More Info & Image Courtesy: iconspeak.world
Oh, how I wish I had this t-shirt back in 2009 when I was in Afghanistan! For a week or two, we were stationed at a small Observation Post someplace in Kandahar. We are only able to eat rations. I eventually explained to a local Afghan National Army member that we would like some genuine meals after several days of hard work and complex drawings. Furthermore, we got cooked meals twice a day for the rest of our stay for a few dollars a week. I could have saved my belly days and days of eating cold rations if I had this 40 icon t-shirt.
IconSpeak is a handy T-shirt featuring 40 global icons, ideal for instances where you don’t know the local language or have forgotten how to indicate your car battery needs charging. Three Swiss “pen-pushers” came up with the concept for this shirt after a few beers. And after an incredible trip with a broken-down motorbike somewhere in Vietnam. This is only a portion of their story.
“We were frequently faced with a language barrier that could only be solved by writing signs, symbols, or icons on a piece of paper, map, or into the dirt,” George, Steven, and Florian say. “We thought it would be wonderful to have an important set of symbols with you at all times, so you could just point to anything you needed – and others would understand,” says the team. Soon after, the notepad was brought out again, and we began noting more or less necessary icons that would have come in handy not only on our trip but on any journey.”
“We came across several icons that were on the long list throughout the debate and selecting process,” IconSpeak explained.
“Make anything only if it is both needed and useful.”
“However, if it is both essential and beneficial, don’t be afraid to make it lovely.”
“We wanted to make the international edition really ‘essential,'” says the team.
“Imagine having to pick between many animal symbols – where would you draw the line?”
“Our goal is to create an icon language that can be utilized and understood anywhere on the planet.”
“And also, it gives me great joy to see that this is occurring now.”
“We welcome individuals and institutions from throughout the world to join us in this endeavor.”
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