Monday, March 24, 2008

_icon naming?

When it comes to naming a piece of art or essay I may have made or written, I often use one of the following methods:

  • Method A: Select a word that I feel is most strongly associated with the piece, look up a synonym for it in a thesaurus. (i.e. if the word selected was "shadow", I might call something "penumbra.")
  • Method B: Flip through a book or text, place finger on random words. (i.e. I flipped through a medical textbook when looking for a title for an essay about Artemisia Genticleschi. I came upon the word "catharsis", and came up with "Catharsis of Sufferance."
  • Method C: Ask someone else what they would call the piece. You would be surprised at some of the responses received.
  • Method D: State what is presented. (i.e. "Still Life with Charcoal.") Note: This typically only results in mundane titles, and I only use it if nothing else works.

I thus proceeded to apply all four methods to naming my icons set. Unfortunately, they all produced more or less lackluster results.


Method A Results:


I also tried the thesaurus widget on my computer, but all it told me that sushi was a noun (duh), and what different types there were.


Method B Results:

Book: "Asian Cooking" - Helen Aitken
  • Wok
  • Hokkien
  • Tablespoon

Book: "Rakkety Tam" - Brian Jacques
  • Bulrush
  • Tree
  • Wind

Book: "The Cheese Monkeys" - Chip Kidd
  • Soured
  • Face
  • Mouth

Method C Results:

Question: "Hey you! What the fuck would you call this?"

  • "...sushi?"
  • "sushi."
  • "food."
  • "A poor, monochrome representation of the colorful culinary delight that is sushi."
  • "Your lunch?"
  • "Why didn't you share?"
  • "...art??"
...ouch.


Method D Results:

  • Sushi.
  • Food.
  • Soy Sauce.
  • Sake
  • Wasabi on plate?


Conclusion(s): These methods don't really work in regards to naming icons.


Instead, I just jotted down some random words and phrases that came to mind with sushi:

  • Zushi - Transliteration of the word from Japanese
  • Sushi A Go-Go
  • Goes best with soy sauce
  • "A poor, monochrome representation of the colorful culinary delight that is sushi."
  • YOU CAN'T EAT THESE
  • Delicious Coma
  • Kakoii - "cool"
  • No refrigeration necessary.
  • Digital feast. (lame)
  • iSushi.
  • KANPAI! ("cheers!")
  • Icons from the Sushi Bar
  • Eat me.
  • Sushi Culture
  • Raw Fish and Seaweed Culture

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