Symbols

Growth - Something from nature; skyscraper next to a much smaller building; a simple graph.

Nature is an obvious choice offering an almost infinite number of images that would demonstrate growth the danger being that it may well have been used before. The skyscraper next to a smaller office block (perhaps the original headquarters of the company) would be an effective symbol for growth. The graph is perhaps the most used of all growth symbols so there would need to be something about it that was eye-catching, possibly created by using symbols rather than a straight line. One possibility that comes to mind is a graph demonstrating the rise in FTSE 100 executive pay by replacing a simple straight line graph by company logos.

Excess - a morbidly obese person; salt content of some foods; a drunk outside an establishment selling alcohol.

For the morbidly obese person a simple unclothed shot would have the greatest impact although there may be mileage in a close up say of the upper thigh or the 'love handles' just on one side inviting the viewer to guess at what they are looking. Salt content could be demonstrated by  piles of salt in front of the packaging of the relevant product or of someone emptying a salt cellar on to a plate of food. For the drunk shot decisions would have to be taken about the purpose of the written article - if it is about the degradation of the person addicted to alcohol then dirty ragged clothes with the person lying in the gutter may be the strongest image whilst to illustrate alcoholism amongst rich bored housewives a Harvey Nichols outfit with a Gucci handbag nearby may make the greatest impact.

Crime -  CCTV Cameras; Handcuffs; Prison Gate

Care would have to be taken with all of these shots to ensure that you don't fall foul of the authorities. Of the three handcuffs are the easiest and could be used in a still life either placed on a person or as a 'reflected'  image in a shop window displaying very desirable goods.  Another alternative is a pair of fur-lined handcuffs to illustrate the 'softness' of our punishment systems. The CCTV camera shot could be used to illustrate an article on the impact of crime on our right to privacy either as a simple straight forward image or a number of them 'ghosted' above a normal high street scene. The prison gate (preferably easily recognised by the general public e.g Wormwood Scrubs) is likely to have more impact if it is either fully open or the wicket gate open. Such an image could be used to demonstrate either someone being released into society or being incarcerated depending upon the article it is supporting. In Photoshop it would be possible to create a revolving door (there are no actual revolving main doors in the prison estate) image to illustrate an article on the re-offending and return to prison of many offenders.

Silence - interior shot of the reading room of a library;  ear protectors; a busy motorway.

The first shot for many implies silence but in many 'modern' libraries the idea of silence is a foreign concept. The same shot could be used to illustrate either concept. Similarly for the ear protectors that  offer silence for the wearer but also imply excessive noise. A busy motorway could be used to illustrate the underlying noise that pervades all our environments that there really is no place where absolute silence can be experienced.


Poverty - a simple wooden bowl; a shanty town; an outstretched hand.

Most would relate the bowl to the begging bowl that is an almost universal symbol of poverty as are the other two suggestions. Poverty is a relative concept because it depends upon how it is defined; what may be seen as a level of poverty in one part of the world could be seen as almost luxurious in another part. This aspect highlights the need to know what the article being illustrated is setting out to communicate.