edge. Of course, the toilet paper is made of money and the shaded "E" has a small sparkle at the top right to show that this is elegant.
Parking Garage
The parking garage was another difficult symbol to create, because I was torn between the idea of the outside of a large structure or the car actually parked. It was difficult because to combine the two most important elements of a parking garage, it would be too cluttered for the look and designs I was going for with the detail, shading, and colors. In the end, the smaller symbol got the point across of a car going through an entrance where there are other cars (colors) parked in. The larger image was what I thought was the most important aspect of the sign because a person needs to know it is a place where parking is available. I have a red car with slight detail and shading to make it look very nice, as in a person would want to park their car in a place where that car was. It is in the parking lines that have a slight perspective to it, and a large "P" would indicate the parking in the English language. Like with the janitor sign, it can be replaced with any symbol.
Exit
It is a difficult task to redo a sign that is probably the most recognized in the world. There are only so many things a person can do to get the message of "leaving" across to another. The word "EXIT" shows that this, of course, is the exit, and the green is a positive color that represents "go" as well. The right part of the sign has a doorway with a green arrow leaving through it. The word and the sign can be paired together to get the meaning across the best, or the doorway alone can be used as it can be recognized worldwide. I thought this should be the most simple sign, but I did add a little shading for depth and appeal.
With my signs, I drew them all, but if it were my choice, I would have them be digitally redone so the colors are smooth, and can be glossy and as three-dimensional as they could be.
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