According to several historians, since Cobb's death in 1961, three pieces of writing by journalist Al Stump an article in True Magazine and two biographies have most shaped Cobb's image in American culture.

WSJ: Ty Cobb: A Juicy Look At the Georgia Peach

In the coming years, Brazil's image will also be shaped by a new set of stars and issues.

CNN: Is Brazil ready to take sporting center stage?

Grossman noted that as recently as December 2010, a Time magazine article highlighted that the image that most Palestinians have of Israelis is shaped by their direct contact with soldiers.

FORBES: Can Start-Ups Move Forward Israeli/Palestinian Peace?

Instead of religious iconology, Cartier-Bresson finds playful expression in the Surrealistic image of a pair of high-heeled shoes shaped like a heart.

WSJ: Review: Two Sides of the Same Coin | 'Henri Cartier-Bresson/Paul Strand, Mexico 1932-1934' at Fondation Cartier in Paris

The same team took the first-ever single-molecule image in 2009 and more recently published images of a molecule shaped like the Olympic rings.

BBC: Atomic bond types discernible in single-molecule images

Dexter's staging looks barely touched by time and remains a marvel of simplicity, starting with the opening image of 13 nuns lying prostrate with arms outstretched on a raised wooden platform shaped like a cross.

WSJ: Review: Stirring revival of Poulenc opera at Met

To further hone the image, engineers use a technique called optical proximity correction, which uses oddly shaped bars, notches and other distortions that are cut into the chrome template on the quartz plate to trick light waves into making a more precise pattern (see left).

FORBES: Trick Of The Light

To further hone the image, engineers use a technique called optical proximity correction, which uses oddly shaped bars, notches and other distortions that are cut into the chrome template on the quartz plate to trick light waves into making a more precise pattern (see chart).

FORBES: Trick of the Light