and the problem of the day was about Signs.
Signs are further categorised into 3 types.
Being Index, Icons, and Symbols.
Icons being something that are straightforward such as an image of you is yourself.
Indexes are like a few icons or symbols that you can relate to, combined to make a message, such as no smoking sign.
Symbols are like peace signs, dollar signs, even the metal horns.
To be really honest I was not in the best of moods because I lost my phone that day.
And I did not contribute, nor was my team's presentation focused.
However the reflection journal question was really interesting.
(Reflection Journal is RP's idea of homework via reflection, something like personal recap.)
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Question:
In your opinion, which symbol is overused in the visual world around you? Elaborate on your answer.
Response:
I can't really decide which is the most, but smileys as symbols of happiness, the peace symbol, the skull as the symbol of death or anything morbid, but the most abused, misused and overused symbol has got to the the devil's horn sign used by many metal/rock musicians, and the non-metal/rock fans.
To a person who is a fan such as myself, I am very clear of its origins as much as the fans out there. The person who had popularised it is a legendary vocalist, Ronnie James Dio. He said that his Italian grandmother used to do that sign (thumbs in) to ward off evil. So as the sign got synonymous with his fame as a metalgod, many of the younger generations kept it well alive.
However I am regrettably in the 'bastardised' generation which abuses the symbol of metal. To start off, now rock musicians do it too. But that's not too far off. I see commercial pop artists pretending to be 'metal/rock'. A few blasphemous characters are Avril Lavigne (self-proclaimed 'punk princess' -seriously, what in the world is punk princess? An oxymoron I'd say), and the recently guilty RnB/Club Hit Rihanna.
Personally I am not against anything commercial, or radio friendly, in fact I do enjoy everything, but I do believe that for every symbol you use, or spot, you have to be responsible. Now those metal horns mean nothing as good as the past.
It is like the swastika. If one wear it, they have to be prepared to answer. Is it a buddhist symbol? Or a neo- nazi symbol that you stand for? If you don a pentagram, are you an occultist? I feel that symbols are not to be taken lightly, people think they are just signs or shapes, they can just spot it or just use it in their 'art' or what nots. As every symbol mean something(s), I think everyone is responsible to do a good research before utilising it. In case they give out the wrong messages.
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The above pile of junk was written in an angst and combined with the rage of my absent-mindedness which resulted to the tragic loss of my beloved mobile phone.
It was not intended to be coherent but somehow the teacher awarded me with an A.
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Hi Cynthia,
Despite having some prior knowledge in visual design, you kept up an active role in probing and inquiry in earlier meetings. Good work. From your probing, you would have realised how your prior knowledge alone is not sufficient to tackle a communicate role, but the background knowledge makes it easier for you to jump strat into analysis and critical thinking.
Much of presentation was spent on identification rather than analysing and presenting your argument.
A highly reflective journal, as you put forth a strong argument with evidence to support the various examples you have brought up. (Indeed, you should have seen how peace sign was EVERYWHERE in the 80s :P)Critical analysis.
Despite having some prior knowledge in visual design, you kept up an active role in probing and inquiry in earlier meetings. Good work. From your probing, you would have realised how your prior knowledge alone is not sufficient to tackle a communicate role, but the background knowledge makes it easier for you to jump strat into analysis and critical thinking.
Much of presentation was spent on identification rather than analysing and presenting your argument.
A highly reflective journal, as you put forth a strong argument with evidence to support the various examples you have brought up. (Indeed, you should have seen how peace sign was EVERYWHERE in the 80s :P)Critical analysis.
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I am a sooo 'tai-ko' lol.
But I was serious about that overused part.
I saved myself unknowingly.
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