Graphics can be understood as all pictures and types except photography. With its unique phenomenal power, graphics display unique visual charm in the layout composition. Graphics are important materials that form the advertising character and enhance visual attention among the graphic elements. Graphics can subconsciously influence the communication effect of advertising. Graphics take up a lot of space, sometimes even all of it. Graphics can often attract people's attention and stimulate reading interest. The visual impression of graphics is better than that of text. Graphic symbols should be used rationally.

1. Graphic design language

As the language of design, graphics should be spoken clearly. During processing, you must grasp the main features and pay attention to the details of key parts. Otherwise, the difference will be a hundred miles, and a thousand miles will be missed. For example, apples, tomatoes, oranges, etc. are similar in size, but in fact they are very different. This requires considering their different characteristics in processing.

The graphic expression of creativity is through in-depth thinking and systematic analysis of the center of creativity, giving full play to imaginative thinking and creativity, and visualizing imagination and ideas. This is the final and critical step in creativity. The process from how to analyze, how to think to how to express. Due to the unique social labor and language of human beings, human consciousness activities have reached a high level of development. Human thinking starts from understanding the representation, then recording the representation into the brain to form concepts, and then integrating these concepts derived from actual life experience. Concepts are universalized and fixed, so that various objects and processes in the external world and even the own thinking world produce corresponding images in the brain. These influences are separated from immediate external relations and maintain and operate independently of the mind. These impressions are based on language in the narrow sense and are expressed in broad language such as visual graphics, body movements, and music.

"Strange", "different" and "strange" graphics are not the goals pursued by designers. Easy-to-understand, concise and bright graphic language is the necessary condition to achieve strong visual impact, so as to On the public’s awareness, understanding and memory of the advertising theme.

Within certain artistic philosophy and visual principles, creativity has traveled thousands of years through imagination and artistic creation. As a complex and interesting thinking activity, creativity appears as a visual image in current graphic creativity and advertising design, and it has a certain creative form.

2. The essential connection between graphic design and symbols

Graphics themselves are a symbolic image in visual space design, and are a more direct and accurate communication media in the visual communication process. , it plays an important role in communicating people, culture and information. In graphic design, the use of semiotics affects the expression of graphical thinking in graphic design. It is precisely because of its existence that the information transmission of graphic design is more scientific and accurate, and the expression techniques are more colorful.

The famous Italian semiotician Eco proposed: Define a symbol as anything that, according to established social habits, can be regarded as something that represents something else----a mark X represents the absent Y. The idiom "Yan Ni Hong Claw" vividly and accurately expresses the concept of symbols. The paw prints left by swan geese in the mud and snow allow people to know the fact that swan geese once passed by here, and they can learn from it. Infer information such as the size of the swan geese. The paw print is the mark X, and the swan is the absent Y. Semiotics is the science that studies the laws of signs.

In the racing venue, designers painted the walls at the corners with black and yellow striped patterns to remind drivers to concentrate and be wary of accidents. This is because whenever people see black and yellow stripes, they will unconsciously feel fear and vigilance. This feeling may not only come from the visual characteristics of the pattern color itself, but may also be related to the black and yellow stripes that make people It is related to the association with tigers or bees and other animals that may bring danger to people. People's fear and vigilance of such graphics are a continuation of people's fear and vigilance of tigers or bees in their same life experience; the same Green often makes people feel relaxed and happy, as if they are in a dense jungle and fresh air, and life can grow healthily in a natural environment. Therefore, green is increasingly used in design issues related to life fields such as medicine and environmental protection.

Graphic design itself is a symbolic expression, through which the designer conveys his or her own thinking process and conclusions to the audience for the purpose of guidance or persuasion; in other words, the audience also uses the designer’s works , confirm it with your own experience, and finally understand the thoughts and feelings that the designer hopes to express. Obviously, as an intermediate media, graphic design works act as a symbol of the designer’s thoughts and feelings, and whether the information that this symbol needs to express can be accurately, quickly, and effectively accepted and recognized by the viewer becomes a critical factor. A sign of the success of a design work. This is determined by the accuracy and effectiveness of the designer's selection, combination, transformation and regeneration of graphic symbols in the design thinking process. It can be said that symbols are tools to express thoughts and feelings. The old saying "If you want to do your job well, you must first sharpen your tools" has a new interpretation here.

As early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Zhuangzi, a famous Chinese thinker, pointed out in his work "Zhuangzi Waipian": "The speaker cares about what he means, and when he is satisfied, he forgets to speak." That is: between language and things. There is a relationship between the representation and the represented object. Language is the representation of things, and things are the represented objects of language. The task of language is to convey the information of things, and the role of language is the media to convey information. Symbols are things that use certain media to represent or indicate something

In fact, it is a process of symbolizing the world. Thinking is nothing more than an operation of selecting, combining, transforming and regenerating symbols. process. Therefore, it can be said that people think with symbols, and symbols are the main body of thinking. Graphic design is for the purpose of information transmission. It is the planning of the position, proportion and relationship of fonts in a two-dimensional space. Undoubtedly, this is also a thinking process, but at the same time, it is not a common sense. thought process.

