Arrows are everywhere, from pointing out items of interest to leading others to places or even to add dramatic tension to a design. The arrow has a dynamic shape that creates implied lines all over. It really is amazing how often arrows are used in daily life and how much we take them for granted.
When I first read the assignment, I realized all the arrows that were immediately around me. There was the dial on my speakers, the back and forward buttons on my internet tab, the volume on my alarm clock, even the cursor I was using on my laptop. The point (pun intended) of the arrow is meant to direct and in this day and age, directions are everywhere as our lives get more and more complicated.
Walking outside to photograph the arrows for the assignment, I had a sense of dread that I wouldn’t be able to find arrows on anything other than street signs. It came as a surprise that arrows were found in so many different places. Sure, a lot of the street signs had arrows but I wanted to show more than that. I found that basically anything could be an arrow. The tops of fences, shadows, traffic cones, you name it. Phil Patton’s article suggests that arrows have been around forever, “dating back roughly 25,000 to 50,000 years”. It’s easy to see why this is the case.
My first arrow is a side profile of a sign outside my apartment complex. The arrows at the top are for a purely aesthetic feel, simply giving the post a completed feel towards the top.
The second arrow was painted on the ground over by Michael’s crafts, detailing on the direction that cars should drive. There are numerous of these lines all over Flagstaff, directing traffic and such.
The third arrow pictured was on the front glass of a target sliding door. It’s interesting that if the green arrow means “go” on a door, the opposite doors had a “do not enter” sign of a red ring with a red horizontal line through the middle. It’s the combination of colors and symbols that we recognize as a society. Had the arrow been surrounded by a red border, there would guaranteed be a few confused customers.
My fourth arrow picture was on a sheet for postal service mailbox change forms. The bold arrow was very out of place on the official sheet and thereby emphasized the importance of the text it was referring too.
The next arrow was found on top of a fence. I find it interesting that the general shape of the fence posts would not have been changed structurally had there been no semi circle indentations in the sides but whatever the reason the manufacturers decided to emphasize the arrow on top of the fence.
The sixth arrow was found pointing to a nearby park. Pretty self-explanatory.
The seventh arrow was showing visitors where buildings in an apartment complex. The up arrow can be confusing sometimes. It can either mean that the thing is forward or literally straight in the air. Something to think about.
My eighth arrow is on an EXIT sign, probably the most common and universally known arrow. It is one of the only arrows required by law to be put up in buildings.
The Gatorade arrow is supposed to resemble a lightning bolt. The point of the arrow is the most concentrated part of the lightning, making whatever it is pointing to very dead. It’s no wonder a big part of the Gatorade brand is “electrolytes” when their logo is electricity.
My tenth arrows are the roof supports to the Fieldhouse building. I always knew the supports looked weird but it wasn’t until I had to take a picture that I noticed that it looked like a bunch of arms outstretched and pointing to the sky. It reminded me of a war propaganda poster that I once saw but can’t locate for this assignment.
The eleventh arrow was spray-painted on the ground, which is the universal sign for “there are pipes or something important under here”. It’s funny that an arrow is really the only thing you can spray-paint on the ground that won’t be considered vandalism.
The next two arrows are both at school, pointing to various buildings and legal street moves.
The fourteenth arrow is a mailbox. I would definitely say that this is my most iffy arrow out of all of them. It’s really not so much shaped like an arrow as it signifies one. When the flag is up, it means mail. Flag down; no one loves you.
Arrow number fifteen is a shadow of a fence post that I found in a graveyard. No, it does not lead to treasure.
The sixteenth arrow is probably the only unintentional arrow out of all of them. The tiny Christmas tree I found next to a gravestone struck me as really special for someone to leave by a grave.
The seventeenth arrow is a traffic cone, where the arrow shape is less of a directional pointer as it is a stable design that allows for less tipping and more stacking.
My eighteenth arrow uses the arrow as a decorative topping but also as a security feature. The point defined by the tip of the arrow dissuades trespassers as well as creating implied lines that makes the fence seem higher than it is.
The last two arrows are posted on signs. Yikes. I am completely out of arrow commentary.
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