Friday, July 9, 2010

Journal Entry Three: Symbols/Icons


The theme of my photographed symbols takes place in the neighborhoods of flagstaff.




The first symbol photographed is simply a capital P with a red circle around it and a red slash through it. Although it has no written words or actual pictures, the public can still interpret what this sign and symbol is trying to signify. It means no parking in the designated area.



The next symbol is simply a black arrow inside of a yellow diamond. I found it to the right of a residential road. Any person who has not seen this sign ever before might wonder where the sign is directing them to go. However, the sign is signifying that a left turn is approaching and that they should be cautious of this. Anyone who sees these signs everyday and has had to deal with them regularly knows that any sign consisting of a yellow diamond is trying to warn them of something.




The next symbol that I photographed is a small yellow sign that says dead end and has a small arrow pointing to the right. The word itself dead end is a second order signifier meaning that it is constructed from two separate signs, “dead” and “end”, that describe the construction of the object it represents. In this case the word dead is meaning deceased and end meaning that it has stopped. These words are referring to the road itself and are telling you that the road is not continuous to the right.




The next thing that I photographed is an actual sign that advertises a roofing company. In this case, the sign is not the symbol but the roof of the house that the sign is in front of is the actual symbol. It symbolizes the quality work that the company does.





The next two symbols that I found were together, one above the other. One is a yellow diamond with a picture of a bicycle in it and one of a P with a slash through it, which was earlier discussed. The yellow diamond signifies caution to any driver with prior knowledge of this and the image of the bicycle indicates that there are bicyclists in the area. So, when two and two are put together, the driver knows that the sign is signaling to caution bicyclists.



The next symbol that I found was on a center median of a road. The symbol is made up of negative space that creates an arrow. Inside of the arrow, there is text that states "one way." What the symbol/sign is trying to signify is that the road that they are turning onto is one way and that you can't cross over the median. The only direction that you are able to go is right.



The next symbol found was to the right of a residential road. It is a yellow pentagon with an image of two people holding hands. The sign is signifying caution of crossing pedestrians in 250 feet.



The next symbol that I found was on the right hand side of a residential road. The sign is a green rectangle with a picture of a bicycle and text that says "bike route." The sign signifies that there is a bike route nearby and is directing cyclists to it. However, what I found interesting about this sign is that someone covered up the arrow that is directing cyclists with a piece of paper.



The next symbol was found on the center median of a road and is a white sign containing a have oval shape with a wavy arrow next to it. What this sign is signifying is that cars will have to merge a little to the right in order to avoid the center median.



The next sign that I came across were two signs, one beneath the other. The top sign is a speed limit sign and is signifying to the driver that they may only go a maximum of 25 miles per hour and the sign beneath it is a no parking sign which was discussed earlier but there is some added text beneath it. This added text says "here to corner." What this text means only makes sense if its in combination with the no parking symbol. It means that there is no parking from the point of the sign to the end of the curb on road. It is the same sign as before, only it gives more specific instructions.



The next sign is similar to the last. It is a no parking symbol but also has some other text right beneath it. This text says, "bike lane." The sign is signifying to the driver that there is no parking on the road but also giving them an explanation as to why. The driver can't park there because there is a bike lane there.



The next sign has a couple different symbols on it. The one that I will be focusing on is the square with the image of a bus inside of it. This symbol was found next to a bench on the side of a road near a set of apartments but, what does it mean? This sign in signaling that there is a bus stop and that you may wait there for the next bus to pick you up.




The next symbol was found to the right of a residential road and is warning drivers that the area they are driving through is monitored by a radar for speed control.



The next sign that I decided to photograph is one of the most commonly seen symbols. It is a red octagon with the text, "stop" inside of it. This sign is signaling the driver that they must make a complete stop and let other cars proceed in order of sequence at the intersection and then when it is the drivers turn to proceed they may go in the direction that they were intending to go.



The next sign is in the shape of a yellow octagon and contains two symbols within it. It has a black arrow pointing "up" and a red octagon beneath it. This sign is simply cautioning the driver that there is a "stop" sign approaching and that they should begin to slow down.

No comments:

Post a Comment