The face of Christ, the Mona Lisa, the heart symbol and the Coca-Cola bottle are some of the world's most instantly recognisable iconic images. But how and why did they achieve iconic status? Are icons born or made? They've existed since the beginning of man, but do the consumer-inspired icons of today, from brands to logos to celebrities, have anything in common with early religious or artistic iconography? Or are they just 'images that got lucky'?

On Saturday 10 March Martin Kemp, Ranjit Hoskote and Nazneen Shafi will be discussing what makes an image iconic, and the audience will have a chance to help the panel define the top ten icons of all time and to predict the icons of tomorrow.

More about the arts

Martin Kemp will also be talking about his new book, Christ to Coke: How Image Becomes Icon, on Friday 9 March at 1:30pm, while Ranjit Hoskote will speak about The Place of the Biennale in Contemporary Culture, in addition to his session on poetry.

The 2012 Emirates LitFest’s expanded programme of sessions about art, architecture, design and illustration also includes: Qais Sedki on the Arab World’s love of manga, legendary French comic book author and artist Lewis Trondheim, architect Sandra Piesik on the Arish Revolution, Nasim Abaeian on the art of illustrating children’s books, and Yasser Tabbaa on Cultural Encounters in the Islamic World.