Range of free-to-use ‘age-positive’ icons launched to replace stereotypical symbols of ageing
We've released a suite of icons, freely available for public use, as alternatives to symbols commonly used to represent ageing and older people.
SwaG Design won the chance to design the new icon range with their ‘dancing couple’ design, which was a reimagining of the famous road sign featuring hunched-over stick person crossing the road.
The Centre for Ageing Better has released a series of ten age-positive icons, designed to replace the limited and stereotypical selection of icons and symbols commonly used to depict ageing and older people in public life.
The new range of icons was developed as part of a competition Ageing Better launched with Public Health England last year. SwaG Design won the bid to design the new icons with its ‘dancing couple’ entry, which gave the classic road sign featuring hunched over stickmen a makeover, replacing them with an older couple dancing.
The new range of icons has been designed in consultation with people in later life and aims to show the diversity of later life in a positive and realistic way. They were inspired by the eight World Health Organization (WHO) domains which make an Age-friendly Community, including transport, housing and social inclusion. They include images of cycling, gardening and doing the shopping.
The launch of the new icon range is part of a wider effort by Ageing Better to tackle ageism and use of damaging stereotypes across public life. They follow the launch of an ‘age-positive’ image library, which offers a wide selection of photographs that avoid negative stereotypes associated with older people and are free for public use.
The icons are published under the CC0 1.0 Universal licence, entered into the public domain. If you'd like to contact us or to download EPS versions of the icons, get in touch at [email protected]. You can also view the shortlisted entrants of our competition and find out more about previous attempts to rethink the 'Elderly road sign'.
