Ambiguous Visual Controls: This Way is Up

By Jon Miller Updated on February 26th, 2019

This makes it three for three on scoring photos of ambiguous visual controls during visits to this European country.

What could this sign possible mean? A reminder to vertigo sufferers of which way is up? A public service campaign in a country of pessimists to “look up at the sky, hold your head high?” The unexpectedness combined with the curiosity it generates in the observer resulted in the powerful ability of this visual to control my reaction and look up at the empty sky. I couldn’t help it. Was the purpose of this visual control to make me look up? It’s unknown and ambiguous. Few visual controls are as effective, or as useless.

Jon Miller

Jon has dedicated his 25+ year career to the field of kaizen, continuous improvement, and lean management. Jon spent the first eighteen years of his life in Japan, then graduated from McGill University with a bachelor’s in linguistics.

Michael
November 12, 2008 - 4:10 pm
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I would suggest that someone has rotated the arrow, it is most likely a one-way sign or similar. see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_European_traffic_signs
Bill
November 12, 2008 - 6:02 pm
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Jon,
My handy dandy Hungarian road guide that I carry with me at all times says that this sign indicates the direction of one-way traffic. Perhaps it was turned around to face the building. My guess would have bee that it indicates where one should look to avoid seeing all the graffiti on the walls.
Jon Miller
November 17, 2008 - 10:03 pm
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That would explain it. Thanks.
Maybe we need to write a book ,”The Traveler’s Guide to Ambiguous Visual Controls in Hungary.” I am just joking.