Google Maps pin

The pin, sometimes referred to as "the marker",[3] has been widely co-opted by other companies, organizations, and individuals for their own marketing efforts, artwork, and activism.

The Google Maps pin has been called "a product of pure function that has evolved into a cultural phenomenon"[4] and "a solution that would take on a life of its own, recognizable enough to stick up for itself in the art and design projects of others".

[6] In 2014, the Museum of Modern Art acquired a physical representation of the Google Maps pin for its permanent collection.

[4] The main body of the pin is circular at the top, but tapers into a point at the bottom, forming an inverted teardrop shape.

"[15] The stickers included a QR code which could be scanned by customers to bring up the business' Place Page in order to leave an online review.

[16] Celebrities including Yo-Yo Ma,[17] Diane von Furstenberg, Al Gore, and Tony Hawk, shared their favorite locations around the world, such as restaurants, bakeries, and design shops.

[23] In 2011, Google partnered with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to create a campaign called Pink Pin in New York City.

[29][30] The Labour Party of Malta used an image closely resembling the Google Maps pin as their logo in the 2014 European Parliament election campaign.

[32] When Metahaven, an Amsterdam-based studio for design and research, was charged with drafting concepts for WikiLeaks' new visual identity, they considered integrating the Google Maps pin, inverted.

Berlin-based conceptual artist Aram Bartholl is known for creating works that examine the relationship between the digital and physical world, using popular imagery from software and games.

[39] The series was designed to raise viewers' awareness of the increasing overlap between the virtual and the physical, and to highlight mapping services' influence on perceptions of location.

[43] In July 2013, as part of a public art event in Horsens, Denmark, the Icelandic-Danish design duo ÖRNDUVALD installed a mural called Pin at 55°51′42″N 9°50′47″E / 55.86167°N 9.84639°E / 55.86167; 9.84639.

[44] The 9-square-meter piece,[45] "a giant and shimmering reinterpretation of the Google Maps pin",[46] was made from 10,078 circular discs mounted to plywood.

[50][51] He stated, "Google Map had created a remarkable landmark icon, showing the sites on its street views.