As I just found out, pretty much any graphic is a symbol. The project was easy enough to find symbols, but finding the best symbols was the tricky part.
My first symbol is for Arizona State Parks. I really liked how the cactus and tree looked like they made up a full image because Arizona’s topography is so diverse that you could find either lush trees or pointy cacti within the state’s borders. I found it outside the Riordan Park.
My second symbol is a crosswalk sign. They’re all over the city so it doesn’t really matter where I found it. The simplicity of the sign is the reason it hasn’t been changed for many years. It clearly shows the street and the pedestrian crossing it. The crisp clean lines can’t be misconstrued so that the sign is always evident. The classic black on yellow design allows cars to see it in the dark and therefore increases the safety of the streets.
The third design made me realize something about a lot of signs that are commonly seen around town: the “DO NOT” sign. Very few signs tell you that you CAN do something these days. I remember looking at this no parking sign when I was a kid and thinking, whether it was the paint fading or something else, that the sign was really just a big “R” in a circle. Content in that knowledge, I never really tried to find another meaning behind the sign. With that in mind, I feel the symbol is not the best that it could be. Most people are accustomed to this symbol but it is inherently flawed. Most of the “P” is obscured and a single “P” on a sign really doesn’t mean anything.
The fourth symbol was posted on a bathroom door in the Communications building. I feel I covered my idea of bathroom blandness in my previous journal.
The fifth symbol, similar to the sixth symbol, is of a smoking cigarette. Despite the fact that it looks a little like a snake holding a long gun, it is a pretty recognizable symbol. Smoking has become a hot button issue so there are more and more cigarette symbols around these days. However, mostly all of them deal with how to dispose or completely get rid of cigarettes.
The seventh symbol is funny without context. You have to wonder about what kind of situation happened in the past that caused someone to become so infuriated that they had a sign printed that no longer allowed couches on the premises. However, that story, like most good stories, is false. This sign was on a dumpster where apparently you can’t throw away your couch. Boring.
I like the symbol of the eighth panel. The Waste Management logo “W” and “M” sync up so well. The color choice is vibrant on what could have been a lackluster logo for a lackluster company.
The ninth symbol is the recycle sign, found on various recycling boxes and such. The arrows that fold and weave into themselves is a brilliant design. It really explains the process of recycling in much simpler terms than words could.
The tenth symbol is the handicapped symbol. While it obviously makes sense as someone in a wheelchair, when I was forming my personal view of the world (early 1990’s) there was a little show called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on. Now, I’m not saying that the handicapped symbol looks more like a ninja turtle than a wheelchair, but the mind of a 5 year old is not one of logic and reason. I figured they had to park their van somewhere.
The funniest version of the wet floor sign I have ever seen was at in a Wal-Mart bathroom. Someone had… well actually, it would be easier to just show you:
It just goes to show that a simple change of a symbol, really any variation in the monotony of endless clones of symbols can force you to re-examine the symbols around you. I will never look at a wet floor sign the same way again.
The USPS symbol, found on the side of a mailbox shows the supposed sleekness of the mail system. Had I never tried to receive a package in a timely fashion, I would be drawn to the power of the eagle and the illusion of speed that comes with it.
The thirteenth symbol goes along with the “NO COUCHES” sign from earlier. Apparently someone was having an awesome time in that dumpster and “the man” brought them down. Fight the power, couch/oven owners.
My penultimate symbol is the Quest logo, cleverly conveying speed as well as forming out the “Q” letter associated with Quest. I found it on a form for Quest. Naturally.
The final symbol was found on “Big Brother Big Sister” collection bin. The logo is nice because it’s clearly two people holding hands but the shadow from their arms forms a heart in the negative space. And that’s real special.
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