Project 1: Icon Design

Portray an action (Verb) abstractly in black and white.

Pictograms and icons have one thing in common: they both pictorial signs. However, they have very different functions. Pictograms are used to warn, guide or protect and need to be immediately decipherable. They must get right to the heart of the matter by visually conveying a vital piece of information in such a way that it cannot be misunderstood, and they should a vital piece of information in such a way that it cannot be misunderstood, and they should therefore be internationally recognizable and independent of culture. Consequently, in terms of design they are bound by much stricter, formal constraints that demand great discipline.

Icons in contrast are primarily used to communicate message in a fun way and therefore enjoy much greater freedom of design. Icons have increasingly undergone a shift in character from informative to entertaining.

.Your first task is to create an abstract image that is a REPRESENTATION of a issue that you feel passionate about. See the issue list.

It should fall into one or more of the following categories:
Social, Political, Economic, Religious and/ or Cultural.
.With your topic in mind, make a list of words
(verb’s work best) that exemplifies your topic.
For example you may feel passionately about “WAR” a list of words might include things such as: shooting, killing, defending, attacking, occupy, bleeding, burning, etc.
Choose three of these words and draw four sketches for every word. You will have 12 drawings. From these drawings evolve your design into one refined  symbol which should some how represent the ethos of the original word that it is derived from. 


FORM
MEANING
CULTURE
Hunger
Illiteracy
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Marijuana
Minimum Wage
Peace
Poverty
Prayer in the Schools
Privacy
Racism
Recycling
Religious right
Terrorism
Tobacco
Unions
War
Women’s Rights
Workers Rights