New Universal Health Care Symbols Transform Wayfinding Signage: Innovative Sign System Will Help More Than 50 Million Americans Navigate Hospital Hallways

Fifty four symbols to be released in August provide health care leaders and the professional design community with the first comprehensive and rigorously tested international standard system of wayfinding signs that's easier to comprehend, no matter the language or reading level. EPS vector art download is available now at http://www.UltimateSymbol.com

Stony Point, NY (PRWEB) June 24, 2010

Universal Symbols in Health Care(TM) is a new international standard symbol system that marks a turning point in how medical facilities communicate with visitors. Design clip art leader Ultimate Symbol announced today the August release of this new sign standard, the result of an 8-year development program. This is the most extensively researched and tested group of symbols for this subject in existence today.

In the United States, language diversity is increasing within most locales, making it difficult to comply with federal requirements for text signs in patients' languages. More than 50 million Americans are unable to easily or quickly navigate large, complex medical institutions housing innumerable units, sections and visitor destinations using written signs. These challenges led to the development of 54 ground-breaking symbols covering everything from Clinical & Medical Services to Facilities, Administrative Services, and Imaging. George Smith, Architectural Project Manager, Grady Memorial Hospital, GA, said, "Use of these symbols will save us money in terms of sign implementation and updates."

With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, this collaborative development program was led by Hablamos Juntos (We Speak Together) and the SEGD (Society of Environmental Graphic Design), and involved independent researchers, four design school teams (Cincinnati Univ., California Polytechnic, Iowa State Univ., and Kent State Univ.), and several groups of design professionals. Final symbol designs were completed in April 2010 by international symbols expert and designer Mies Hora, Creative Director and President of Ultimate Symbol. An article with the complete project history and credits is available online.

“Universal Symbols in Health Care: Special Edition provides sorely needed navigation tools for architectural signs in hospitals and clinics offering essential services to visitors with LEP (Limited English Proficiency) as well as those with limited literacy,” stated Mies Hora. The Special Edition download package announced today by Ultimate Symbol has an addendum of 42 symbols including relevant Public Services, Information, Regulations and Warnings. Users can easily browse and download the entire volume or single images directly from Ultimate Symbol.

Availability
Universal Symbols in Health Care: Special Edition will be available with an Introductory Offer for $14.95US, beginning August 2010 for all 96 images or $9.95 per single image download. CDs will be available (Mac/PC) for $19.95 (including shipping) on the web site or by phone: 800.611.4761. The volume download and CD will both come with an extensive PDF catalog display of the symbols, fully-indexed with Spanish translations, a thorough background history of the project, as well as a PDF poster that charts the symbol system. Images will also be made available through Craig Berger, SEGD.

About Ultimate Symbol
Ultimate Symbol is a publisher of digital content for design, graphic arts, publishing, sign making, and corporate communications professionals. The Ultimate Symbol Collection is a comprehensive, well-organized, utilitarian, and meticulously drawn suite of royalty-free visual reference materials designed to meet the needs of serious, discerning designers worldwide. Based near New York City, Ultimate Symbol was founded in 1992 and is privately held.

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