3 Pictograms

One very simple way of showing data is in pictograms, which use pictures to count with. Pictograms have a strong visual impact.

As with tables, you need to decide on your title and what each row of the pictogram means. You also need to decide on your key. The key tells your reader what the picture you are using means.

The following pictogram shows the number of cars using a car wash at different times during the week:

Figure 5 Car wash pictogram

Show description|Hide description

An illustration with a label ‘Sunday afternoon’, with three cars, and ‘Monday afternoon’, with one car. The key is that a picture of a car ‘means one car using the car wash’.

Figure 5 Car wash pictogram

The important thing to remember with pictograms is that there must be a key to tell the reader what the picture means. In the example above, the picture of one car means one car used the car wash. But in the next example, showing the number of people buying petrol from a garage between 2 and 3 p.m. on a Sunday and Monday afternoon, the key is used differently:

Figure 6 Petrol pictogram

Show description|Hide description

An illustration with a label ‘Sunday afternoon’, with one stick figure, and ‘Monday afternoon’, with three stick figures.

Figure 6 Petrol pictogram

Every pictogram needs a key – but this one doesn’t have one! You might think that means one person buying petrol.

In fact, means five people buying petrol, means four people buying petrol and means three people buying petrol.

Now try the following activity. Remember to check your answers once you have completed the questions.

It is important to make sure you understand what the key means so that you can understand the data correctly.

There are advantages and disadvantages to using pictograms. On the one hand, they are easy to understand. On the other hand, however, they can only show a few things.

Activity 7: Creating a pictogram

The following table shows the number of people queueing at a local post office at different times of the day:

Time	Number
9 a.m.	4
11 a.m.	2
1 p.m.	7
3 p.m.	1
5 p.m.	3

Show this information as a pictogram using the key where represents five people.

Answer

Does your pictogram look like the one below?

Figure 7 Post office pictogram

Show description|Hide description

A pictogram showing the information in the previous table, where a stick figure with a head, two arms and two legs means five people queuing at the post office. The label ‘9 a.m.’ has a stick figure with a head, two arms and one leg; the label ‘11 a.m.’ has a stick figure with a head and one arm; the label ‘1 p.m.’ has a stick figure with a head, two arms and two legs and a stick figure with a head and one arm; the label ‘3 p.m.’ has a stick figure with a head; and the label ‘5 p.m.’ has a stick figure with a head, one arm and one leg.

Figure 7 Post office pictogram