Paste Launches Iranicon to Support Fair Elections

There are some disputes that are just bigger than the cut-and-dry facts of who wins and who loses. The current turmoil caused by the recent election in Iran is one of these times. No longer an issue of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vs. Mir-Hossein Mousavi, the election has brought the basic elements of democracy into question.

Regardless of their political views, many people are showing their support for democracy in Iran by adding some green to their lives. Paste wanted to make this easy and more interesting by enabling users to make an "Iranicon"—an Obamicon-like image using the colors of Iran. Head over to Obamicon.Me to make your own icon and show your support on Twitter, Facebook or wherever else you'd like.

"I have relatives in Iran, so this is very personal," said Paste president Tim Regan-Porter. "But, fundamentally, this is about the right to free and fair elections and the right of citizens to express their views, and that's something all reasonable people can get behind. These symbolic gestures may not have a huge impact, but millions around the world want to show their solidarity with those fighting for such fundamental rights and I think it's important to offer whatever encouragement we can."

Paste has also added a few new features to its webicon site (webicon is the generic name for these color-manipulated images). Users can use their webicons as their Twitter profile pictures with a single click, filter webicons by style (you can see all the Iranicons here), and use a cut-out tool for uploaded photos to make webicons look better than ever.

Paste launched Obamicon shortly before President Obama's inauguration in January. The site allowed users to make images of themselves in the style of Shepard Fairey's iconic "Hope" poster. The site received over a million visitors in its first month, with over 1.25 million images created to date. Iranicon is the third official webicon, following "Luvicon" and Obamicon. Paste has also produced webicons for Green for All and the Atlanta Hawks.

New York Times: Iran's Ruling Cleric Warns of Bloodshed if Protests Persist

Review: Persepolis

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