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Exercise 2 - Signs & Symbols 1. Exploring the Metaphors for Danger,Movement, Love & Here DANGER Danger is an important symbol. It needs to be clear and understood. Below is a copy of the images I sketched in my book together with words that are associated with danger. When you look at danger as a symbol it's clear from looking online that universally there are a few images which conjure up danger. The typical warning triangle with an exclamation mark inside. The electric symbol, usually danger of death. The hazardous symbol of a cross and a nuclear hazard symbol.

1. Exploring the Metaphors for Danger,Movement, Love & Here · 1. Exploring the Metaphors for Danger,Movement, Love & Here DANGER Danger is an important symbol. It needs to be clear

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Page 1: 1. Exploring the Metaphors for Danger,Movement, Love & Here · 1. Exploring the Metaphors for Danger,Movement, Love & Here DANGER Danger is an important symbol. It needs to be clear

Exercise 2 - Signs & Symbols

1. Exploring the Metaphors for Danger,Movement, Love & Here

DANGER

Danger is an important symbol. It needs to be clear and understood.

Below is a copy of the images I sketched in my book together with words that are associated with

danger.

When you look at danger as a symbol it's clear from looking online that universally there are a few

images which conjure up danger.

The typical warning triangle with an exclamation mark inside.

The electric symbol, usually danger of death.

The hazardous symbol of a cross and a nuclear hazard symbol.

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The skull and crossbones. This is also a symbol for pirates, for the Jolly Rodger flag. This may

in fact draw children to it, rather than be a symbol of danger.

Danger conjures up bold words and statements with the colours

red

yellow

orange

I also took a picture of the images on the back of various bottles from my cupboard. The cross

symbol seems to universally be an irritant. The cross is also a symbol for multiply. Turn the cross and

it also has other meanings like first aid.

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MOVEMENT

Movement is a little harder to find an actual symbol for except for the concept of arrows.

Sketched are the images that are conjured up when I think of movement.

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When people are moving in pictures little dashes always depict the movement, like the little

man I've drawn running.

Or like with a shooting star.

Arrows also depict things moving - moving house, a moving elevator or escalator.

Rivers and waves give a sense of movement.

Seeing a snake and a ladder instantly makes you think of moving up and moving down.

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LOVE

The big symbol of love is universally known as the heart.

It's a huge symbol and if you asked anyone to think of a symbol that is used the most they would

likely say the heart. It's a beautiful symbol.

I wrote and sketched some things that came to me when I thought of love.

The colour of love is red

Love conjurs up images of

harps

lovebirds

flowers

kissing and more.

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Another symbol for love is Cupid. In ancient Greece is was said that he was the son of Aphrodite, the

godess of love. Cupid is depicted with a bow an arrow. An arrow being another symbol used in

MOVEMENT and HERE.

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HERE

Here is another symbol that is tricky to symbolise but once I started thinking about it a few things

came to me.

The arrow is the most significant. Pointing down more often than not.

A pointing finger points to here. The mouse button changes to a pointing finger when you are about

to click 'here'.

Maps often have a downwards pointing arrow to say 'you are here'.

Google have changed this arrow symbol to a bubble like arrow. When you look at google maps and

search for say a hotel or restaurant, you now get an alphabetical list with the A contained within a

bubble and a point underneath. This is the more modern approach to a 'you are here' pointing

down arrow you would see on a map at say a country park, or town centre. It's more like a marker.

When you think of pressing a button, you think of a red button, getting your attention, to press

'here'

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2.Researching and Developing Ideas for my chosen word, Movement.

I've already looked at the symbols already out there earlier on. I've also done some reading of the

book 'This means this and this means that' It helped me to try and think about movement in other

ways and the meaning of it to different people. As I explored in my mind map I realised that

movement meant other things like 'a movement' like a public rights movement. For which the

symbol seems to be a fist. Being united, taking a stand. There are lots of historical movements.

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I decided to develop some of the ideas from the mind map that I liked the look of. Trying to come

up with ideas.

So I tried to draw a Cheetah in as many poses running as I could. Once I did this I looked online for

cheetah symbols and funnily enough, two of the drawings I did imitated two logos that are out

there! I spent a while breaking down the parts of the cheetah to make a block looking symbol.

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My waves ended up turning into arrows which I want to keep away from as an arrow is already used

for movement.

This was a hard one - what else could I do with footsteps. I like the little legs walking.

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I was going to look at pullys and gears but decided to think about the workd instead. It started with

gravity, motion, movement. Moving planet, spinning on it's axis. I decided to start by taking this one

to the computer to have a play.

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3 Visualising my Ideas

I Started off with the world spinning idea - okay not so great a world but kind of world looking.

Decided to try something a bit more symbol looking. Could this be confused with recycling. I think

the axis helps to give the impression of movement. This looks nice enough as it is.

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I added colour and moved the position of the arrows so they are showing the spin to get away from

the recycle symbol. Not sure about the colour. Still looks a little like recycle.

I got rid of the colour and tried lots of little arrows depicting the spin. They look a little sad, too

small.

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Back to the big arrows. Okay so looking better. Bigger arrows showing the movement of the world.

there is no colour. Does it need colour? Research suggested blue for movement. Arrows pointing

are blue, signs are blue, the sea moving blue. I'm going to try blue and make the axis shorter.

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No colours don't do it any favours. I'm sticking with the black.

So it's not terribly exciting but I think it does depict movement.

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I know I can do better than this though and I had some great initial ideas. The world works but it's

just missing a bit of flair! I liked the movement of the cheetah so I played around with the cheetah

running. Placed one over the other. Placed over the wave. I looked at jumping pictures online and

people are always pictured jumping in front of a sunset.

Maybe the cheetah could be running in front of the moon. Or the sun. Movement. Running

forever, night and day. I decided to take it to the computer.

Cheetah in front of a yellow moon.

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Cheetah in front of the grass. I hadn't changed the colour and by accident I realised it looked like fire

and looked really vibrant.

Changed to grass colour.

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Then perhaps a sea of waves.

I preferred the fire looking image.

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I made the cheetah leaner and made the flames sharper.

Played with adding more flames and more cheetahs inside them.

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I wasnt completely happy with the examples. I wanted it to look sleeker. My rationale is to make a

symbol that shows movement, that isn't already used. I could apply Occams Razer technique. The

flames appear to be coming out of the cheetah so why not get rid of the bottom and do just that....

Yes this looks good. but maybe enlarge the flames.

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So I could play with this for hours but I'm happy enough with the outcome. I researched current

images for movement in my initial report. I mind mapped some ideas, sketched them out and then

explored a couple of them that I liked further. I had played with the cheetah idea until I happened

to see the flames which I then utilised into this design. This to me is a good symbol of movement. A

Cheetah is the fastest animal. The suggestion of flames flickering shows movement too.

I'm pleased i've done lots of screen grabs as it's useful to go back and see how I progressed through

my ideas. Hopefully i've done some more playing this time and i'll keep trying to play more in my

designs.