Thoughts on “human rights logo” crowdsourced project: post 1
We’re all tired of the “thinking outside the box” analogy. Besides being over used, it’s not actually a fair description of a successful thought process that leads to real, actionable ideas. You have to be able to think inside the box first. And by that I mean, address the problem/challenge head on and understand how a straight forward solution works in the first place. It’s just the first step. It won’t yield the sexiest solution nor the final one but it helps define the “box” which you’ll need to step out of eventually.
As of this date there are over 4000 logo ideas on the Human rights logo. Truly, ideas without borders, but also so many ideas that seem to ignore some fundamental questions about the purpose of the logo challenge. Adhering to graphic Design principles aren’t really important on this platform; it’s about pure ideas and iconography that transcend language. After perusing the solutions it becomes obvious how difficult this project really is. Trying to get lateral and avoid the clichés is a tremendous challenge. The predominate imagery is globe, stick figure human, equal sign and surprisingly the words “human rights” in English.
The first "in-the-box" question needs to be answered. What does it mean to be Human? It’s a tough question really, but the answer should point the way to a possible solution. (Full disclosure: I have posted an icon that tries to answer that question too.)
