Abstract
Invisible, strong, and ubiquitous, National Identity is a concept that permeates and shapes modern life, yet its significance often goes unnoticed and underappreciated. The necessity of studying it as a powerful communication tool is often not considered when we talk about graphic design heritage. This research proposes a framework where design acts as a tool for nation-building processes, translating its sociological concepts into graphic features and using it as part of a visual analysis of graphic artifacts and its proper archival. Using these concepts, a method for cataloging public-interest advertisement signs was proposed. The catalog register includes informational, graphic, and symbolic content, such as location, color dominance, and style of the message. A mix of qualitative, visual and historical research was used to validate this framework. We collect information on how Chinese citizens and foreigners living in China react to public-interest advertisement signs and their graphic features. The results suggest that when analyzed as symbolic content, National Identity has the same functions as the graphic elements of Visual Literacy. The results also suggest that foreigners also present National Identity ideas and feelings towards their host nation, as they often recognize themselves as the receptors of the visual messages contained in the street signs.
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
National Identity, Visual Literacy, National Identity