Three types and levels of symbols

From the perspective of the relationship between a symbol and its referent (that is, the things or fields it points to and involves), it is currently common in the field of symbol theory research It is believed that symbols can be distinguished into the following three different types, which are also three levels of symbols

Image symbols (ICON) Image symbols are formed by simulating objects or being similar to objects. For example, a portrait is an image symbol of someone. People have an intuitive perception of it and can recognize it through the similarity of images.

Indicator symbol (INDEX) There is a causal or spatio-temporal relationship between the indicator symbol and the object it refers to. For example, a road sign is an indicator of a road; a door is an indicator of a building's exit.

Symbol (SYMBOL) There is no necessary or intrinsic connection between a symbol and the object it refers to. It is the result of convention. The object it refers to and the relevant meaning are obtained by long-term A collection of associations generated by the feelings of multiple people over time, that is, social customs. For example, red represents revolution, and peach is a symbol of longevity in the eyes of the Chinese.

Layout graphic design itself is a symbolic expression, through which the designer conveys his or her own thinking process and conclusions to the audience for the purpose of guidance or persuasion; in other words, it is through the designer's works that the audience , confirm it with your own experience, and finally understand the thoughts and feelings that the designer hopes to express. Obviously, as an intermediate media, graphic design works act as a symbol of the designer’s thoughts and feelings, and whether the information that this symbol needs to express can be accurately, quickly, and effectively accepted and recognized by the viewer becomes a critical factor. A sign of the success of a design work. This is determined by the accuracy and effectiveness of the designer's selection, combination, transformation and regeneration of graphic symbols in the design thinking process. It can be said that symbols are tools to express thoughts and feelings. The old saying "If you want to do your job well, you must first sharpen your tools" has a new interpretation here.

Variable thinking that grasps symbols is a category of time and space

As a narrow sense of personal thinking, it has a long-term nature as long as life and the exploration of different living spaces ; As a thinking activity of a broader human society, it has eternity in a general sense and is applicable to all involved spaces. As the subject of thinking, symbols are also changeable in the transformation of time and space.

■Different time and space make a specific symbol have different referents;

■Different time and space, different symbols refer to the same thing

< p>A. Different time and space make a specific symbol have different referents

A large number of tortoise shells and animal bones unearthed from the Yin Shang site in Anyang, Henan, are engraved with a large number of hieroglyphs, called oracle bone inscriptions. This is the earliest text that can be tested in our country. These words were used to record the results of divination, which were symbols for recording events. With the passage of time, thousands of years later, in addition to retaining the characteristics of symbols for recording events in the eyes of archaeologists, in the minds of most people, these difficult-to-recognize words have become almost A symbol of that era thousands of years ago. In a large number of graphic design works, the image of oracle bone inscriptions appears repeatedly. The information it conveys is no longer the result of the ancients asking about their fate, but has transformed into people's remembrance of that era. Here these words have become the basis of Chinese civilization for thousands of years. Reminder of Glory

The "Swastika" character is an ancient charm, talisman or religious symbol. It is usually considered to be a symbol of fire or the sun and has appeared in many countries and regions. In China and other Asian countries, "swastika" is a Buddhist symbol, which means "the gathering of auspiciousness" in Sanskrit. It is considered to be the auspicious sign that appears on the chest of Sakyamuni and is used as a sign of "all virtues and good fortune".

B. Different time and space, different symbols refer to the same thing

Our society is experiencing more and faster changes, and the changing time and Space gives things new meanings, and things are constantly changing their symbols to adapt to their new meanings. People living in such a changing time and space also have changing perceptions of things, and there will naturally be differences in the images and symbols established in the brain. Fashion, perhaps the fastest-changing thing in society, can be different every year, every month or even every day. The symbols representing fashion are also constantly updated and changed.

In 2002, the rogue rabbit style became popular in Beijing. It conquered a large number of audiences with its exciting plot and eye-popping visual effects. Many friends will ask each other "Have you seen Rascal Rabbit" when they meet? Undoubtedly, watching such an animation is a manifestation of fashion and has become one of the many symbols representing "fashion". Nowadays, many businesses on the market have been inspired by this animation and have created a group of images similar to the protagonists in the movie. The purpose is to convey to the audience that purchasing and using such products is as fashionable as watching the cartoon Rascal Rabbit, and it is one of the ways of life that you can always keep abreast of the pulse of fashion.

No question is as complex and fundamental to human civilization as that which concerns symbols. Symbols are relevant to the entire field of human knowledge and life. They are a universal tool of the human world, as The same as motion in physical nature.

