Last Thursday, a friend of mine and I were driving when one of her dashboard lights lit up. Immediately she started freaking out because she explained the light was of an exclamation point enclosed in parenthesis ( ! ). Now, I don’t know about you, but exclamation point to me says “Danger / Check Engine Now / Tuck and Roll out of the car before it explodes.” So we pulled over, turned off the ignition, and quickly flipped through the owner’s manual.

Low
Tire
Pressure.

Yes, that’s right. I mean, look, I know tires are designed to operate within certain pressure ranges, but come on, that is NOT worthy of the exclamation point. We might have had to start worrying in about 500 miles, meanwhile I’m in fetal position ready to pull a Keanu Reeves circa 1994 and roll out dis piece.

Granted, I only looked at the icon after pulling over, then realizing my friend failed to explain that the parenthesis was actually connected underneath. BUT, no matter, icons are meant to be recognized at first glance, immediate recognition, especially for new-drivers.

To my point though, why did you, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, decide that the most alarming symbol should be used for low tire pressure? I can’t possibly imagine the symbol now needed for “over-heating” or “check-engine”; perhaps a mushroom cloud or an ignited skull and crossbones?

God-forbid the symbol for low-tire pressure be of a TIRE.

I kept this story in mind as I developed an icon set for a scheme of the new Common Goal interface I was designing; remembering that the most important feature of an icon is to be immediately recognizable without prior experience, thus carrying a great responsibility, and should be designed with care.

So, you be the judge. Forgetting all prior knowledge of cars and their parts & symbols, which icon looks more menacing to you?