Scopic — mark explorations
From σκοπεῖν (skopein) · the perspectival shift that makes hidden structure visible · must hold at 16px
Final two
Aperture appears in hundreds of apps — Lightroom, every camera UI, photo tools. The open graph quadrilateral is rare.
B5 is literally a scoped view of a graph — the product made visible. A1 reads as photography, not data structure.
The iris/aperture form is a century old and geometrically stable. Both marks are durable, but A1 is more proven at scale.
A1's filled blades read as a clear bold shape at 16px. B5's thin lines need care — a slightly heavier stroke weight helps.
A1 has radial perfection. B5's asymmetry is intentional — the quad is not a square — giving it personality without being arbitrary.
Filled shapes handle reversals, embossing, and single-colour treatments more reliably than stroke-based line art.
B5 wins on meaning and distinctiveness · A1 wins on technical execution
Iris family
6-blade aperture · clockwise offset creates rotational direction · hexagonal central opening
Frame family
Circle containing 4 nodes, 5 connections · scoped view of a graph · one diagonal present
4 nodes, adjacent connections only · no diagonal · the graph traces a path, not a web
4 nodes, adjacent connections only · no enclosing circle · the connections are the mark
New concepts
Broad scope · 55° spread · panoramic reading · wide-angle perspective · the scoping act as a perspectival cone
Ruled out
Ruled out · rectangular blades read as flower or fan · blade geometry wrong
Ruled out · heavier rectangular blades · flower/fan reading more pronounced
Ruled out · outlined blades · too delicate at 16px
Ruled out · twisted 6-blade annular sector · reads as disc at small sizes
Ruled out · twisted 8-blade annular sector · reads as disc at small sizes
Ruled out · 3-node complete graph · reads as recycling symbol · too minimal
Ruled out · weighted node implies a centre of gravity · Scopic has no hierarchy · all relations are equal
Ruled out · pentagon arrangement inside circle · too many nodes for the mark to read cleanly at 16px
Ruled out · pentagon without circle · same legibility problem at small sizes
Ruled out · complete graph inside circle · circle makes it too dense · see B9 for the open version
Ruled out · complete graph without circle · all 6 connections · too dense at small sizes
Ruled out · too generic · concentric rings carry no structural information about the product
Ruled out · biconvex lens profile · too passive · the instrument not the act
Ruled out · hub-and-spoke inside a ring · reads as broadcast or sun · not scoping
Ruled out · 6 spokes without the enclosing ring · nice concept but not a candidate
Ruled out · 35° field-of-view sector · too literal a camera/spotlight reference
Ruled out · 15° spread · too thin to read at 16px · nice concept
Ruled out · double arc suggesting depth · nice concept · too complex at small sizes