3. Graphic design and text are connected.

Mr. Keller, one of the representatives of the movement, said: "Fonts should be graphic elements. Font graphics are the high degree of unity of form and content."

The graphical characteristics of text, It has always been a creative material that designers enjoy. China has always paid attention to the origin of calligraphy and painting. The text itself has the beauty of graphics and reaches the realm of art. The use of pictures to create characters began as early as the oracle bone inscriptions in ancient times. So far, its text structure still conforms to the composition principles of graphic aesthetics. The writing in the world is nothing more than images and symbols. Therefore, it is really easy to discover the factors that can form graphics from text.

Graphic text is based on the Chinese characters that have been developed for thousands of years, and then the fonts are graphically re-created. Use some products of the development of modern society as creative materials, and use this creativity to express certain behaviors in modern society. Create a modern atmosphere and make the text creative feel modern. Not only in terms of form, but also in terms of content, it further deepens the content to be expressed. It is a kind of imaginative graphic text. In the initial creation, I searched for the most expressive creative materials in modern times. Starting from the glyphs, I studied the glyphs and frame structures of many characters. From real visual life, we discovered the behavioral symbol "→" that is easiest to express and be understood by people. So I searched for various words related to "→". This similarity in structure, the extensibility and limitations of language, and the new structure gave this Chinese character a specific meaning.

Text graphics are points, lines, and surfaces that use text as the most basic unit to appear in layout. Make it become a part of the layout, and even achieve a unique layout form with pictures and texts as a whole.

The idea of ????imagery graphic creativity of Chinese characters is developed from the idea of ??graphic creativity, which is to treat the text itself as a graphic, and add its own text connotation to change the graphic meaning. extension. But there is a difference between this kind of graphic text and the original text graphics. The former is a graphic and the latter is a text. Text evolved on the basis of original graphics, and modern text graphics developed on the basis of existing text. They have a deeper cultural connotation and new forms of expression than the original graphic text. Hieroglyphics are only the understanding of the surface shape of things. They are simple language symbols that convey information. They were produced in the specific environment at that time and cannot be called writing. Moreover, the development of modern Chinese characters has been relatively systematic, complete, unified and standardized. The creative imagery of Chinese characters is based on the re-creation of graphics, using the products of modern social development and modern element symbols to re-create the structure of Chinese characters. Graphical and then creative, let people imagine another meaning after being familiar with the existing Chinese characters, which is the concept of "old characters with new meanings".

Text plays an important role in the composition of print advertisements, and is the visual part second only to graphics. When arranging text: 1) To area-size the text in the advertisement, which means to arrange the area of ??the text in the screen according to the number and content of the text units. By changing the area and size of the text, the text forms a combination of unequal size and area, so that the text part in the picture appears in a flexible point, line, and surface layout, thus creating different effects such as compactness and comfort for the layout of the page, allowing readers to read It can reduce the burden and increase reading interest, and can also make the layout of advertising layout produce rhythm, rhythm and visual impact. 2) The layout of text should also pay attention to the text effect of the text itself. In the composition of text, pictures and pictures, using different fonts to express different key text contents is a common design technique. However, too many fonts will make the picture look restless, and too few fonts will lack the necessary vitality. The number of fonts often indicates the core of the advertising content.

Combining graphic symbols with text to reconstruct a new concept of the word, narrowing the connotation of the word itself, giving it a specific meaning, or reinterpreting its literal meaning; transforming the word into a graphic Transformation processing, treating the shape of words as images, treating the meaning of words as the fundamental guiding ideology of creativity, using deformation to expand meaning, using meaning to limit the transformation of shape, and processing words into images.

Long Island Aquarium is a modern aquarium supplies company. The company's logo was designed by Hong Kong designer Choi Wing-yao. Because it is an aquarium company, the basic shape of the logo was considered to be the shape of a "fish"; and because the company is a modern enterprise in Hong Kong, the designer used the initial letter "L" of the company name.

In terms of creativity, the design of Chinese characters must be well conceived and accurate. It must not affect the main image of the Chinese character itself, let alone mislead. The designer must grasp the key points of creative design and emphasize the understanding of the literal meaning. Design includes two important aspects:

1) It is a plotted and psychological spatial layout based on the meaning and structure of the text, using imagery and symbolization.

2) The creative design of Chinese characters must pay attention to the special national psychology formed by the Han nation in the long-term use of Chinese characters - the aesthetics of reading business and forming associations. The latter is the focus of the creative redesign of Chinese characters, which enables the designer's intention to communicate with the viewer's mind, and highly integrates the sounds, shapes and meanings of Chinese characters.

