Pitch Your Civilization Icon Idea

[awesome]

Swahili

The best thing I could find from a quick google/look at wikipedia was this coin from Zanzibar, so maybe a scale:

Spoiler :

 

[Laurana Kanan]

Suk's Swahili

 

[PhoenicianGold]

The best thing I could find from a quick google/look at wikipedia was this coin from Zanzibar, so maybe a scale:

Spoiler :

I would support a scale. Not sure how resonant it is with the Swahili but it's at least unique.

Suk's Swahili

I know of this icon. I just have absolutely no idea what it is and can't find it anywhere. :/

 

[Laurana Kanan]

I know of this icon. I just have absolutely no idea what it is and can't find it anywhere. :/

You could tweet or message Suk.

 

[PhoenicianGold]

You could tweet or message Suk.

"Hey, wtf is that, did you just make it all up?"

TIL that Bulgaria under Simeon would be much more culturally and scientifically oriented than Hungary, and I am now a supporter.

So, in that case, I'm throwing that in as the lion rampant icon. Possibly different enough to distinguish itself from Ethiopia/Mughals. But sorry Bohemia, I would much rather have a civ representing all of "Yugo-slavia."

 

[Laurana Kanan]

"Hey, wtf is that, did you just make it all up?"

I'd be more polite, but sure, why not?

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

They must have been being extremely unimaginative, then. And I know that I, for one, would much rather have three New World civs than three European ones, even if it's weird that they group the two continents over here together, but none of the other ones.
Or, they could've at least done a second African civ, instead of three Europeans.

At least I'm fully expecting at least two more New World Civs if we get a third expansion, in the form of the Maya and another NA tribe. I could understand that they wanted to spread out the Civs and it was ultimately the Cree that got in at least during the first expansion.
The Haida could make it in the third expansion, though I'm leaning towards a U.S. tribe like the Navajo.
As for icons they could get a Navajo textile pattern.

 

[PhoenicianGold]

At least I'm fully expecting at least two more New World Civs if we get a third expansion, in the form of the Maya and another NA tribe. I could understand that they wanted to spread out the Civs and it was ultimately the Cree that got in at least during the first expansion.
The Haida could make it in the third expansion, though I'm leaning towards a U.S. tribe like the Navajo.
As for icons they could get a Navajo textile pattern.

I'm sorry, but I've got a hot take on this subject lol.

So, expack 3, obvious candidates are the Maya and Navajo (maybe pivot to Shoshone or Apache) for our Latin America and North America civs. Great. Perfect. Fantastic.

Expack 4, I don't think the Haida are happening either. Latin America gets Taino or Colombia, maybe Argentina as a long shot. North America gets....wait for it... Hawaii.

*gasp*

 

[The Kingmaker]

I’m thinking they may try for a well-known eastern tribe as well, like the Iroquois or Cherokee.

Definitely want the Maya and a SW tribe.

 

[PhoenicianGold]

Colombia could have the poporo as a symbol, which I think would somewhat evoke the Muisca.

 

[PhoenicianGold]

Inuit could have the polar bear from the Greenland coat of arms.

 

[Banazir864]

Zimbabwe has a clear symbol choice in the Zimbabwe bird:

Yes, it's technically an eagle (probably), but it's stylized in a way that looks nothing like the typical Western eagle.

 

[PhoenicianGold]

Zimbabwe has a clear symbol choice in the Zimbabwe bird:

Yes, it's technically an eagle (probably), but it's stylized in a way that looks nothing like the typical Western eagle.

Oh my that is doofy looking. I love it.

*Throws away Armenia*

 

[clapyourhands]

I've always thought Malaysia would be a good civ that just unfortunately has to compete with Indonesia every iteration, and two insular SEA is a bit too much overlap in a region that has plenty of other choices. But in a vacuum, I feel like Indo/Malay would be a good pair that can avoid having too much overlap by focusing on different parts of their shared past and incorporating portions of their independent parts. So if Civ Indonesia traces itself to Majapahit, follows Hindu-Buddhism, and capitalizes on the naval warfare, Malaysia would draw more on Srivijaya and the Malacca Sultanate, focus on Islam, and place a big emphasis on trade and maritime commerce.

Symbol-wise, while the star-and-crescent is hardly new our outstanding, Malaysia does have the advantage of using a 14-point star to represent its states. On top of that, both the vertical version of their flag as well as their coat of arms rotates the duo 90 degrees, which I just think looks cool (in addition to making it look much less like Arabia). As for colors, the modern flag is red/blue/yellow/white while the Malaya flag (as in the people) is yellow/red/green, though the yellow is more of a brownish-yellow that's closer to Scythia than anything. Using both a crescent and a yellow/green color scheme is a bit too much like Arabia for my tastes. Brownish-yellow/Red or Blue/Yellow would be my picks IMO. Not sure which is better--I like the yellow/red one, especially since it's stand out more against Indonesia on a TSL map. But again, it's pretty close to Scythia.

