Communication is found in many social animals. However, the way human communicate is on another level. Human mainly ususes language today to commute with one another. What is language? Language is a psychological process in the brain that creates an associative bond by using a list of words arranged in specific orders to name ideas and concepts. Language is also associated with “sound-image.” It is what distinguish language from other form of communication. Depending on the language usually a select few of words can assign a sound with an object. There are many languages in different culture so there would be a language borer in communication.

Similar to language, symbols/icons are another way of communication. It requires the knowledge of an idea first however it doesn’t require sound to understand. For example, you can see an image of a dog with a not sign over it. If these are commonly used symbols in their society, there wouldn’t be a need to understand a foreign language to understand what the image means. No sound required. Signs, signifier, and the signified are employed in general communication by eliminating the complexity of understanding sound imagery. Signifiers are already assigned to a word symbol by choice it and cannot be changed. There must be a connection between the signifier (the symbol) and the signified (the idea) I can imagine that this can cause confusion.

Language and design existed side by side for a long time such as in books and scrolls. Someone had to write the content and someone else had to design the imagery around the writing. We also see the evolution in design and how designers incorporate language into their designs. Design can communicate with an audience without sound imagery. Design relays on the minds of the audience to use or understand the design. So, design to something like a chair, remote, toys, posters etc., is expected to be clear how it can be used.

When you see a lot of design/symbols today, language would be also be used alongside them. This help society to get familiar with the symbols. For example, when you use a computer, the user interface is filled with different symbols and icons. However, if the user hover over a symbol a text with the preferred language is displayed to the user.