"No Place Like Home" as applied to the three visual components of design

The "No Place Like Home" shoes are a clever design that embodies the whole anatomy of a visual message via the three visual components: representation, abstract and symbol.

Representation

These shoes are unique in that they are directly influenced, in aesthetic and function, to the shoes of Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz.  Dominic Wilcox uses The Wizard of Oz as the basis for his design, which is appropriately titled, "No Place Like Home" as the shoes have a built-in GPS that directs the user home upon clicking the heels together. They are a Representational design in that they are a familiar image of shoes, but with the unfamiliar twist of implemented GPS tracking technology. The traditional leather shell and laces of the shoes are representational of our most popular walking utensil: shoes. The Representational aspect of the design also relates to the abstract and symbolic components of a visual image. Wilcox abstracts both the common function of shoes and of the common use of GPS mapping. He also strategically uses the color red in the laces and tongue of the shoes to symbolically represent Dorothy's magic shoes.

Abstract

In his "No Place Like Home" design, Wilcox abstracts the common shoe into a reflection of Dorothy's famous red, sparkly shoes in The Wizard of Oz. The shoes convert Dorothy's fictional, whimsical shoes into a semi-physical reality via abstraction. The LED lights bulleted into the leather heel of the shoe are accompanied by GPS technology to guide the user. The line of lights on the left shoe is used for accuracy of direction while the circle of lights on the right shoe works as a compass. Normally, GPS mapping is used in a device such as a smart phone or a piece of technology for vehicles, and they typically function with a screen containing an actual map with audio and/or visual text to guide the user to their desired location. The shoe-meets-mapping-technology is a novel approach to directing the user with guidance lights versus voice or written commands. Before leaving home, the user simply plugs the shoes into their computer using a usb cable and uploads whatever address they want to be directed to. The "Dorothy" shoes are visually representative of shoes and of GPS technology, yet when combined and used nontraditionally, these popular items become abstracted. Symbolically, the story behind the wild design is summed up with one iconic line in American film: "There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home."

Symbol

Aesthetically, the red details of the shoe and its overall function and intent are symbolic of Dorothy's magical heels. As discussed earlier, the shoes simply guide the user home using GPS technology embedded in the soles. When Dorothy of The Wizard of Oz figures out her way home by simply tapping her sparkling heels together and saying, "There's no place like home" three times, she is immediately teleported back to Kansas. The film is an internationally successful classic, and her red, sparkling shoes are a symbol of returning home. Dominic Wilcox uses the iconic movie symbol to influence and more so, explain his design. Representationally, the visual and symbolic element of the are contained in the detail of red laces and interior. However, unlike Dorothy's shoes, they are mainly grey leather and of course, operate with satellite GPS technology, not magic.

Source: http://dominicwilcox.com/portfolio/gpsshoe