The COGnition symbol.

This symbol is a visual representation of how I interpret my Autism.

A large view of the COGnition symbol, a 30-pointed star made from 10 triangles of colors moving through the spectrum equals sign plus sign plus sign plus sign

Colors

  • The range of colors represents the spectrum of Autism and the beauty of neurodiversity
  • The colors are hue-shifted to be different than the stereotypical ROY G. BIV rainbow
  • Using a hue wheel of 360 degrees, each hue is 1/10th of the wheel apart, or 36 degrees
  • The color at the top of the wheel is orange, the most visually-appealing of the 10 to me
  • The overlap of colors creates a greater variety of the spectrum, showing that different aspects of neurodiversity can overlap or blend together, and still be beautiful
  • The blue hue is intentionally left faded out as an objection to the stereotypical blue imagery used in harmful or questionable campaigns and advertising about Autism
  • The center is pure white, representing the inner light of one's self

Shapes

  • The overall shape mimics that of a gear or cog, which is commonly used to represent thought and inner workings
  • The faded out teeth represent a gear with missing teeth, which may look unusual but in machines have a specific, specialized reason for existing
  • The basis of the shape is triangles, which are geometrically the strongest shape
  • The overlap of the shapes results in a circular center, showing that no matter what the exterior looks like, the inside is still whole and complete