[G_yoshi]

as I recall reading, ganis can read external variables by way of attributes...

An icon would be more practical through simple recognition. For example, when you see golden arches your brain automattically thinks McDonalds without any effort. This same principle can be applied here. Things that are flashy or have some kind of activity are more used to draw a person's attention rather than cause their mind to link what they see with a brand or whatever. Another example would be the minimap message icons. The different colors used already trigger a response in your brain to tell you just what kind of message it is before you even click on it or stop to really look at it. You know that when you see a red bubble, its a staff message or a yellow/cream bubble is for a PM. Also, its one less script you need running in a loop.