Symbols : The Alphabet of Human Thought

Symbols have been used to show ownership, group affiliations and to signify who made a particular object.
They convey direct information or can carry quiet subliminal message

A. Symbol Primer

1. Pictograms
These images represent an idea or concept. Chinese is a written language comprised of 50,000 pictograms.
Pictograms are useful for conveying information through a common “visual language” which is understood regardless of your native language or degree of literacy.

2. Phonograms
A Phonogram is a graphic character or symbol that represents a spoken sound, or a combination of letters that represent a sound.

3.Rebus
Picture images that represent a spoken sound. The rebus, which is mostly used for amusement today, was an important link in the development of the phonetic alphabet during the period of Egyptian hieroglyphics.

4.Ideogram
An ideogram is a character or symbol representing an idea or a thing without expressing the pronunciation of a particular word or words for it. Above, an ideogram demonstrates the perils of tipping a vending machine, below, a request to not smoke in a specific area.

5.Coat of Arms & Family Crest
Originally signifiers of birth or hometown, coats of arms were worn on the crest of a helmet or chest armor for identity in battle.
As the image was moved to other objects it first retained the helmet as part of the composition (see above where the deer stands) Eventually the image moved off of the helmet and chest plate and onto banners, dinnerware, etc.
Now they appear on items ranging fromiautomobiles to web sites, or on any application that wishes to imply regal lineage or status.

6. Monogram
Greek for ’single line.’ In early European kingdoms illiterate monarchs signed documents with custom monograms. Today a designer’s monogram can add status to an everyday object and add value to the price.monogram