What are the 10 most recognizable and common symbols/icons throughout
the world, including religious symbols (christian
cross/islamic crescent) and brands (nike swoosh etc) and international
symbols (olympic rings).  I am not interested in "brand value" but
simply what is most known to the most people throughout the world.

---

Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 02 Dec 2002 11:45 PST

Dear boyre-ga:

In view of the lack of credible sources for such information, will you
accept opinion as a reasonable answer?

tutuzdad-ga

I hoped to catch up with this question before it reaches its
expiration, since it is a very interesting question I had missed.
Sorry for being a latecomer.

Since you were looking for the most recognized symbols in any area,
what I did was to think of them off the back of my head. Since the
scope is universal and the requirement is “most recognizable”, I
suppose just looking at one’s own common knowledge is the best source.
I looked for Internet sources on some of the items for additional
support.

1) Latin Cross – The cross with the shorter crosspiece in the higher
part of the vertical bar is called the Latin cross. It is the most
accepted symbol of Christianity since the acceptance of the religion
by the Roman Empire. I think this use of the cross even exceeds the
Red Cross symbol in recall.

2) Pentagram (five-pointed star) – Put this on anything, and you’ll
get the idea that it’s something related to the occult. Satan-worship,
various witchcraft cults and pagan cults use this symbol. And you know
there’s bound to be something * really weird* when you see it.

3) Star of David – Among other religious symbols, the six-pointed star
has become a very recognized symbol. Flash it anywhere, it’s just
screams “Israel” or “Judaism”. It’s so well-known among religious
symbols.

4) White flag – I don’t know if you’ll count this as a symbol, but it
sure is a very familiar sign. When you see this, you know what it
means. I surrender. Yield. Throw in the towel. I quit. I doubt if even
the stars and stripes, union jack or red sun flags will be more
universally recognizable than this.

China Dim Sum: History or Flags 
http://www.newton.mec.edu/Angier/DimSum/History%20of%20Flags.html

5) Dove with olive branch – This is the most recognized symbol of
peace. War has many symbols. If you think of peace, the dove with an
olive branch or anything like it comes to mind first. Even the 70’s
circle with those lines doesn’t go ahead of the dove with olive
branch.

Thousand Cranes Peace Network – Peace symbols
http://rosella.apana.org.au/~mlb/cranes/symbols.htm

Glass Wings – Symbols of peace, symbols of freedom
http://www.glasswings.com.au/essays/symbol.html

6) Dollar sign – When you this on the eyes of cartoon characters (like
Disney’s Uncle Scrooge), you know they want money. Use it anywhere
else – generally it still means money. It is also a symbol of
prosperity.

7) “Prohibited” or “do not” sign – I wonder if you’ll not consider
this a symbol either, but its universality made me choose it. Enclose
anything within a circle and draw a diagonal line over it, you know it
isn’t for you, it can’t go in, it’s not wanted, etc... you know
someone wants it out. Though it changes with the content, this utility
symbol keeps its meaning wherever you go.

8) Skull and crossbones – Poison. Death. Danger. Bad. Just see it, you
know whatever’s behind it is worse than anything mentioned in the
previous sign. Even just the skull tells you that your death is all
you’ll get here.

9) Copyright mark – This is the most well-known symbol, if not *the*
symbol, of intellectual property rights (a big issue today). This has
been used in virtually every form of media, whether TV, books (except
radio I guess). When you see this, you know you can’t “copy” it.

10) McDonald’s arch – When we get to business marks, I’d say the
McDonald’s arch tops them. A branch doesn’t even have to put
“McDonald’s” on its building. Just put the yellow “M” there and you
know a McBurger’s waiting on the counter for you. Of course, other
restaurants and companies have developed memorable symbols, but I feel
that none, including the Nike swoosh, have greater recall and ubiquity
than the McDonalds logo.

I decided to forego the Olympic rings since they only come out once in
a while (four years to be exact), so I think that they’re not so
universal. Also, though I assume that there are more Moslems than
Jews, I don’t think the crescent moon has as great an impact in recall
as in the six-pointed star.

Search strategy:
globally known symbols
common most known symbols
world most recognizable symbols
surrender white flag history
olive branch peace symbols

If you are dissatisfied with this answer, please tell me so in a
clarification so that I can have it pulled out and repost it in the
comments. Thanks.

---

Clarification of Answer by techtor-ga on 09 Dec 2002 21:29 PST

Sorry about this, but I just had an afterthought. I was thinking of
replacing the pentagram with the arrow. Rationale: The arrow is more
well known as the symbol of direction. Where it points, go here,
period. Hope that helps.