4. The performance of graphics in advertising works

People are exposed to advertisements and can leave a deep impression. To a large extent, it depends on whether the performance of graphics in advertising works can capture attract consumers and arouse their enthusiasm. Compared with text, graphics have dynamic picture components. Consider three aspects of application:

1) The number of graphics used should be small but precise. For most advertising works, the amount of graphics used has absolutely different communication effects. One or two high-quality pictures, with clear and prominent images and sharply highlighting the theme, can be compared to ten; but after more than two graphics, the visual impact is relatively weakened and the atmosphere of the picture appears dull.

2) The area factor of a figure depends on the importance of the figure. Large-area graphics are often used to render the atmosphere and can produce strong impact. Especially large-scale outdoor advertising posters require vivid pictures to catch readers' attention and convey information instantly. Small-area pictures are used to help and deepen readers' impressions. For mail advertisements and newspaper advertisements, because readers have a lot of time to read the advertisement, the graphic part can be relatively weakened and the text strengthened.

3) Based on people’s habits and emotional factors, readers’ feelings about advertisements directly affect the effectiveness of advertisements.

In short, the purpose of graphic design is communication between people. As designers, we, learning to use semiotic tools, will make the design more effective. Design, as a medium to convey ideas, is itself a symbol, and design is composed of symbolic elements. The designer successfully selects, combines, transforms, and regenerates these elements to form symbols that refer to his or her own thoughts, and becomes a perfect match between himself and his audience. *Symbols recognized by the same people, combining graphic symbols with words to reconstruct a new concept of words, narrowing the connotation of the word itself, giving it a specific meaning, or reinterpreting its literal meaning; graphicalizing the word In the process of processing, the shape of words is treated as an image, the meaning of words is used as the fundamental guiding idea of ??creativity, the meaning is expanded by deformation, the transformation of shape is limited by meaning, and the image processing of words is carried out. This is when communication is truly formed, when information is conveyed accurately and completely, and the thinking process of design is complete.

1. Functionality: The essence of a logo lies in its functionality. Although artistically designed logos have ornamental value, the logo is not primarily for viewing, but for practicality. Logos are an indispensable intuitive tool for people to carry out production activities and social activities. There are signs for human use, such as public place signs, traffic signs, safety signs, operation signs, etc.; there are flags and emblems for countries, regions, cities, nations, families, etc.; there are signs for social groups. , enterprises, benevolence and activities, such as emblems, monograms, factory logos, social logos, etc.; there are trademarks dedicated to certain commodities and products; there are also trademarks dedicated to collective or personal belongings, such as seals, signatures, monograms, etc. Signing, branding, etc. all have unique and irreplaceable functions. Signs with legal effect have a special mission to safeguard rights and interests.

2. Recognizability: The most prominent feature of logos is that each has a unique appearance, is easy to identify, shows the characteristics of things, and indicates the different meanings between things. Distinguishing and belonging are the main functions of logos. Various signs are directly related to the fundamental interests of the country, groups and even individuals, and must not be similar or confused with each other to avoid misunderstandings. Therefore, the logo must be distinctive, recognizable at a glance, and unforgettable.

3. Conspicuousness: Conspicuousness is another important feature of signs. Except for invisible signs, most signs are set up to attract people's attention. Therefore, strong and eye-catching colors and concise and clear graphics are the common characteristics of logos.

4． Diversity: There are many types of signs and a wide range of uses. Regardless of their application forms, composition forms, and expression methods, they are extremely diverse. Its application forms are not only flat (almost any flat surface of material can be used), but also three-dimensional (such as reliefs, garden sculptures, arbitrary-shaped three-dimensional objects, or special styles of packaging, containers, etc. used to make signs, etc.). Some of its forms of composition directly use objects, some are composed of text symbols, some are composed of concrete images, images or abstract graphics, and some are composed of colors. Most logos are composed of a combination of several basic forms. In terms of means of expression, its richness and diversity are almost difficult to summarize, and with the development of science and technology, culture, and art, there is always innovation.

5. Artistry: All designed unnatural signs have some degree of artistry. It meets both practical requirements and aesthetic principles. Giving people a sense of beauty is the basic requirement for their artistry. Generally speaking, artistic logos are more attractive and infective, giving people a strong and deep impression. The high degree of artistry of logos is the need of the times and the progress of civilization. It is the embodiment of people's increasingly higher cultural literacy and the needs of aesthetic psychology.

6 Accuracy: No matter what the logo is supposed to explain or indicate, whether it is a moral or a symbol, its meaning must be accurate. First of all, it must be easy to understand and conform to people's cognitive psychology and cognitive abilities. Secondly, it must be accurate to avoid unexpected interpretations or misunderstandings, and special attention should be paid to taboos.

It allows people to understand clearly and accurately in a very short time. This is the advantage of logos over language and faster than language.

7. Durability: Unlike advertisements or other promotional materials, logos generally have long-term use value and cannot be easily changed.