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Posts tagged "symbols"

Feb 25, 2010
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Jan 25, 2010
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Realism in UI DesignNice little article on designing symbols / icons with some theory from Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics.
Realism in UI Design

Nice little article on designing symbols / icons with some theory from Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics.

Oct 21, 2009
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Oct 13, 2009
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Jul 06, 2009
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Sep 19, 2008
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Build is a very good choice of words. I decide what I would like to draw, then I build each drawing using the basic building blocks, the graphic alphabet introduced in the Drawing Book of Animals; that is, rectangles, triangles, circle, half circles and a few squiggles dots and lines.

Sep 18, 2008
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The Little Man: The San Francisco Chronicle’s Rating System


The only rating system that makes any sense is the Little Man of the San Franciscio Chronicle, who is seen (1) jumping out of his seat and applauding wildly; (2) sitting up happily and applauding; (3) sitting attentively; (4) asleep in his seat; or (5) gone from his seat….The blessing of the Little Man system is that it offers a true middle position, like three on a five-star scale.—Roger Ebert


The Little Man was the creation of Chronicle artist Warren Goodrich in the early 40s. 

On the occasion of the Little Man’s 50th birthday, Goodrich recalled it was just another assignment that he dashed off quickly, noting, “I’m surprised (it) continued.”…Goodrich, who died last year, once recalled that a woman (possibly a disgruntled actress) once hit him on the head with her umbrella and said, “I hate the Little Man!”

There’s more:


The Little Man pose in between the politely applauding and the snoozing Little Man was redesigned in a microscopic makeover: the “alert viewer” Little Man’s expressionless mouth was tweaked with a slight upturned curve, to indicate a hint of a Mona Lisa smile, suggesting a vague amusement. His raised eyebrows indicate interest but not quite approval, denoting mixed feelings. After artistic spinal fusion, he also sat up more alertly, signifying a mixed review.
All of this came after Talmudic editorial discussions about the meaning of the enigmatic No. 3 Little Man: Did his indecipherable gaze indicate intrigue or ennui? Polite diffidence or glazed-eyed apathy? As a Datebook editor noted, “He’s the middle child, and the most unmanageable.”


I actually think the mouth teak on #3 is confusing — if #3 is truly in the middle, his back should be against the chair, and his mouth should be a straight line (or no line at all), with no eyebrows. A blank face. (I couldn’t track down the original…does anyone have it?) Like this:

The Little Man: The San Francisco Chronicle’s Rating System

The only rating system that makes any sense is the Little Man of the San Franciscio Chronicle, who is seen (1) jumping out of his seat and applauding wildly; (2) sitting up happily and applauding; (3) sitting attentively; (4) asleep in his seat; or (5) gone from his seat….The blessing of the Little Man system is that it offers a true middle position, like three on a five-star scale.Roger Ebert
The Little Man was the creation of Chronicle artist Warren Goodrich in the early 40s.
On the occasion of the Little Man’s 50th birthday, Goodrich recalled it was just another assignment that he dashed off quickly, noting, “I’m surprised (it) continued.”…Goodrich, who died last year, once recalled that a woman (possibly a disgruntled actress) once hit him on the head with her umbrella and said, “I hate the Little Man!”
There’s more:

The Little Man pose in between the politely applauding and the snoozing Little Man was redesigned in a microscopic makeover: the “alert viewer” Little Man’s expressionless mouth was tweaked with a slight upturned curve, to indicate a hint of a Mona Lisa smile, suggesting a vague amusement. His raised eyebrows indicate interest but not quite approval, denoting mixed feelings. After artistic spinal fusion, he also sat up more alertly, signifying a mixed review.

All of this came after Talmudic editorial discussions about the meaning of the enigmatic No. 3 Little Man: Did his indecipherable gaze indicate intrigue or ennui? Polite diffidence or glazed-eyed apathy? As a Datebook editor noted, “He’s the middle child, and the most unmanageable.”

I actually think the mouth teak on #3 is confusing — if #3 is truly in the middle, his back should be against the chair, and his mouth should be a straight line (or no line at all), with no eyebrows. A blank face. (I couldn’t track down the original…does anyone have it?) Like this: little man redesign

Sep 17, 2008
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Mort Walker, The Lexicon of Comicana


Plewds - 
Flying sweat droplets that appear around a character’s head when working hard or stressed.
Briffits - 
Clouds of dust that hang in the spot where a swiftly departing character or object was previously standing.
Squeans - 
Little starbursts or circles that signify intoxication, dizziness, or sickness.

Emanata - 
Lines drawn around the head to indicate shock or surprise.
Grawlixes - 
Typographical symbols standing for profanities, which appear in dialogue balloons in the place of actual dialogue.
Indotherm - 
Wavy, rising lines used to represent steam or heat on hot objects — however, the same shape found over a hot apple pie or something else strong smelling is a wafteron.
Agitrons - 
Wiggly lines around an object that is shaking

Blurgits, swalloops - 
Curved lines preceding or trailing after a character’s moving limbs
Hites - 
Horizontal straight lines trailing after something moving with great speed, or indicating reflectivity (puddle, glass, mirror). Likewise, up-hites would be lines above an object falling.
Lucaflect - 
A shiny spot on a surface of something
Dites - 
Diagonal, straight lines drawn across something flat, clear, and reflective, such as windows and mirrors.
Solrads - 

Radiating lines drawn from something luminous like a lightbulb or the sun.
Vites - 
Vertical straight lines indicating reflectivity (compare dites, hites).
Mort Walker, The Lexicon of Comicana

Plewds - Flying sweat droplets that appear around a character’s head when working hard or stressed.

Briffits - Clouds of dust that hang in the spot where a swiftly departing character or object was previously standing.

Squeans - Little starbursts or circles that signify intoxication, dizziness, or sickness.

Emanata - Lines drawn around the head to indicate shock or surprise.

Grawlixes - Typographical symbols standing for profanities, which appear in dialogue balloons in the place of actual dialogue.

Indotherm - Wavy, rising lines used to represent steam or heat on hot objects — however, the same shape found over a hot apple pie or something else strong smelling is a wafteron.

Agitrons - Wiggly lines around an object that is shaking

Blurgits, swalloops - Curved lines preceding or trailing after a character’s moving limbs

Hites - Horizontal straight lines trailing after something moving with great speed, or indicating reflectivity (puddle, glass, mirror). Likewise, up-hites would be lines above an object falling.

Lucaflect - A shiny spot on a surface of something

Dites - Diagonal, straight lines drawn across something flat, clear, and reflective, such as windows and mirrors.

Solrads - Radiating lines drawn from something luminous like a lightbulb or the sun.

Vites - Vertical straight lines indicating reflectivity (compare dites, hites).

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Mar 10, 2008
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The power of symbols…connects comics to the history of picture-making all the way back to cave-painting. It’s interesting that a gold band can suggest a lifelong commitment to marriage (even if it rarely does) or a swastika conveys a great evil of the 20th century. For that matter, the little man symbol indicates blessed relief when you are looking for a toilet!

Feb 16, 2008
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Feb 14, 2008
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by Charles E. Martin, published in The New Yorker January 28, 1961

by Charles E. Martin, published in The New Yorker January 28, 1961

Feb 10, 2008
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Newspaper Blackout

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