This was very well thought out.  I didn't realize it was such a
difficult question and was hoping there was actual statistical data,
but short of that this was very good.  Thanks

Anecdotal quotes:

http://comms.uwo.ca/wnews/features/2002/apr/olympic/
“They are the five interlocking rings of the modern Olympic Games,
"far and away the most valuable trademarks in the world of sport and
one of the most recognized symbols in the world," says Bob Barney,…”

http://www.tvacres.com/art_symbols.htm
“The CBS logo, the "Eye," was designed by William Golden and
introduced to television on September 10, 1951. The logo was judged in
1976 to be the most recognized trademark in the world.”

http://www.maxwell.com/ultracapacitors/products/ul_info.html
http://www.ul.com/consumers/mark.html
“The UL marks are some of the most recognized symbols in the world.”

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/jan-june98/nike_5-13a.html
“It is one of the most recognized symbols in the world--the Nike
swoosh.”

http://www.plannet.com/features/branding.html
“The McDonald arches soon became [sic] one of the most recognized
symbols of fast foot chain restaurants, not just in America, but
around the world”

http://www.brandchannel.com/images/papers/FWD.pdf
refers to the following list as the world’s 10 most recognised brands,
then refers to it as the 10 most valuable brands”
“Coca-Cola, Microsoft, IBM, GE, Intel, Nokia, Disney, McDonald’s,
Marlboro, Mercedes”

http://www.publicityinsider.com/HallOfFame.asp
“The Goodyear Blimp has become one of the most instantly recognizable
symbols of any company.”

http://home.earthlink.net/~visvalley/fea100.html
“One of the most recognized symbols in the world, the octagonal Stop
Sign was designed in 1914…”

http://www.ces.uga.edu/pubcd/4-Hpubs/intro-leader.htm
“…Congress signed public law 772 that recognizes the 4-H name and
emblem. Today the emblem is in the top 10 most recognized symbols in
the world.”




search strategies
google.ca -- most recognized symbols world
google.ca -- world's 10 most recognized symbols
google.ca -- world's 10 "most recognized" symbols

Your comment looks good as an answer. I'd recommend posting it as one already.

Techtor

A fascinating question - but very difficult to find a definitive
answer. Would any of the following make the top ten?


Religious or cultural identity symbols
-------------------------------------- 

Islamic Star and Crescent
http://cyberistan.org/islamic/crescent1.htm

Star of David
http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Judaism/star.html

Stars and Stripes
http://www.geobop.com/Symbols/World/NA/US/flag/

Stars in China
http://fotw.vexillum.com/flags/cn.html


Cross-cultural symbols?
---------------------------------------

A Crossroads for Red Cross Symbol
http://www.iht.com/IHT/BJ/00/bj100400.html

Red Cross/Red Crescent Emblem: Questions and Answers
http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/d268e7e7eea08ab74125675b00364294/cc3c65d3eef16fd1c1256b66005efca7?OpenDocument



Practical information 
----------------------

Arrow to indicate direction
http://www.arrowsignco.com/

Dollar sign
http://www.chrysler.org/warhol/DollarSign.html

Visa
http://www.gopata.com/images/Visa%20Card.gif

'International Icons'
http://www.4yeo.com/pagelements/icons/signs/index.htm

Just my opinion here, and in no particular order:

The Christian Cross and the Crucifix
The Star of David
Swastica
Male and Female bathroom signs (!)
Handicap symbol
The American and British flags
The Red Cross symbol
Visa and Mastercard emblems
The Ank
The Peace sign
The Ichthus

Um...sorry for not checking over my comment before I posted it
(blush). That would be:
The Ankh
and
The Swastika

I think it depends where you are from and your cultural background.  I
am in the UK and I have never ever heard of UL or 4H. I know CBS is
some broadcasting company but I have never seen any of its programmes
so have no idea what its "eye" looks like.  GE is also a mystery.

Currency symbols are probably among the best recognised, certainly £,
$, ¥ are known everywhere. Among the cultural/religious, I would
include the yin-yang sign. Among general ones, the various "forbidden"
ones, eg "no smoking" as a cigarette in a circle and a line diagonally
across it.

Couple more comments:

I didn't post my prior comment as an answer, bacause I don't feel it's
a complete answer.

Other:

For quite some time I worked for McDonald's Corporation. When I was
hired, we were trained that the Arches were the second most recognised
symbol in the world, behind only the Coke logo. Once, we had a
training seminar during which it was mentioned that research showed
that the Arches had become the Number 1 recgnised symbol, passing the
Coke logo, the Nike swoop, Santa Claus, and even the cross. I've never
seen anything that backs that up, though.

Dear boyre-ga;

Try as I might, I was unable to pass this question up. In fact I
caught myself returning to it time and time again. I truly believe
that this is the most intriguing question I have seen yet.
Unfortunately, because of the vast array of symbolisms used the world
over it may never be answered satisfactorily.

