Contribution of Visual Ergonomics to a Holistic View of the Symbols Applied in Touristic and Cultural Signage: The Portuguese Case

Abstract

Traffic signs are not globally standardized, and there are different signage systems all over the world. The system of traffic signaling in Portugal comes from the European System, ratified on 19th September 1949 in Geneva, which has slowly evolved, with occasional changes and often driven by international agreements. Currently the road signaling system is regulated by the Regulatory Decree No. 22-A/98 of October 1st, which approves the Traffic Signaling Regulation. For the present research it is vital to include, in the vertical signaling system to be placed on public roads, tourist-cultural signaling, which is intended to convey information about places, buildings or groups of buildings and other motifs of particular relevance (cultural, historical-heritage or landscape). Following a first case study, it was found that not all pictograms present in vertical signaling are perceptible and understandable. The level of simplification and development of pictograms for application in projects for vertical signaling is very disparate, some of them extremely simplified and easily perceptible and other require a higher level of interpretation by the user, due to sign complexity.