Visual Semiotic Thinking Strategy: A Hypothetical Dialogue between Visual Graphics and Audience Construction

Abstract

The primary purpose of this research is to find a better visual thinking strategy and how designers design graphics will enable the audience to receive information better. Based on visual semiotics, this research combines Li Siqu's DIMT thinking mode and Morris symbolic context to explore the spatial thinking of graphic design and audience receiving information. From two levels of formal level (essential academic thinking, visual symbol research features), entity level (three conversion thinking, keyword traceability research), three-dimensional grasp of its theoretical ideas, outline the relationship with the audience and visual graphics. Based on the theory of semiotics, this paper discusses the relationship between different types of graphics and ideographic methods and summarizes the ideas of creative graphic design and audience acceptance of information.

Full text

Visual Semiotic Thinking Strategy: A Hypothetical Dialogue between Visual
Graphics and Audience Construction
Chanjuan Tu
Department of Art and Design, Pingxiang University, Pingxiang, 337000, China
Keywords: graphic design; visual semiotics; Taoist aesthetic; DIMT Mode
Abstract: The primary purpose of this research is to find a better visual thinking strategy and how
designers design graphics will enable the audience to receive information better. Based on visual
semiotics, this research combines Li Siqu's DIMT thinking mode and Morris symbolic context to
explore the spatial thinking of graphic design and audience receiving information. From two levels
of formal level (essential academic thinking, visual symbol research features), entity level (three
conversion thinking, keyword traceability research), three-dimensional grasp of its theoretical ideas,
outline the relationship with the audience and visual graphics. Based on the theory of semiotics, this
paper discusses the relationship between different types of graphics and ideographic methods and
summarizes the ideas of creative graphic design and audience acceptance of information.
1. Introduction
In the new media era, a large number of visual symbols have appeared, and modern society has
shown us various dazzling visual symbols. How do audiences interpret multidimensional visual
design? The Chinese thinker Zhuangzi puts forward in the “Chuang Tsu - External chapter”, that
“the speaker is concerned, smug” . it means that there is a relationship between the character and
the thing between the language and the item. the word is the representation of the situation, the item
is the representation of language, the function of language is the transmission of information, and
the role of communication is the medium that conveys information. Visual symbols are things that
use a certain medium to represent or indicate something.
This paper aims to explore the design method of visual thinking strategies through one of the
traditional Chinese mainstream cultures: Taoist yin and yang theory. Yin and Yang is a broad and
straightforward ancient Chinese philosophy. The two opposite principles of yin and yang are in
nature, and the former is feminine and negative, the latter is masculine and positive. This is a single
concept of yin and yang opposition. This paper analyzes the visual design method in a yin and yang
opposition.
2. Characteristics of Visual semiotics and Yin Yang theory
Although many semioticians and communication scholars explain the relationship between
visual symbols and audiences[1] , for example, Morris semiotics[9] emphasizes the role of context
and the inherent differences between the recipients and visual symbols discussed by Roman
Jakobson and Sato Ke Shi, and proposes three levels of “space”, “information” and “thinking” so
that when you absorb information and think, your brain can be more unobstructed. However, there
are few studies on the relationship between visual symbols and audiences in combination with yin
and yang theory.
2019 International Conference on Art Design, Music and Culture (ADMC 2019)
Copyright © (2019) Francis Academic Press, UK
DOI: 10.25236/admc.2019.004
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Fig.1. Experimental design related topics
2.1. Characteristics of Visual graphic semiotics
Visual symbols are media carriers that are composed of symbolic elements such as graphics,
light, color, and expression to convey various information. Visual language is a visual
communication and graphic design method that is gradually established on the basis of visual
experience and visible laws. The intuitive visualization of perception is the way humans understand
nature and society. People usually use visual graphics to spread into one of the central positions of
information dissemination.