I am going to go out on a limb here and try to answer your question
based partly upon opinion but largely upon logic and I intend to
approach it from a different angle than that associated with
advertising or easily recognizable statutes and monuments:

The world is made up of people billions of people, some of whom are
educated and some are not. Some are Christians and many are of other
faiths – or indeed subscribe to no particular faith at all. Some of
these people have free access to information and some, for whatever
reason, are restricted. So you see, it is very difficult to say for
certain who sees which symbols or in fact, what a particular symbol
actually means to those who do. Therefore I am approaching your
question logically by assuming that those who see common symbols use
the same logic.

Logically, it only makes sense that THE ARROW SIGN indicating, “travel
this way” is probably the most commonly understood symbol in the
world. Contrary to popular belief, the “stop sign” does not look the
same in every country, whereas the arrow sign does. In its simplicity
it conveys all the information needed to achieve the appropriate
results.

THE DOLLAR SIGN would certainly be a commonly recognized symbol
worldwide. Since the US has interests on every continent on the globe
it only makes sense that where there are Americans, there is the
(usually strong) dollar, either as an investing interest or in literal
terms. No matter where in the world an American may travel, everybody
knows he has one and everybody seems to want it.

SYMBOLIC SIGNAGE such as those seen in airports around the world. The
figure of a man or a woman on restroom doors, the outstretched hand
indicating “stop”, the circle with a diagonal slash indicating
forbidden, the sign bearing the image of a telephone receiver, etc.,
are all symbols that convey the same meaning in almost any language.
You will see them in almost every country on earth.

THE RED CROSS/MEDICAL AID FLAG has been flown in virtually every
country in the world since it’s inception. This internationally
recognized symbol is known the world over as an indicator of peaceful
non-combatants.

Similarly, THE AMERICAN FLAG has flown all over the world in the past
225 years. As the reigning super-power of the earth our symbol of
freedom (or in some cases, fear) is widely known, even among the
uneducated and the oppressed.

THE CHRISTIAN CROSS is also known the world over. Most Christian
religions have international missions and in fact, many Christian
religions even require their members to educate those who might not
otherwise know what the cross symbolizes. As such, an overt effort by
the Christians has been underway literally for centuries to reach
every corner of the globe in an effort to accomplish this very thing.
While you may see a Star of David or some other symbol in foreign
countries you will also often see crosses, either in cemeteries or at
churches. Although religious symbols other than the cross may not be
as widely recognized here in America, the cross is very well known
abroad.

Though not a tangible icon, KNEELING/BOWING is a globally recognized
symbolic gesture of humbling one’s self to another, either in prayer
or in submission. While not every man places his hands together to
pray, even savage people saw fit to prostrate himself or herself
before a god or a dominant figure. In terms of the number of people
who recognize this act, this probably rates near the top of the list
among recognized symbols.

The round, yellow SMILEY FACE can be seen in almost every country in
the world. Its message defies all language barriers. This is an image
drawn by children even in the earliest stages of their lives and its
fundamental message of happiness is unmistakable.

The IMAGE OF THE SUN, the circle with glowing rays extending from its
edges, has been in use since the cave man first realized he could draw
on sand stone walls. The Aztecs used it as a symbol of deity as did
the Native American Indians centuries later. Again, even a child with
no training at all can easily decipher this image.

Oddly enough, THE SWASTIKA (or Manji as it was originally called) so
affected the population of the world in the 20th century that it will
be forever tainted as a symbol of hatred and dread. Initially, one
might argue that this symbol may not have affected the cultures of the
two most populace countries, China and India, but interestingly, this
is where the manji actually came from some 5000 years ago. The symbol,
originally inverted before the Nazi’s adopted it, can be found on
ancient documents and cave paintings in areas of the Middle and Far
East. Ironically, it symbolized luck, and is still in use today in
Asia as a symbol indicating that a building is that of a Buddhist
monastery. Though the swastika may not be the most commonly used
symbol in modern times, it is certainly still one of the most widely
known.
http://www.innerx.net/personal/tsmith/swas.html
http://oba.users3.50megs.com/ec/symbols.html

THE COLOR RED is widely recognized as danger. Signs, curbs, hydrants,
flares, lights, and emergency vehicles are often come in this color
for visibility sake but since danger is usually in close proximity of
these red warnings, this color has come to be recognized an alert or a
safety issue. By the same token, the color green and the color yellow
are also widely recognized as symbols of safety and heightened
awareness, respectively.

THE WHITE FLAG is the international symbol of surrender. It is used by
almost every nation as a means of signaling an opposing force that a
fighter has agreed to submit and that he wishes no further harm to
come to him.



I didn’t post my information as an answer either because I don’t
believe the question can be answered with any measurable degree of
accuracy, citing statistics or reliable references (which, by the way,
don’t seem to exist). I posted this as a comment since I based my
information solely upon my own logical conclusions.

Thus ends my opinionated rant. I hope my personal list has provided
you with some new insight into the matter. I look forward to hearing
from you again in the near future.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga

Thank you for accepting my answer, boyre!