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A cultural icon can be an image
Image

An image is an artifact, usually two-dimensional , that has a similar appearance to some subject —usually a physical object or a person....
, a symbol
Symbol

A symbol is something such as an entity, picture, written word, sound, or particular mark that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention....
, a logo
Logo

A logo is a graphical element that, together with its logotype form a trademark or commercial brand. Typically, a logo's design is for immediate recognition....
, picture, name
Name

A name is a label for a noun, , normally used to distinguish one from another. Names can identify a class or Category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given wiktionary:context....
, face
Face

The term face refers to the central sense organ complex, for those animals that have one, normally on the ventral surface of the head and can depending on the definition in the human case, include the hair, forehead, eyebrow, eyes, nose, ears, cheeks, mouth, lips, philtrum, tooth, skin, and chin....
, person
Person

The term person in common usage means an individual human being. In the fields of law, philosophy, medicine, and others, the term also has specialised context-specific meanings....
, or building
Building

In architecture, construction, engineering and Real estate developer the word building may refer to one of the following:# Any man-made structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or continuous occupancy, or...
 or other image that is readily recognized, and generally represents an object or concept with great cultural significance to a wide cultural group. A representation of an object or person, or that object or person may come to be regarded as having a special status as particularly representative of, or important to, or loved by, a particular group of people, a place, or a period in history
HIStory

HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I is a double album by Michael Jackson, released on June 20, 1995, and is Jackson's ninth. The first disc, named "HIStory Begins" consists of a selection of Jackson's greatest hits from the singer's past fifteen years, while the second, named "HIStory Continues" features new songs, with the...
.

In the media, there is an increasing trend for any well-known manifestation of popular culture
Popular culture

Popular culture is the totality of Distinction memes, ideas, Perspective s and Attitude s that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture....
 to be described as "iconic", and it is now acknowledged that the word is overused.






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Encyclopedia


A cultural icon can be an image
Image

An image is an artifact, usually two-dimensional , that has a similar appearance to some subject —usually a physical object or a person....
, a symbol
Symbol

A symbol is something such as an entity, picture, written word, sound, or particular mark that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention....
, a logo
Logo

A logo is a graphical element that, together with its logotype form a trademark or commercial brand. Typically, a logo's design is for immediate recognition....
, picture, name
Name

A name is a label for a noun, , normally used to distinguish one from another. Names can identify a class or Category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given wiktionary:context....
, face
Face

The term face refers to the central sense organ complex, for those animals that have one, normally on the ventral surface of the head and can depending on the definition in the human case, include the hair, forehead, eyebrow, eyes, nose, ears, cheeks, mouth, lips, philtrum, tooth, skin, and chin....
, person
Person

The term person in common usage means an individual human being. In the fields of law, philosophy, medicine, and others, the term also has specialised context-specific meanings....
, or building
Building

In architecture, construction, engineering and Real estate developer the word building may refer to one of the following:# Any man-made structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or continuous occupancy, or...
 or other image that is readily recognized, and generally represents an object or concept with great cultural significance to a wide cultural group. A representation of an object or person, or that object or person may come to be regarded as having a special status as particularly representative of, or important to, or loved by, a particular group of people, a place, or a period in history
HIStory

HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I is a double album by Michael Jackson, released on June 20, 1995, and is Jackson's ninth. The first disc, named "HIStory Begins" consists of a selection of Jackson's greatest hits from the singer's past fifteen years, while the second, named "HIStory Continues" features new songs, with the...
.

In the media, there is an increasing trend for any well-known manifestation of popular culture
Popular culture

Popular culture is the totality of Distinction memes, ideas, Perspective s and Attitude s that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture....
 to be described as "iconic", and it is now acknowledged that the word is overused.

Icons and persons

Human beings can acquire cultural iconic status through their actions, achievements, role, beliefs, convictions.

Iconic figures can emerge in social groupings (Gay icon
Gay icon

A gay icon or LGBT icon is a historical figure, celebrity or public figure who is embraced by many in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities; the term Dykon, a portmanteau of the words "dyke " and "icon," has recently entered the lexicon as a word to describe lesbian icons....
, Pop icon
Pop icon

A pop icon is a celebrity whose fame in popular culture constitutes a defining characteristic of a given society or era. Although there is no single definitive test for establishing "pop icon" status, such status is usually associated with elements such as longevity, ubiquity, and distinction....
), political parties, among fans of a particular sport
Sport

Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of regulation of sport or traditions and often engaged in competitively. Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determinant of the outcome , but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports and motor...
 or type of music.

Some images may be quite well known, though their name may not be familiar, or even the person depicted may be unknown, as is the case with La Gioconda. In other cases, a name such as Shakespeare may bring to mind a well-known portrait of that person.

Icons and brands

  • Lessons from Cultural Icons - How to Create an Iconic Brand suggests that brand
    Brand

    A brand is a collection of symbols, experiences and associations connected with a product, a service, a person or any other artifact or entity....
    s can reflect societal values and changes, but many people have become weary of them. Many brands aspire to become cultural icons, but fail. Cultural icons are often timeless, imprinted in our consciousness. They can go through several stages, from "rumblings, undercurrents" via "catharsis, explosion" and "mass acceptance, ripple effect" to "glorification, representative value". While brands are rational and driven by features, cultural icons are emotional, free, driven by feeling, and creating emotional bonds..


Cultural icons worldwide

Cultural icons may be national, regional or related to a city. In addition, they can be symbols for a nation, or can evoke particular values held by that state. For example, France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 uses Marianne
Marianne

Marianne, a national emblem of the French Republic, is, by extension, an personification of Liberty and Reason. She represents France as a state, and its values ....
 as a symbol of the French Revolution
French Revolution

The French Revolution was a period of political and social upheaval and radical change in the history of France, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudalism for the aristocracy and Roman Catholic Church clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on Age of Enlightenment principles of cit...
 and the rejection of royalism in favor of republicanism
Republicanism

Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic, where the head of state is appointed by other means than hereditary, often elections....
 and laicity.

See also

  • Icon
    Icon

    An 'icon' is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity. More broadly the term is used in a wide number of contexts for an image, picture, or representation; it is a sign or likeness that stands for an object by signifying or representing it either concretely or by analogy, as in semiotics; by extension, ...
  • Icon (secular)
  • Icon (disambiguation)
    Icon (disambiguation)

    An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Orthodox Christianity.Icon may also refer to:...
  • Replicas of Michelangelo's David
    Replicas of Michelangelo's David

    Replicas of Michelangelo's David have been endlessly reproduced, in plaster, imitation marble, fibreglass and other materials, and lends an atmosphere of culture even in some unlikely settings....
  • Popular culture
    Popular culture

    Popular culture is the totality of Distinction memes, ideas, Perspective s and Attitude s that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture....