Creative bathroom signs swap the standard stick figures for jokes, puns, cartoon characters and clever objects. The best ones still answer the only question a visitor has, which door is mine, in a second or two; the worst turn a simple errand into a puzzle. This gallery collects about a hundred examples photographed in bars, cafés, museums, theme parks and offices around the world, grouped by the kind of joke they use, with a note on each one explaining what it shows and how well it works.
Most of the photos were shared by travellers and customers on Reddit, Flickr, Imgur, Twitter and Instagram, and the collection was first assembled by Bored Panda. Where the original photographer is known, the name is linked under the picture. A few signs lean on innuendo, the kind of cheeky humour pubs have used for generations; none of it is explicit. As you scroll, try a simple test: cover the caption and ask whether a tired, hurried stranger would pick the right door.
Why restroom signs look the way they do
The plain figures you see on most toilet doors have a surprisingly specific history. In the 1970s the United States Department of Transportation asked the American Institute of Graphic Arts to design a set of symbols travellers could understand without reading English. Designers Roger Cook and Don Shanosky produced 34 pictograms, published in 1974, and 16 more were added in 1979. They include separate signs for men's, women's and shared toilets, and because they are US government works, anyone may use them free of charge. The international standard ISO 7001 plays a similar role worldwide.
Those symbols succeed because they are boring: a trouser figure, a skirt figure, high contrast and nothing else to decode. Creative signs deliberately break that code, which is why they make people smile and also why they sometimes fail. A growing number of places now label single-room toilets for everyone. California and New York City, among others, require single-occupancy public toilets to be signposted as all-gender, which helps parents with small children, carers helping someone of another sex, disabled people and transgender people.
One more piece of toilet lore deserves a correction. Thomas Crapper (1836–1910) was a real Victorian plumber with royal warrants, the first bathroom showroom and a patent for the U-bend trap, but he did not invent the flush toilet. Nor did his name give us the slang word "crap", which was already recorded for waste in 1846, when he was ten years old.
Puns and wordplay
“Men to the left because women are always right” (Brouwersdam, Netherlands)
A black sign with two gold arrows sends men left and women right, then adds the punchline that women are always right. Brouwersdam is a dam and beach area on the Zeeland coast, popular with kitesurfers. It works because the arrows give the answer before you even read the joke. Photo: Inge Vernooy
BLA and BLABLABLA
One door simply says BLA; the wall beside it is covered in BLABLABLA. The gag plays on the stereotype that women talk more, while small standard figures beside each door quietly do the real work. Without those little icons it would be a guessing game. Photo: supreme407
Ladies and Gentlemen, with advice
Victorian-style lettering and engraved figures mark Ladies and Gentlemen, each with a cheeky instruction about aim and seating. Old-fashioned type is a favourite trick in pubs because it signals fun without abandoning the familiar words. Clear and readable from across a room.
Sausage and Eggs at a breakfast bar
Two doors in a breakfast restaurant are labelled SAUSAGE and EGGS, with standard figures added for good measure. It is a menu joke with a biological wink. The backup icons mean nobody has to stop and think.
Sisters and Brothers on Holy Island
Silhouettes of a nun and a monk mark the doors, labelled SISTERS and BROTHERS. Holy Island, or Lindisfarne, off the coast of Northumberland in England, was home to a famous early medieval monastery, so the theme suits the place. A gentle joke that is instantly clear. Photo: Claudecf
Chicks and Chick Magnets
Red doors at a Chicken Salad Chick restaurant carry the words Chicks and Chick Magnets. The chain, which serves chicken salad sandwiches, began in Alabama, and its own name supplies the pun. Readable, but you do need to read it. Photo: calebspradley
An Irish pub that says the opposite
Ornate green pub plaques announce MEN and LADIES in big letters, then add in small print: but don't go in here, this is the other room. It is a classic bar trick that only works on people who read to the end. Funny once, frustrating if you are in a hurry. Photo: marley_the_cat
No Nuts and Nuts
A cartoon squirrel in a pink dress holds a cherry on one door, while a squirrel in a tie holds acorns on the other, labelled NO NUTS and NUTS. The innuendo is obvious, but so is the answer thanks to the clothing. Cheeky, cartoonish and clear. Photo: und3rb1u35ki35
Leg Lifters and Squatters
Carved wooden plaques read LEG LIFTERS and SQUATTERS, topped with tiny dog silhouettes doing exactly that. The joke borrows from dog behaviour, and the dogs above make it unmistakable. A good example of a sign that is crude in theory but harmless in practice.