 

[clapyourhands]

Spoiler Southeast Asia Icons :

In order: India, Sri Lanka, Burma, Siam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Khmer, Laos, Vietnam, Philippines, Tibet, China

No kill like overkill, right? Only four of the designs are actually mine: Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Laos/Lanxang, and Vietnam, so those are the ones I want to talk about. India, Indonesia, Khmer, and China are already in the game; Burma, Siam, and Tibet are from Sukritact's mods; Philippines is from the CIVITAS mod. I just included all of them because I thought they looked nice as a set.

Sri Lanka: The design lifts the lion straight from the national (Sinha) flag. Unlike most flag lions, this one's A) quite stylized and B) holding a sword, both of which I think are solid points for standing out. Again, it's a lion holding a sword. What more can you ask for? The colors are also from the same flag, using the orange since it's not seen too often.

Malaysia: See above. I ended up going with the blue because it turns out Indonesia was red/turquoise, not blue/red like I thought it was. For some reason I thought Indonesia had Norway's color scheme, so there's not much conflict there.

Laos/Lanxang: They'd probably go with Laos as the most well-known of the polities in the region (relatively speaking). As "Lanxang" literally refers to white parasols and elephants, I considered using the three-headed elephant + parasol icon on the French Protectorate flag, but decided it was too busy on such a small space and thus not in line with the whole "simple" guideline in the OP. I opted to go for just the white parasol, especially since Siam next door is already sporting an elephant. White for the parasol is non-negotiable, and between the other colors associated with Laos (red, blue, and gold), gold/white was the only one not already in use.

Vietnam: I really wanted a dragon here and still think it's the best choice, but I'm not artistic enough to draw one. A full-body dragon silhouette would distinguish it easily from China, especially in a rising pose to reference the whole "Ascending Dragon" thing. Alternatively a dragon holding its 3/4/some number that's not 5-clawed hand up would be a tongue-in-cheek reference to trying to stand out from China (unlike depictions in China, dragons depicted in Vietnam almost always, and intentionally, have less than 5 claws). My inability to draw dragons aside, I ended up using a Chim Lac for the design, a bird pattern that appeared on the bronze drums of Dong Son culture that Vietnam claims cultural inheritance from. Jade/Red is an underrated color scheme that fits quite well, and the muted hue keeps it distinct enough from Hungary.

Basically I think SEA as a whole can easily have distinct enough icons to warrant every major polity in the area getting a rep in a vacuum (as in, clarity of the game map should not be a limiting factor in putting more civs in the area, though other things might).

Spoiler Bonus: A poor mockup of what they would look like on a roughly-TSL map (minus Sri Lanka, unfortunately) :

 

[TahamiTsunami]

Those are some really awesome designs that you've shared and/or made! I also appreciate the explanations behind the designs you made and the map showing what a 'filled in' Southeast Asia would be like!

 

[PhoenicianGold]

They do look great together. Some minor thoughts:

* Sri Lanka is competing for an already competitive lion design space. I would especially note the Iranian lion, which heavily influenced the design of the Gurkhani lion, also held a sword.

* I love the Vietnam design. The dragon icon just doesn't feel unique enough with China in the game, but this stands apart from everything else. As well as somewhat makes up for how the Haida were done so dirty.

* I've accepted Tibet isn't happening, but Tibet pupper is cutest pupper.

 

[awesome]

I don't expect to see the Nok culture anytime soon, but the image of one of their terra cotta figurines would make for a unique icon.

 

[ButtBillionaire]

Thought up and put together five different designs, based on three motives, for a Sámi civ. None of them are coloured in an intentional colour scheme as I don't know what colours would fit the Sámi and still look good.

Motive 1

Spoiler Icon 1 :

This is a symbol depicting the Sun, often found in the centre of shaman drum designs found throughout Sápmi. It also symbolises the Sámi sun deity Beaivi, who is also the goddess of spring and fertility, making plants grow in the Arctic.

Spoiler Examples of usage :

Motive 2

Spoiler Icons 2.1 and 2.2 :

These two icons are both based on a symbol thought to depict both the Sun and the Moon, which is prominently featured on the modern Sámi flag and also appears on shaman drums. Some people here may also remember that this is the symbol Sukritact used in his Sámi mod for Civ5. Out of these two variants I personally prefer the second, as I believe that the off-centered line simply looks better, and the first one reminds me too much of a Sengoku-era Japanese daimyō.

Spoiler Examples of usage :

Motive 3

Spoiler Icons 3.1 and 3.2 :

Simply just reindeer. The most basic of these motives and not completely unlikely, if we consider Firaxis' decision to use a bull's head for Spain. Reindeer have always been an important source of food and trade for the Sámi, and some Sámi are still active in the field of reindeer herding. If you look at the previous example of usage for motive 2 (the drum), you can see a reindeer depicted in the top right of the drum. They also appear on two of the other drums I've shown in this reply. I'll be so honest as to admit that I didn't create these two designs: they are taken from the coats of arms of the modern Norwegian municipalities of Porsanger (Porsáŋgu) and Vadsø. (Čáhcesuolu) One problem I can see about the first one is that it is quite similar in general shape to Scythia's icon.

 

[sukritact]

I know of this icon. I just have absolutely no idea what it is and can't find it anywhere. :/

It's a motif from their carved wooden doors (see the center pillars)