
"For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
So, here I am "just a graphic designer" looking for an image of a clock to illustrate the meaning of this quote. I take just a few moments to peruse images on Google and this one struck me. A full explanation of the image can be found here: http://pentagram.com/en/new/2007/01/new-work-the-doomsday-clock.php
What I thought was a simple, minimum "essence" of clock presented in a high-contrast and appealing way is actually a historic and powerful symbol for the threat of worldwide nuclear danger. Ever since 1947, the minute hand on the clock has inched forward and backward from midnight and the proverbial "Final Countdown". The closest the clock has been to midnight was two minutes, in 1953, after the US and Soviet Union both tested hydrogen bombs; the furthest has been 17 minutes, in 1991, after the US and the Soviet Union signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. The clock last moved forward in 2002, following 9/11.
Wow. And here I was just looking for a quote to usher in a change of perspective for the day. I sure got more than I bargained for.
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