Gents comb your moustache, Ladies gloss your lips
Framed prints show a black moustache for GENTS and red lips for LADIES, personalised with the names Sarah & Jake and a 2014 date. These were made for a wedding, a reminder that custom signs are now a popular party decoration. Clear and stylish.
Holsters and Pistols in Montana
Burned wooden boards at a pizza place picture two cowboy figures labelled HOLSTERS and PISTOLS. The Wild West theme suits Montana, and the double meaning is plain. Darker lighting makes them harder to read than they look in a photo. Photo: independunce
Doors at a restaurant in Germany
The door shows the word bla in blue, while the wall beside it is papered with pink bla bla bla. It is a variation on the BLA joke above, but this photo was shared under the heading of mildly infuriating, because nothing else says which room is which. Wit without wayfinding. Photo: mmmmmpopplers
Guys and Gals
Two grey doors carry a bulldog for GUYS and a poodle for GALS. Dog breeds standing in for genders is an old cartoon convention. Easy to get once you see both doors side by side.
Boys and Girls at Hot Doug's, Chicago
A hot dog in a bun says BOYS; an empty bun says GIRLS. Hot Doug's was a much-loved Chicago sausage restaurant that closed in 2014, and its sense of humour was part of the appeal. The words do the work, the pictures do the joke. Photo: Ramune Rastonis
Balls and No Balls in Brussels
Handwritten paper signs with arrows point to BALLS and NO BALLS at a bar in Brussels, Belgium. It could hardly be more direct. Cheap, crude and effective. Photo: imgur
Romanian toilet for “all sorts of ladies”
The sign reads TOALETĂ FEMEI, women's toilet, followed by pictures of a mare, sheep, cow, goat, sow and hen, each labelled in Romanian. The joke is that every animal listed is female. Clear for Romanian readers, mysterious for everyone else.
Wahine, the Māori word for women
A pink band with a carved tiki-style figure reads Wahine, the Māori word for woman. This one was photographed at a training centre in Nuremberg, Germany, far from New Zealand. Attractive, but it assumes visitors know te reo Māori.
Tāne, the Māori word for men
The matching blue band reads Tane, from the Māori tāne, man. In Germany, the pink and blue colour coding does more to guide visitors than the words do. A nice cultural nod that depends on its colours.
Bloke's and Sheila's in outback Australia
Two corrugated-iron toilet blocks are marked BLOKE'S and SHEILA'S, Australian slang for men and women, with painted figures to match. Visitors pose in front of them for holiday photos. Local language, universal pictures.
Wo and Men in Maribor, Slovenia
Painted script splits the word WOMEN across two doors: Wo on one and Men on the other. It is a clever visual pun, but read quickly it can look as if both doors say the same thing. Smart, slightly risky.
Toilet etiquette in Tokyo
A handwritten notice in English and Japanese asks men to take a step forward, with a drawing of a figure at a urinal. Polite reminders like this are common in Japan, where public toilets are famously clean. It is less a door sign than gentle crowd control.
Poop Palace in Perler beads
Someone made this home toilet sign from fused plastic Perler beads, spelling POOP PALACE beside a smiling pixel-art swirl. It is pure fun, and in a house with one bathroom there is no wrong door to pick.
Science, technology and geek humour
The IQ test: XX and XY
Two white doors are marked only with XX and XY, the usual sex chromosome pairs for females and males. Anyone who remembers school biology will get it; anyone who does not is stuck. A classic example of a sign that tests knowledge rather than giving directions.
Which door would you choose?
