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Noun Project Places L.A. River Symbols in Public Domain

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Little more than two months after the L.A. River Iconathon invited designers to create a set of signage that communicates information about the river, the Noun Project has released twenty symbols relating to the Los Angeles River.

"Symbols are one of the most potent forms of communication, they can transcend cultural and language barriers and deliver concise information instantaneously and efficiently," said Edward Boatman, co-founder & Creative Director for the Noun Project. He points out that these suite of symbols can also be used by other river-adjacent municipalities around the world.

Ideas such as soft bottom, water quality, and river confluence, among others, can easily be conveyed with these symbols to the multi-ethnic residents living around the L.A. River. Each symbol can be downloaded free from the Noun Project website, and can be used in a variety of media, such as event posters, apps and wayfinding signs.

According to Sofya Polyakov, co-founder & CEO of Noun Project, these L.A. River symbols are significant not only because of their physical presence, but also because of the public process that each symbol went through to be created. "The symbols created during Iconathons are a representation of what we want to see in our city. Having the public engage in creating a visual language around the L.A. River helps raise awareness of the river and the revitalization effort."

The symbols made their debut at the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation's "Let's Talk River" event held October 7th. The Noun Project hopes it will be the beginning of many more sightings to come.

Are you working on a river-related project? You can download Los Angeles River icons for free here.

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L.A. River Revitalization Corporation Executive Director Omar Brownson and Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, honor the Mayor for his efforts in revitalizing the river. The Noun Project's symbols are in the background | Photo by Sofya Polyakov

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