![]() ![]() At very least, it will make clear what implication was intended.Ĭonsistency is probably the most important, unused tool in advertising. If there is some misinterpretation, clear copy can help redirect the message. However, you can't stop there! Ads give you the opportunity to clarify what your symbol means through copy. This is one of the reasons that outsourcing your advertisements to a company like us is such a good idea. It's impossible to know how everyone will interpret your message, but at very least you should think about it from different angles and get the opinions of other people. Obviously you want to start off with something that sends a clear message. So, how do you maintain control of what your ad-symbols actually communicate? The two most important things are clarity and consistency. Constant change and shifting purpose makes clear communication very difficult. They are almost never the same from one publication to the next or from one issue to the next. Sometimes they represent our company as a whole, but sometimes they just represent part. Ads are symbols too, but they have dual roles. We use symbols on websites all the time to represent certain aspects or services of our company. Logos are essentially symbols they are not our company, but they represent our company. It is not always easy to control communication with a symbol. It is very easy to make expressions with a symbol. The rainbow was meant to express God's promise to never flood the world again, yet to many it communicates pride and approval of homosexuality (after all, the Rainbow Flag was created by the homosexual community in 1978). Flying the rebel flag was meant to express the heritage of obstreperous forebears, yet to many it communicates hatred (after all, it is still used by the KKK). Putting a woman on a $10 is meant to express the value of women, yet to many it communicates the devaluing (after all, the push was for the $20 bill). The problem with symbols, of course, is that they don't always communicate the same thing that they express. Symbols are bad because they communicate so poorly. Symbols can be powerful communication tools. Not only this, but they do so in evocative ways. They communicate where we are or where we've been or where we're going with just a snapshot. They each represent and communicate vast amounts with very little. Think of any one of the symbols mentioned at the beginning of this article. The old adage is that "A picture paints a thousand words," and that is quite often the truth. With just one image, a symbol communicates a world of thoughts and feelings. Symbols are good because they communicate so much. The above section has already taken up more space than I intended, so I will look at just one aspect of what makes symbols good/bad and that is communication. ![]() ![]() When dealing with symbols we must keep both of these realities in mind. Yet, it would seem that I have already made the mistake of forgetting that the sign does represent the hole, and the hole is a problem. So, I refuse and call her on her fallacy. ![]() Even if I remove the sign, the deep hole is still there, and it is still dangerous. She experiences the problem of mistaking the sign for the hole itself. Hating the sign and the pain it causes her, she demands that I remove the sign. She is out of commission for several weeks and, for the rest of her life, has ghost pains every time she sees my sign or any other sign that says, "Deep Hole." Imagine further that my friend comes over, sees the sign but falls into the deep hole nonetheless spraining her angle very badly. To help my guests avoid the danger, I put up a sign that reads "Deep Hole." The sign acts as a symbol. Imagine there is a frightfully deep hole in my yard. This seems like a painfully obvious truism, but I think that both points are often missed. By definition, the something is not the something that it represents. What Symbols AreĪ very basic definition of a symbol is: something used to represent something else. Let's talk about what symbols are, how they are good/bad, how to use them for business and maybe get just a little bit political. With all of this talk about symbols, it's good to know that everyone has a firm grasp on what symbols are and are not. And soon the symbol of America will be affixed to nearly every home. (Or will it? I can't keep up.) A symbol of the rainbow has taken over facebook profiles pictures. A symbol of the Confederacy will not be flying in South Carolina. Symbols have been all the rage lately, haven't they? A symbol of a woman will be on the $10 bill. ![]()
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