'Tis the season to notice just how many advertising designers don't know that snowflakes are supposed to have six sides! Every year they shower us with blizzards of mutant snowflakes, some with four, seven, or eight sides!

In 2000, I created a new winter game - Find The Mutant Snowflakes. It seems that many graphic designers remain confused about how many sides snowflakes have.

First, in nature not all snowflakes are the same on all sides. Uneven temperatures, presence of dirt, and other factors may cause a snowflake to be lop-sided. But you will never find a symmetrical eight-sided or seven-sided snowflake in nature. This is because a snowflake's shape reflects the internal order of the water molecules. Water molecules in the solid state, such as in ice and snow, form weak bonds (called hydrogen bonds) with one another. These ordered arrangements result in the symmetrical, hexagonal shape of the snowflake. During crystallization, the water molecules align themselves to maximize attractive forces and minimize repulsive forces. Consequently, water molecules arrange themselves in predetermined spaces and in a specific arrangement. Water molecules simply arrange themselves to fit the spaces and maintain symmetry.

M'kay?

Back in the day, unless it was a first-grader's badly folded cutout, you almost never saw a mutant snowflake. But these days, they're everywhere! Yet more proof that our world grows dumber every year.

See how many mutant snowflakes you can find printed on signs, bills, and publications! Play alone or with friends

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Spot a Mutant Snowflake?

Email the URL (if online) or attach a small snapshot of printed images in either .gif or .jpg formats.

Email Submissions to:

jimwich (at) anigami dot com

Find This Year's Mutant Snowflakes!

* * * * Winter 2004 - 2005 Gallery * * + *

Date:
Spotted:
By:
Location:

12.29.2004
Lots of Eight-point Snowflakes made from T's
Clint Ecker
T-Mobile Website

 

Date:
Spotted:
By:
Location:

12.23.2004
Lots of Eight-points
JIMWICh
Photo of Yahoo! Shopping's Outdoor Sno-Globe

 

Date:
Spotted:
By:
Location:

12.23.2004
Three rare Seven-points
JIMWICh
Sears Advertising Flyer

 

Date:
Spotted:
By:
Location:

12.23.2004
Multiple Eight-points Created from Wrenches!
JIMWICh
The Home Depot Website

 

Date:
Spotted:
By:
Location:

12.23.2004
Multitude of Eight-point Stick Snowflakes
JIMWICh
Old Navy Advertising Flyer

 

Date:
Spotted:
By:
Location:

12.23.2004
Classic Eight-point Snowflake
JIMWICh
Clipart in Mensa (!!!!) Bulletin

 

Date:
Spotted:
By:
Location:

12.23.2004
Eight-point Snowflake
JIMWICh
GAP Newspaper Advertisement

 

Date:
Spotted:
By:
Location:

12.23.2004
Animated Falling Five-point Snowflakes
JIMWICh
Kroger Website

 

Date:
Spotted:
By:
Location:

12.23.2004
Eight-point and Rare Non-symmetrical Snowflakes
JIMWICh
Copeland Sports Advertising Flyer

 

Date:
Spotted:
By:
Location:

12.23.2004
Nuthin' But Eight-point Snowflakes
JIMWICh
Blick Advertising Flyer

 

Date:
Spotted:
By:
Location:

12.23.2004
Nuthin' But Eight-point Snowflakes
JIMWICh
Bank Open House Flyer

 

Date:
Spotted:
By:
Location:

12.23.2004
Two Varieties of Eight-point Snowflakes
JIMWICh
Associated Press Newspaper Illustration

 

Date:
Spotted:
By:
Location:

12.23.2004
Multiple Varieties of Four-point & Eight-point Snowflakes
JIMWICh
OfficeMax Website

 

Date:
Spotted:
By:
Location:

12.23.2004
Lots of Eight-point Snowflakes on Bowl Set
JIMWICh
Crate & Barrel Advertising Flyer
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           

 

Mutant Snowflake Archives

2000-2001