Introduction

Symbols have always been an integral part of man's life. We have symbols in every walk of life; some are obvious, others not even though in every day use. In this modern world every organization public or private attempts to have a unique and distinctive identity by creating a symbol in the form of a logo or emblem. By very definition a symbol represents something that may be physical or even nonphysical such as an idea or a concept. It is not the 'thing in itself', the substance or reality behind it. As long as the distinction between the symbol and the substance is clearly understood the use of symbol serves its purpose. The problem comes when it is confused with the substance. This occurs most frequently when a symbol represents something nonphysical; we find it happening in almost every human activity.

For example, when we are reading a book or a newspaper we are hardly aware of the fact that the letters and words are only symbols that convey ideas through the medium of a particular language. In fact each letter forming the words on the pages is a symbol for a particular sound. The letter in itself means nothing. The same is true for numbers; there is nothing seven-like in number seven. It is just a symbol written in a certain way in a given language. Languages are man made and, in general, everything that is man made is a symbol for some idea.