here's a playlist of historical examples of visual music in animated form. Also some of Disney's "silly symphonies," less directly related to assignment but part of broader cultural resonance of "visual music"
In this blog post is an example of Adam Greenfield's icons for representing his principles of ubiquitous computing:
1. Default to Harmlessness - in a world where it is possible for a device to broadcast your most intimate details, user's safety (physical, psychic and financial) must be ensured.
2. Be Self-Disclosing - ubiquitous systems should be technically and graphically self-disclosing, so that users encountering them are empowered to make informed decisions. Adam and his wife, Nurri Kim, worked on a few icons (PDF) that could inform the viewer about the type of device they are interacting with and what information about them will be shared.
3. Be Conservative of Face - ubiquitous systems must not unnecessarily embarass, humiliate, or shame their users.
4. Be Conservative of Time - Ubiquitous systems must not introduce undue complications into ordinary operations and should ba respectful of our time.
5. Be Deniable - Ubiquitous systems must offer users the ability to opt out, always and at any point.