Jul
20
Insignia
July 20, 2010 | Tagged crowd aesthetics, identification, In-group, law, suggestive | Leave a Comment
Organizations often establish various symbols in order to identify their members. The images shown here include insignia from a collegiate secret society, motorcycle club, Scottish clan’s tartan plaid, university logo, military unit, street gang, and a Polish clan’s coat of arms. I would classify all these as formal symbols because the conventions that establish them have the force of law within the groups that they represent. Their purpose, I propose, is to facilitate group cohesiveness through in-group self-identification as well promote the group to the larger world.
Are clothing brand logos ever suggestive of group insignia? Are aesthetic choices in lifestyle, such as clothing, used as a form of informal insignia?