Brass plates read XY and XX on two dark doors, reportedly at a bar in Hamra, Beirut. It is the same chromosome joke, rendered more elegantly. Biology teachers approve; tired tourists may not. Photo: Christian Boukhater
The Googleplex
A projecting sign at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California, shows two Android robots above an arrow to the restrooms. The green robot has been Android's mascot since the operating system launched. Corporate branding, done with a light touch. Photo: olagon
#androidtoilet
Two Android robots, one wearing a bow tie and the other a hair bow, sit above the words Restrooms behind this door. It is another Google-style sign, shared under its own hashtag. The accessories carry the meaning.
Intergalactic restroom sign at a sci-fi museum
A sign shows a human, a tentacled alien and a robot, with symbols beneath including the male sign, XY over ZW and a triangle. ZW is the sex chromosome system of birds, which makes this a genuinely nerdy joke. It was photographed at a science-fiction museum, the perfect setting. Photo: Librarygroover
Aliens at the Cradle of Aviation Museum
Standard blue figures have been given antennae at the Cradle of Aviation Museum on Long Island, New York, which celebrates flight and space exploration. A tiny change that turns a dull sign into a smile. Fully clear. Photo: Michael Gray
Male and female jack cables in a music bar
White line drawings of audio cables snake across black toilet doors in a music bar. Electricians and musicians call plugs male and sockets female, so the joke is that each door shows the right connector. Brilliant if you play guitar, puzzling if you do not.
Male and female plugs
A second view of the cable doors shows how the drawings run from one door to the other. The WC symbol in the middle gives the general message even if the plug pun is lost on you. A reminder that a small standard icon can rescue a clever design.
Bolt and nut at Toxbar, Schiermonnikoog
A rusty bolt head and a hexagonal nut are mounted on riveted metal doors at Toxbar on Schiermonnikoog, a Dutch island in the Wadden Sea. The industrial joke matches the bar's metal decor. Mechanically minded visitors will get it at once.
Unisex signs at Tom Tits Experiment, Södertälje
Four small pictograms show a person doing a handstand, a golfer, a parent with a child and someone sledding, each with a cheeky dotted arc. Tom Tits Experiment is a hands-on science centre in Södertälje, near Stockholm, Sweden. The joke is that these are unisex toilets, so any figure will do. Photo: Linda Åslund
Cartoons, games and pop culture
A single-occupancy restroom
A green sign shows a horned hero with a star shield, a caped woman and a wheelchair user who looks rather like R2-D2. Because the room is for one person at a time, there is no wrong door. It includes the Braille strip and accessibility symbol the law often requires. Photo: reddit
Pac-Man at the Pinball Wizard Arcade
Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man, each chasing a line of dots, mark the restrooms above a row of pinball machines. Pac-Man was released by Namco in 1980 and Ms. Pac-Man, with her red bow, followed in 1982. Perfect for an arcade, and the bow makes it clear. Photo: NeighborFrank
Bathroom signs at Legoland
Yellow minifigure-style families mark the toilets on a bright Lego-yellow wall. The figures are drawn in the shape of the classic Lego minifigure, which has been around since 1978. Familiar to every child who walks past. Photo: p3t3r133
Legoland, Germany
Blue signs label JUNGEN (boys) and MÄDCHEN (girls) with minifigure-shaped icons. Legoland Deutschland opened in Günzburg, Bavaria, in 2002. Words and pictures together make this one of the clearest signs in the collection.
Batman and Wonder Woman in Thailand
Purple silhouettes of Batman and Wonder Woman sit above MEN and WOMEN, with the word toilet in Thai beneath. Superhero signs like this are common in Thai cafés and markets. Two famous costumes make the meaning obvious. Photo: A2L
May the Force be with you
Small steel plates show Luke Skywalker with a lightsaber and Princess Leia with her famous side buns. Star Wars characters are among the most popular themes for novelty signs, because almost everyone recognises them. Leia's hairstyle does the job of a skirt icon.
South Park's Mr. Garrison
Hand-painted doors show the South Park character Mr. Garrison on both sides, with MEN and WOMEN written above in glitter letters. The joke depends on knowing that the character's gender changes during the show's storyline. Fans laugh; others just read the words.
Marge versus Homer
Marge Simpson in a towel with her tall blue hair, and Homer in his underwear holding doughnuts, mark the two doors. The Simpsons began as a series in 1989 and remains the longest-running American animated sitcom. Cartoon characters this famous are almost as clear as a standard icon.
Olive Oyl and Popeye
Painted heads of Olive Oyl and Popeye are labelled Olivas and Popeyes. The characters were created by E. C. Segar, with Popeye first appearing in a comic strip in 1929. The Spanish-style plural labels add a playful local flavour. Photo: Patton
For Olive and Popeye
Here full-length cartoon versions of Olive Oyl and a flexing Popeye cover two whole doors. Big, colourful and impossible to miss. One of the clearest designs in the gallery.
Mickey and Minnie
A round yellow sign shows the silhouettes of Minnie Mouse, with her bow and polka-dot skirt, and Mickey Mouse, divided by a line. Mickey first appeared in Steamboat Willie in 1928. Instantly recognisable worldwide.
Superhero family in Haifa, Israel
A sign at a cinema mall in Haifa shows caped children, a superhero man and woman, and two wheelchair users with capes, above the words W.C. in English and Hebrew. Giving every user a cape is a warm, inclusive touch. Clear and kind.
Best restroom sign ever
A glowing sign shows a cartoon monster sitting on a toilet and a horned minotaur standing at one, divided by a line above the word RESTROOM. The joke is about how, not who. Funny, and for a shared restroom it hardly matters which side you pick. Photo: chewbarka
A BioShock restroom
This screenshot comes from the 2007 video game BioShock, set in the art deco underwater city of Rapture, where even the toilet signs carry the game's retro style. It shows how designers use small details like signage to build a believable world. Not a real door, but a nice piece of design.
Princesses and Knights at Warwick Castle
A parchment-style board directs princesses one way and knights the other, with a separate unisex baby-changing icon. Warwick Castle, in England, is a medieval fortress turned family attraction, so the theme fits. Arrows make it foolproof.
Ladies and Gentlemen as pigs
Two cartoon pigs, one with blonde curls and a pink bow and one with a top hat and blue bow tie, stand in for ladies and gentlemen. Animal characters soften the message for children. The accessories are all you need.
Mao and Femao at China Bear, Hong Kong
Two doors in a red-walled bar each carry a framed image of Mao Zedong, one labelled MAO and the other, presumably, FEMAO. The pun turns a political icon into a gender joke, which is part of the joke itself. Hard to read at a glance in a dim bar.
Objects, animals and food
Rain bathroom signs
MEN and WOMEN plaques each show a little cloud and a watering-can stream: falling straight down for one, spraying sideways for the other. The words make it clear, while the drawings add a mild bathroom joke. Simple and effective. Photo: CulinaryVillain
Cat and rooster
Round signs show a black cat with arrows pointing one way and a rooster with arrows pointing the other. In English slang the two animals stand for female and male, which makes this pun hard for non-native speakers. The arrows at least point you somewhere.
Shoes on the doors
A pair of women's heels is fixed to one door and men's black leather shoes to the other. Using real objects at eye level is surprisingly clear. Nobody needs to read a word. Photo: HGL
Unicorn and unicycle: unisex
One door shows a rearing unicorn, the other a unicycle, and both are labelled UNISEX. The pun is on the prefix uni-, meaning one. Both rooms are open to everyone, so the joke cannot mislead.
It's all about the seat
One sign shows a toilet with the seat up and an m, the other a seat down and a w. The letters are the same shape turned upside down, a neat double joke. Clever and still readable.
Used beer
Two framed photos show beer pouring from a bottle: straight down on one and in a sideways arc on the other. The sign is a joke on where all that beer ends up. You need a second look, but the pictures are distinct.
Bow tie and circle in Berlin
Black signs use a bow tie above a circle and a circle above a bow-shaped skirt, built from simple geometric shapes. It is a minimalist redesign of the classic figure. Stylish and, once you see both, clear.
