Sources of Symbols

Classrooms and Clip Art

Elementary schools and clip art have reduced the drawing of some tangible objects to a few simple conventions. As long as you follow those conventions, the image will be recognized. See also Cartoons and Corporate Logotypes

Simplified or Standardized Drawing:

Two things to notice:

  1. Standardized drawings often include characteristics that do not necessarily appear on every specimen of this object.
  2. Some of these drawings highlight the one or two most distinctive characteristics of the object at the expense of more commonplace characteristics.
Angel (OK, technically, an angel isn't a "tangible object", but that proves my point. Even though no one has seen one, we all know how to draw one -- with wings and a halo.)
Apple (An apple is generically round when viewed from the outside, so we draw the shape of its cross-section instead. And include a stem.)
Bee (stripes, stinger)
Ball (a baseball rather than a basketball, soccer ball, football, golf ball, etc.)
Boat (sails)
Book (has to be open)
Camera
Cat (pointy ears, whiskers)
Chair
Cherry
Chicken
Clock (analog face)
Crown
Devil (Again, no one's ever seen him, but we all know what he looks like.)
Droplet (Actually, when a drop is in free fall, it's spherical, not drop-shaped.)
Elephant (ears, tusks, trunk)
Factory (smokestack, skylights)
Flower (A generic flower is drawn as a daisy, not as a rose or tulip.)
Gift (ribbon, bow)
Grave
Heart (It doesn't really look like this you know.)
House (pointed roof, chimney)
Ice Cream (on a pointy cone)
Jewel
Lion (mane)
Moon (crescent, not full)
Owl (horns, big eyes)
Rocket (Always include the fins for aerodynamic stabilization, even in the vacuum of space.)
Shield (not round, oval or square)
Snowflake
Sound
Star (five points)
Street
Suitcase
Television (Even if you have cable, you need antennae.)
Tooth (molar -- not incisor or canine)
Tractor
Tree
Voice

Visual cliches:

Some standardized depictions go one step further and illustrate abstract concepts rather than the object itself.

Bank
Courage
Good Luck
Humor
Love
Medicine
Movie
Music
Officialdom
Weather

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Last updated August 2005

Copyright © 2005 Matthew White