Iconography, translated from Greek as “image writing”, has been both revered and over-analyzed throughout written history. With that said, theMechanism doesn’t see any reason to stop the scrutiny now.

On February 15th, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA.gov) began testing a new icon language for airline travelers in Salt Lake City, Utah. The graphic language is based on the familiar visuals that skiers follow on the slopes. While it’s intelligent to utilize a language familiar to the locals, you can debate whether the double design whammy of both realistic silhouetted illustrations (with ethnicity fully intact) on top of shapes related to ski slopes, is overkill.

Also questionable is how each illustration specifically relates to the text it represents. While a happy family holding hands is reasonable for “Families and Special Assistance,” I wonder which design meeting led to the decision that a guy in a baseball hat with a suitcase is a “Casual Traveler,” and a female with a purse is an “Expert Traveler?”

Future usage of the system will be tested at Denver International Airport, another place where ski icons and illustrations of white folks might resonate as well.

In the end – to the average passenger – if the ideas behind the graphics don’t expedite the boarding process, no amount of design – good, bad or questionable – will ever help.