Author: Mike Zaporozhtsev (Page 2 of 2)

In the assigned readings authors talk about language as a tool of communication between people. Although there are many languages, each differs from the other, some so much that people hardly understand each other, there is still one language that is common for everyone – the language of signs and pictures, symbols and icons. This language plays a great role in graphic design because it elaborates an important meaning through small icons. For example, as the knife and fork icon represents restaurants, when we see it, we immediately imagine an establishment where we can eat; or just two letters WC make you think of a restroom. 

What differs a language from other forms of communication, is that language is, as I said before, a tool made for communication between people, but it is a strictly organized tool, with specific rules and laws. If we take Western languages, all of them have words that are made from letters, they all have nouns, verbs, and adjectives. They all have a more or less similar structure, so, I want to say, they are made and organized in a similar way. Other communication tools do not have it. If we put signs, icons together, they will make almost no sense if you do not “translate” it to your language. Since the design is made for often graphical communication between people, we still use language as a tool to create and decode these graphic representations.

Sorry for the vertical video:D

Here is the project I was talking about.

After reading the texts, I understood that design is not only about just art; it is about things that can be applied to everyday life to solve everyday problems–social, political, or environmental. Design is not completely about expression, so it is different from art. Unlike artist who only creates to express themselves, designers try to solve certain problems or, at least, indicate them. 

However, it is pretty hard to live as a designer nowadays, because there is a lot of pressure put by society. A designer has to know a lot–design aspects themselves, animation, marketing, code, you name it. Considering, that designer in the essence is a solver, he also needs to be acknowledged in theoretical and philosophical questions.