Two knots of rope
One rope is tied in a neat knot; the other hangs loose and frayed below a tidy knot. The suggestive shapes are the joke. It is clever, but there is nothing here a first-time visitor would recognise in a rush. Photo: Madomb01
Tomcat and Kitty
Framed cat portraits sit on two dark doors, one a tough tomcat and the other a kitten with a bow. Ornate frames add a vintage feel. Easy to decode once you notice the bow.
Pizza slices at a pizzeria
A round pizza with one slice missing marks one door, and the missing slice marks the other. It is a geometric innuendo shared from a pizzeria. Customers have to think, but the joke lands. Photo: Handicapreader
Tie versus bow
A polka-dot tie on one door and a pink ribbon bow on the other. Accessories are one of the simplest ways to signal gender without a full figure. Instantly understood.
Toastone, Valencia
At Toastone in Valencia, Spain, a giant white male figure is painted across a whole black door, its head forming the top corner. Making the sign the size of the door is a bold design move. You would have to try hard to miss it.
Minimalist chains
Red and black letters M and W sit above a dangling chain and a looped chain. The chains echo the letters' shapes in a stripped-down design. Elegant, and the letters keep it clear.
Cute creatures at the Tartu Toy Museum
Painted clown-like puppets in pink and blue mark the toilets at the toy museum in Tartu, Estonia's second city. The bright colours match a museum aimed at children. Friendly and easy to follow.
The donut shop
At a donut shop, a ring donut with sprinkles sits beside the women's symbol and a long, iced bar doughnut beside the men's. The innuendo is unmistakable, but so are the small standard figures. A good balance of joke and information. Photo: shinecone
Creative sign: underwear on the wall
Real yellow underwear is fixed to a wooden wall, a bra and briefs on one side and long johns on the other, under the word TOILETTE. It is a playful three-dimensional label that needs no translation.
Coco de mer at Seychelles Airport
Carved plaques at Seychelles airport show the national symbol, the coco de mer palm. The female plant's huge double nut has a famously suggestive shape, and the male plant's catkin is just as notorious. The palm grows wild only on the islands of Praslin and Curieuse, so it makes a proud local sign.
Crocodile toilet signs in the Daintree, Queensland
A crocodile in a dress and heels marks one door, a crocodile in shorts carrying a shopping bag the other. The Daintree rainforest in north Queensland is home to saltwater crocodiles, so the theme is local. Friendly cartoons with a real warning behind them. Photo: Ralph Bestic
Dones and Homes in Castellfollit de la Roca
Photos of lacy underwear and long johns on a washing line are labelled DONES and HOMES, Catalan for women and men. Castellfollit de la Roca is a village perched on a basalt cliff in Catalonia, Spain. Words in the local language plus clear pictures.
Surfer's bathroom
Painted silhouettes on blue planks show a man holding a surfboard and a girl with a skipping rope. Beach-themed signs suit surf bars. Clear, cheerful and simple.
Skiers in Slovakia
Handmade clay figures of skiers in hats and scarves are mounted on wooden boards, one with crossed skis at her feet and one carrying skis on his shoulder. A mountain theme fits a ski resort. Charming craftwork with a slightly harder decode.
“Wrong Way” café-bar, Serbia
Framed black-and-white stills of Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart, the stars of the 1942 film Casablanca, mark the two doors. Film fans will spot it instantly. A stylish idea for a bar that loves old cinema.
Sam's Social Club, Sonoma, California
Gold signs show a man in a triangle and a woman in a circle, each up to their shoulders in water. The photo was shared from this bar in Sonoma, California, part of the state's wine country. The bathing theme is relaxed, and the faces make it clear.
So we're doing bathroom signs?
