Wednesday, April 17, 2013



In trying to come up with an image that might represent or create the trope of Cabot Koppers, I have been thinking about representative images in general.  The idea of icons, from letters and words to peace signs and music notes.  I came up with a giant associative list of ideas and images, trying to figure out how I could combine or layer meanings, both classic and new, to project a GPS and EPS for Cabot Koppers, myself, the community...the list goes on:


stop, hammer time
stop, collaborate, and listen,
stop sign,
peace sign
caution
music notes
smiles
frowns
emotional faces in general - where are you in the midst of that emotions sheet.
color tropes
melodies in general
babies
blood
tears
silloettes/shadows
iconic people
landmarks
flags

What one item visually symbolizes Cabot Koppers?

crossed out eyes
trees/nature
letters are icons/representative

idea of branding

I heart myself?

hourglass-sands of time-sandcastle
roads

mirror cutouts

gender cutouts

iconic senses

representations of people, animals, countries, things - naming in general


In an attempt to get to the actual images instead of just making lists or rabbit trailing into the recesses of my brain I turned to...

Google


And here is what I found when I typed in the image search 'icons:'






Here I thought I was going to pull up a nice mixed range of celebrities, caution signs, emotions, landmarks, and whatnots.  Instead - it was pretty much all web based application symbols.  In fact, I had to scroll almost to the end of the first search to even get national flags.

How interesting that we are using a system of representation that dates back hundreds of years and Google gives me apps.


I know that so much of creating an icon is fame - branding an association through representation and then getting the word out there, connecting to the collective.  A symbol has to be established and then publicized.  Icons are built, not born.  So how do we create the Eiffel Tower for Electracy?  How do we invoke the awareness people have for the Tower for The Accident?




And what part do the senses play in all this - how can we evoke introspection and retrospection - how do you get people to re-connect and re-consider?  Shock and Awe?

How can we use images to convey this kind of awareness and wonder:




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