2.2. Characteristics of Yin and Yang theory
Taoist aesthetic thoughts and aesthetic tastes have attracted more and more people's attention. In
art design, Taoist aesthetics can meet the everyday needs of people, return to nature, body and mind,
and desire for inner peace with its unique human care and natural interests. Enrich the spiritual
needs and use it to counter the excessive expansion of material supremacy, utilitarianism and
scientific rationality in today's world. This paper aims to explore the design method of visual
thinking strategies through one of the traditional Chinese mainstream cultures: Taoist yin and yang
theory. Yin and Yang is a broad and straightforward ancient Chinese philosophy. Yin and Yang, the
two opposing principles in nature, the former feminine and negative and the latter masculine and
positive. This paper analyzes the visual design method in a yin and yang opposition.
3. Question of Visual Semiotic Thinking Strategy
The purpose of this paper is to propose a hypothesis that explains the meaning of plasticity. In
visual semiotics, the definition of resilience is produced by the optical configuration itself, that is,
independent of the purpose they represent. This meaning can be assimilated. In his book “The Body
of the Heart” is the first to propose an image model, and its metaphorical predictions can be used to
explain some of these visual effects. Still, I think his approach has some drawbacks.
Most importantly, Johnson's example always involves the matching of visual stimuli to image
patterns, while Arnheim's observations are primarily about the tension and dynamic. I will present a
more simplified graphic design thinking. This theory will explain expectations and their verification,
how to make the audience generate different types of emotional dialogue? the primary mechanism
of plastic meaning when the audience receives visual graphic information. In particular, the study
pursues the following research questions:
How to establish a situational dialogue with the audience through visual thinking strategies?
How to explore contextual dialogue and graphic design relationships (Morris semiotics), but also
explore the relevance of visual design systems to yin and yang theory.
Objectives:
Effectively combines semiotics, yin and yang, and visual art and design to create a specialized
design symbol system.
To find a practical and feasible design method to convey visual graphic information to the
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audience, creating a contextual dialogue between the viewer and the graphic, so that the viewer can
effectively receive the information.
”Only pursue the right design”, from the perspective of practice, point out the characteristics of
graphic appearance similarity, appeal point and design method. Designers need to analyze the
characteristics of visual graphics according to the two-point thinking of yin and yang theory, and
flexibly optimize the graphic design ideas and methods.
4. Methodology of Yin and Yang Theory Guides Visual Graphic Design
Visual semiotic thinking strategies are attached to the review of Taoist yin and yang theory. At
present, part of the research on visual thinking strategy is mainly based on visual semiotics and
draws on the classical theory of phenomenology and hermeneutics to analyze visual graphics. The
purpose of conveying the law is to use a simplified thinking perspective to establish a dialogue
space with the audience to provide a technical resource and thinking method for visual graphic
design. The research focuses on the following six topics:
The first topic discusses the graphic design language as a symbolic phenomenon and analyzes
the symbolic representation of words, such as text, graphics, and color explicitly.
The second chapter discusses the characteristics of symbol structure in graphic design from the
image structure, functional structure, style, and meaning structure developed by the symbol system.
The third topic draws on the generation of the meaning of literary works and analyzes the
general laws of symbolic meanings of design works from establishment, fixation, and extension to
replacement and alienation.
The fourth topic analyzes the transfer of core symbols and core semantics in the design works,
the expression of auxiliary symbols and background semantics, and proposes the idea of semantic
reproducibility.
The fifth topic explains the application of symbols in specific design through the analysis of
representative design categories in graphic design.
The sixth topic discusses the basic norms of graphic design from three aspects: conformity, Fuyi,
and Fuyong. It analyzes the value and significance of semiotics for graphic design research and the
future trend of design semiotics.
Table 1 Theoretical framework of Visual thinking strategies
Visual thinking
strategies
Visual design
system
Visual language
context
Chinese Cultural Symbol Interpretation and Communication
Mode——’Two-Point Thinking’ Strategy between Visual Graphics and
Audience Constructs Imaginary Dialogue
Exploring the visual graphic language as a symbolic phenomenon,
explicitly analyzing the symbolic representation of styles such as
words, graphics, and colors
Image Structure, Functional Structure, Meaning Structure in
Combination with Yin Yang Theory to Discuss the Characteristics of
Symbol Structure in Visual Graphics
Analyze the value and significance of visual semiotics combined with two-point thinking for
visual communication research, and the future trends of design semiotics research.