A Reddit user shared this photo of two wooden toilet doors in a bar under a large cocktails sign. The labels are small and decorated with posters, so the point of the post was how unremarkable it looked next to the others. It shows that not every door needs a gimmick. Photo: und3rb1u35ki35
Cheeky, confusing and plain baffling
Bottle and cocktail glass
Round wooden panels show a waist and hips, with a beer bottle on one and a cocktail glass on the other, placed where you might expect a figure's anatomy. The drink choice is a stereotype, and the placement is a cheeky joke. Clear enough, if a little saucy for some venues. Photo: Julie Linley
Whichever
A standard blue sign shows a figure that is half trousers and half skirt, with one word: Whichever. Shared from Grumps Café, it is both a joke and a genuinely inclusive label for a single-user toilet. The best-designed sign in the collection. Photo: starvingartistseatcharcoal.tumblr.com
Most accurate toilet door sign ever
Two figures clutch themselves, knees together, desperately in need. The joke is that this is how most people feel when they finally find the toilet. Universal, and the dress shape still tells you which side is which. Photo: behshana
The letter i
Two black doors carry what look like the letter i, each with a tiny bump on the front or back. The anatomical joke is subtle to the point of invisibility. A strong contender for the most confusing sign here.
Peaches and banana in Pittsburgh
Large paintings show halved peaches on one door and a peeled banana on the other, at a business in Pittsburgh. The fruit innuendo is obvious and old as still-life painting. Funny and, oddly, very clear. Photo: sagaciousturkey
The most confusing pair
Painted pointing hands labelled WOMEN and MEN point towards the opposite doors, and each door shows legs of the other sex. The photographer said the men's room is actually on the left. A perfect example of a joke defeating the sign's only purpose. Photo: mollykate86
Shadows
Backlit frosted glass shows life-size silhouettes of a man and a woman in playful poses. The figures are unclothed outlines with no detail, closer to dance than anatomy. Dramatic in a modern bar, and the silhouettes are easy to tell apart.
Bra and briefs
Simple white line drawings of a bra and a pair of men's briefs mark two doors. The shared caption joked that this might be the new international symbol. Not far off: it is clear, quick and needs no language. Photo: jelee_unleashed
Middle Eastern style
Line drawings in the style of Islamic architecture show a slender minaret on one panel and two domes on the other, above the word TOILET. The shapes are meant as a double meaning. Some viewers will find the joke at the expense of religious buildings tasteless, and it is far from clear.
A sign outside a toilet in Seoul
A blue figure climbs a dividing pole to peek at a red figure on the other side. The sign was photographed outside a public toilet in Seoul, South Korea, and seems to warn against peeping. It still shows the standard red and blue figures, so you will find your door. Photo: Ville Miettinen
Neon in a Bali hotel
Yellow neon tubes form suggestive shapes on black panels: two circles under an arch on one, and two circles above a curve on the other. Shared from a hotel in Bali, Indonesia, it is a visual pun that relies on lighting. Fun at night, puzzling by day. Photo: stickyaction
A toilet in Nicosia, Cyprus
Two bronze sculptures, one shaped like a mushroom and one like a smooth teardrop, are mounted beside the doors of a toilet in Nicosia. They are abstract enough to pass as art and suggestive enough to raise eyebrows. Beautiful objects, uncertain signs.
Restroom signs at Aalto University, Finland
Outlines of a halved fruit and a peeled banana are drawn on white doors at Aalto University, which sits in Espoo next to Helsinki. The fruit joke turns up again and again in this collection. Clever, but not a model of accessibility. Photo: imgur
Restroom sign at Rafla, Helsinki
A green sign shows a standing figure creating a puddle and a wheelchair user spinning through it. The photo was labelled as Rafla, a venue in Helsinki, Finland. The humour is about clumsiness rather than gender, since both figures share the room. Photo: Michael Edson
Found in Thailand
Two white figures, one doubled over and one lying flat, sit beside a yellow arrow. The joke appears to be about how people feel on their way to the toilet, or after. The arrow is the only truly useful part.
