Warning

Warning labels have become ubiquitous. From take-out coffee cups to heavy machinery, they constantly caution in wordless pictures against potential injury or death. Unnoticed, often unheeded, the design of warning lables contains a special graphic language. Their visual simplicity is often uneasily juxtaposed with a desire to achieve clarity of message, making their meaning clear but frequently awkward and often comical. The human figures in warning lables have perfectly round heads, rarely with a neck, and almost always a stick body. Movement is shown through ellipses used to indicate crushing or flinging of the head and body. Fire is portrayed as a cloud of red, exploding out in all directions, and filling the lungs of the victim. Crushing is often displayed by distorting the stick figure's shape to mimic the crushing object. Frequently the human figures throw hands in the air in a dramatic, silent "Oh no!" "Oh no!" indeed, Warning is a collection of some 160 maCabre warning lables from around the world, depicting the worst hazards imaginable. Be entertained, be amused, but most of all be forewared!… (more)