Abstract
While space is socially constructed (Lefebvre, 1991), urban signage pays its share in perpetuating preferred ideologies and cultural conventions. As Massey (1994) argues, space is ever-gendered, reflecting and affecting the collective concept of gender. Thus, the schematic images in signage systems (pictograms) do not just represent us but form the “right way” we should look like and act. The proposed lecture demonstrates how this mechanism has been functioning for decades, without any disruption, excluding women and all “others” from public space. The study explores the ways gender is visually represented in urban signage in Tel Aviv, the most liberal and cosmopolitan city in Israel. Emphasizing the power images and graphic forms have in defining gender identities and in establishing the balance of power between the sexes. I explore what changes have been made in the design of the pictograms, and if and how these changes lead towards new ideas of equality and all-inclusive design.
Presenters
Onna SegevHead of Visual Communication Department, NB School of Design, Haifa University, Israel
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2023 Special Focus—Images Do Not Represent Us, They Create Us: The Image and its Transforming Power
KEYWORDS
Pictograms, Gender, Urban Signage, All-Inclusive Design, Public Space, Tel Aviv