Real character bathroom at Café Korb, Vienna
The basement of Café Korb, a traditional Viennese coffee house, holds an unusual art installation toilet with curving white walls, a red floor and scattered letters. The photo credit links to the architect Manfred Plottegg's website. Disorienting by design. Photo: plottegg.tuwien.ac.at
A bathroom sign found in Thailand
A blue figure stands and an orange figure squats, each above a little puddle, beside the word TOILET. Many toilets in Thailand are squat toilets, so the sign may be about posture as well as gender. Easy to understand. Photo: Kansas_City
Mejunje wine and coffee bar
A red woman holding a bottle and a brown man holding a stick-like object stand side by side on a round black sign. Shared from a wine and coffee bar, apparently in Puerto Rico, it plays with the standard figures by giving them props. Readable, with a wink.
Today I saw a perfect toilet sign
On a portable toilet, two figures cross their legs and clutch themselves in obvious urgency, above the word Toilet. It is the same idea as the desperate figures above, and it works because everybody has been there. Perfect, as the title says. Photo: sherlockle
Legs
A cartoon drawing shows two toilet doors marked with standard figures and a person sitting on a box outside, waiting. It is signed by its artist and plays on the familiar queue for the ladies'. More social commentary than signage.
Vakvarjú, Újpest
A small square sign at a Vakvarjú restaurant in Újpest, Budapest, shows a dot and a dotted arc over a pointed shape. Most people stare at it for a while before getting it, if they ever do. Minimalism taken a step too far.
Bathroom sign in Berlin
A white board on brick shows two black figures fused together, with circles placed where you would expect anatomy. It was shared on a music and art blog that photographed it in Berlin. Clearly a sign for a toilet, less clearly for whom. Photo: theboogieblog.wordpress.com
Nicaraguan bathrooms
Two doors, each with a small pink figure, flank a shared alcove with one sink, mirror and towel dispenser. The joke is that the separate rooms meet at the same washbasin. Practical, if not very private.
Somewhere in Valencia, Spain
Small dark plaques show a bundle of straight lines on one door and a sketchy hand shape on the other, beside metal pull handles. Even with the photographer's caption, the meaning is hard to work out. A sign that needs a sign. Photo: tennis_in_my_bloood
Cool toilet sign
A red figure squats and a blue figure stands, each with a white stream, painted on narrow glass doors. Bold colours and simple poses make it clear from a distance. Crude but effective. Photo: murathison
Inclusive and accessible signs
Pride
A round rainbow sign shows a triangle with a combined symbol joining the male, female and transgender markers. It signals an all-gender toilet in a welcoming way. Clear to anyone who recognises the symbols, and often paired with text in practice.
Kensington Palace: treated like royalty
Grey tiles at Kensington Palace in London give the standard toilet, accessible-toilet and baby-changing icons tiny crowns. The palace has been a royal residence since the 17th century and is open to visitors. A perfect example of adding personality without losing any clarity.
Funny or clear? What makes a restroom sign work
Look back over the gallery and a pattern appears. The most successful designs, such as Kensington Palace's crowned icons, the Whichever sign, the superhero family in Haifa or the Lego figures, keep a familiar shape and add one small twist. The weakest, such as the i doors, the knotted ropes or the Valencia plaques, swap the shape for a riddle. Wordplay sits in between: it works for people who read the language and fails for visitors who do not.
- Keep a recognisable cue. A figure, a word or a colour that strangers already know should survive the joke.
- Put the answer first. Arrows, clear words and contrast should be seen before the punchline.
- Think about who is in a hurry. Children, older visitors, people with poor eyesight and anyone who has had a few drinks need a fast answer.
- Include everyone. Single-user rooms can simply be labelled for all, with an accessibility symbol and, where required, Braille.
- Know your audience. Innuendo that suits a late-night bar may not suit a family restaurant or a museum.
Creative signs are a small, cheap way for a business to show personality, and the best of them become photo spots in their own right. The trick is to remember that a sign is a promise of relief, and a joke that delays it is no joke at all.
Related idea: 12 Everyday Objects Reimagined Through Design.
Sources: Bored Panda (original collection); Wikipedia: DOT pictograms; Wikipedia: Unisex public toilet; Wikipedia: Thomas Crapper; individual photographers credited under each photo.
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