No symbol
|
|
The no symbol is a circle with a diagonal line through it (running from top left to bottom right), surrounding a picture used to indicate something is not permitted. The No symbol is usually colored red.
The Unicode for the no symbol (also called the "Prohibition" symbol) is U+20E0; ( ⃠). It appears on top of the character before it, so putting A⃠ will show A⃠. (Note: this will only appear if you have the font needed.) It also appears in the Webdings and Wingdings 2 fonts.
Under a UK Statutory Instrument, the red area must take up at least 35% of the total area of the sign within the outer circumference of the "no symbol". So 35% of everything within the outer edge of the "no symbol" must be the symbol itself.
Uses
The "no" symbol is used on traffic signs, so that drivers can interpret traffic laws quickly while driving. For example:
- Missing image
Noleft_64x63.jpg
Image:Noleft_64x63.jpg
No left turn - Missing image
No_u_turn_64x63.jpg
Image:No_u_turn_64x63.jpg
No U-turn - Missing image
No_parking_64x64.jpg
Image:No_parking_64x64.jpg
No parking
By analogy, the symbol is used in public places to refer to prohibited actions not having to do with traffic:
- No smoking (with icon of a lit cigarette)
- No littering (with icon of person throwing trash)
- No swimming (with icon of swimmer)
It is also used on packages sent through the mail, and sealed boxes of merchandise that is sold in stores. Using a graphical symbol is useful when the item must be handled by people who understand different languages as it is transported. For example:
- Breakable; do not drop
- Keep away from magnetic fields
In product documentation, this may be accompanied by humorous drawings of the product being threatened by the prohibited items: for instance, a cartoon of a floppy disk being menaced by horseshoe magnets.
It is also used on clothing, linens, and other household products to indicate the care, treament or cleaning of the item. For example:
- Do not iron
The punk band Bad Religion uses a "crossbuster" logo, with a black cross inside the circle.
Variants
In contrast, a green circle with no line through it may be used as a Yes symbol, indicating that the activity represented inside the circle is permitted, but this is not official. It is mainly used to give advice, rather than to say what must be done.
In the UK, a filled blue circle (with no white inner circle) is used to indicate mandatory actions, e.g. the wearing of a helmet on a building site, but "no" actions are always symbolised by the no symbol.
External links
- UK legislation regarding health and safety signs (http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1996/Uksi_19960341_en_2.htm) (The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 (SI 341))
- UK legislation regarding road signs (http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2002/20023113.htm)
- Working drafts for UK road signage (http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_control/documents/contentservertemplate/dft_index.hcst?n=9241&l=2)