The Duts™ logo is a form of abstract art. It uses visual language of shape, form and line to create a composition. A composition which exists with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. What reference that is? That’s a funny story about an emoji.
There’s one emoji that possesses a mysterious air and is used in an abstract art form in our logo: The Pile of Poop emoji. It is most famously portrayed by Apple with wide eyes and a dazzling grin.
Why use this shit
When it comes to what the little guy could actually mean, interpretations vary – like most emoji usage, it’s more about implementing the vaguely ridiculous at just the right moment rather than knowing the right definition. In the last years, the smiling poop emoji has become an unexpectedly beloved icon, among both the young and the not-so-young. It has the ability to ease uncomfortable social interactions. From discussing opposing political opinions to admitting first-world guilt.
“Artist’s Shit”
In David Foster Wallace’s novella-length short story, The Suffering Channel, he tells the inexplicable story of an artist who has the ability to shit out intricate shit-sculptures. As absurd as Wallace’s premise is, whether piles of poop make good art has been a recurrent feature in contemporary art. In 1961, Italian artist Piero Manzoni filled 90 tin cans with his own excrement, labelling them “Artist’s Shit.” For Manzoni, it was a middle finger to the art world, imbued with so many levels of irony that it is surely a true precursor to our own usage of the smiley poop. Were they even his faeces? How did he get away with valuing them on a par with gold? As he wrote in 1961: “If collectors want something intimate, really personal to the artist, there’s the artist’s own shit.”
Abstractly different
Abstraction indicates a departure from reality in depiction of imagery in art. This departure from accurate representation can be slight, partial, or complete. Total abstraction bears no trace of any reference to anything recognizable. So maybe that’s why you didn’t recognize The Pile of Poop emoji in the Duts™ logo. It is a subtle reference and ode to everything the The Pile of Poop emoji stands for.
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Wear art. Wear the difference.