Design
methodology
From three aspects of conformity, Fuyixue and Fuyongxue: how to
design graphics to enable the audience to receive information
comprehensively
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4.1. Thinking
Li SiQu[2][3] proposed a unique model of Chinese cultural symbol interpretation and
communication. He believes that in the context of China's neighborhood culture, unlike the Western
emphasis on the linear relationship between 'signifier,' 'referring' and 'symbolic meaning,' it is
necessary to cultivate a kind of “speech-intention-image-dance” The way. '言[discourse]-象[image]-
意[meaning]-道[Tao], The four elements of integrated thinking and communication are named
[DIMT mode], discourse(language symbols), image (image symbols), meaning (graphic meaning),
Tao(all things in the world, are composed of two substances, yin, and yang). These four elements
constitute a symbolic interpretation model.
Fig.2. DIMT mode
Taoist yin and yang[6] theory: The ancients called the world's original Taiji, Taiji two
instruments, and the concept of yin and yang, all things, emphasizing the unity of nature and man,
the yin and yang theory is born from this.
Characteristics of yin and yang theory: Emphasis on imaginary and real, opposite and unity,
interacting with each other, the ingenious combination of simple graphics and curve elements, both
simplified[4] two-point thinking, and “black and white symbiosis” The philosophical significance
of “the philosophy - aesthetics - design aesthetics - visual communication[5] “ logical relationship.
Fig.3. the Application of Taoist Yin and Yang Theory in Graphic Design
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Fig.4. the Application of Yin and Yang Theory of Thinking in Visual Graphic Design
Practice--Graphic Symbolization
The theory is base on interdisciplinary subjects[7].
(1) Need to discuss the relationship between art semiotics and visual design, artistic symbols and
visual symbols, language, and visual design;
(2) Research need between audiences, visual graphics, designers, and other stakeholders. Time,
space, and emotional relationships. Organize the various elements of planning and analyze how to
create a visual contextual dialogue with the audience.
(3) Try to discuss the combination of visual graphics and Taoist yin and yang, and strengthen
communication between design practice and audience.
4.2. Methodology
Space arrangement[8] is unconsciously reminiscent of room space arrangement. Of course, the
spatial arrangement of graphics is consistent with the principle of personal space arrangement, and
all kinds of information need to be classified. The commercial posters we see in our daily life often
fail to read the message conveyed by the sign quickly. The reason may be that there are too many
elements in the poster, improper format structure, or graphical colour problems. The simplest
method of spatial sorting is to adopt the classification method. Classification is to classify things
according to their nature and characteristics. It organizes different or identical information and
forms a systematic structure.
Fig.5.graphic design method
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5. Conclusion
Through the Taoist doctrine and Morris semiotics analysis to analysis, the graphic should be
multi-dimensional, and the interactive role of visual graphics should be analyzed by aesthetics,
morphological, aesthetic semantics, and aesthetic pragmatics. The method of yin and yang theory
guiding graphic visual design is indeed feasible in the above discussion. Two-level thinking makes
realistic vision simpler. Of course, the overall effect of the graphic combination is the core meaning
of semiotics and visual semantics.
The development of semiotics to the Internet age is not limited to the field of philosophy.
Whether our increasingly simplified language symbols or symbols in our lives, this research have a
facilitating role in the development of visual design and provides a useful reference for the rapid
delivery of graphical information in the future. The graphic design is more anthropomorphic and
three-dimensional. The data is suitable for society with diversified information. In the era of
information modernization, the symbolic design is more advocating, but the true meaning of
communication cannot be ignored. Otherwise, the symbol will not express emotion.
References
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DIMT Mode [M]. Zhejiang University Press, 2003.
[3] Li Siqu. Oriental Wisdom and Symbolic Consumption[M]. Zhejiang University Press, 2003.
[4] Winner E. Visual thinking in arts education: Homage to Rudolf Arnheim.[J]. Psychology of
Aesthetics Creativity & the Arts, 2007, 1(1):25-31.
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