Three problems in Chinese graphic design

One, Chinese character design

In terms of graphic design, Chinese characters are undoubtedly the greatest and most successful designs in human history. It uses the most simple design elements and uses the richest and most complex design methods to design a constant and simple "product", and makes these products extremely rich in content, perfect in frame, and widely used. The impact is so far-reaching. At the same time, these designed “unit products” have infinite connection methods, have open and increasing isomorphism capabilities, and have infinite affinity and adaptability to different conditions under development and change.

Although many linguists, linguists and other scholars continue to study "Chinese characters", it is plausible that Chinese characters are actually only a kind of "flat design product" of the Chinese nation. It is a "product," because it is a work that can be used and circulated. It even has a "word nature" of "merchandise"; moreover, it is indeed used by the largest number of people in the world. For a long time, there are standard product catalogues: various dictionaries. And it is still a product for human use only. Cat food is sold in the world, but there are no dictionaries and bookstores for dogs and cats. It is called "graphic design" because it is an artificial element that is used only for point-designed dot paintings. It is designed according to the concept of a common design based on the structural principles and means of graphic design. Moreover, it has an ever-increasing number of specialized design tools, ranging from knives to pens, from color to ink and a series of unique tools. People also created proprietary "carriers" and "product processors" for its invention. It is the greatest invention of mankind: paper and typography are in fact the cornerstones of all civilizations and the first methods of information processing. It is also the same as all graphic designs and can be used as an intermediary and test standard for ideas and entities. Just as we use a design plan to check a building or a piece of artifacts, we can also use the product of “constitute this as a basis” to compare the words and deeds of “say it without saying”. More importantly, Chinese characters are the same as all graphic designs for people to “see”. They are flat graphics that can be used only after “recognizing” them. The only special thing is that, in addition to its similar functions to other graphic designs, Chinese characters have their own characteristics of “ultimate product” and can be used as the ultimate product. They can be marked, recorded, displayed, lyrical, aesthetic, etc. Many direct cultural functions have even formed an artistic category in the second-order meaning of “calligraphy”.

Therefore, we can look at Chinese characters in such a way that Chinese characters are a flat design that records the concept of human beings made out of spot paintings, and are visual information symbols that are processed by writing or similar methods. We can also look at many things unique to the Chinese nation that are related to Chinese characters: For example, the dictionary is a Chinese character library, the sentences are Chinese characters, and the calligraphy is a style of writing arts with Chinese characters as the subject.

The design concept of Chinese characters is both sophisticated and simple. It is actually constructed only by the two elements of “point painting”. In the so-called “eight words of the same character”, different stroke patterns can be seen as different positions and styles of point painting. As early as in the Song Dynasty, some scholars proposed that the point is also a kind of "paint composition" theory. However, the structure of Chinese characters is extremely rich, inexhaustible and available. The history of the development of Chinese characters for thousands of years has proved this. More importantly, the design philosophy of Chinese characters reveals the logical nature of graphic design and develops its logic approach to the most extensive and perfect connection with human activities. For example, the word "car" is one of the oldest characters. It is actually the oldest car-shaped pattern designed with a point-painting structure. The basic structure of a wheel-shaped wheel, axle, and rut of a circular spoke is used. The simple and perfect concept record of the painter formed the word "car". However, it does not need to make any changes in image, such as sex, number, and grid, and eternally completes all the logical expressions of “car”: it can not only remember everything like carriages, oxcarts, unicycles, bicycles, and trains. , cars, trams, motorcycles, lunar rover, photon cars, sun cars, etc., the ideal “car” in ancient and modern times, and even in the future; it can also express something that has the dynamic characteristics of the car in a certain aspect, such as waterwheels, windmills, , spinning wheels, lathes, etc.; it can even express everything that people and things that are directly or indirectly related to the “car”, such as cars, truckers, turning knives, cars, cars, vehicles, driving tables, Stations, Zhongfu, wheel battles, chasses, car books, etc. In addition, the "car" can also be used as a design element of Chinese characters, and many new characters are designed to comply with Chinese character design rules, such as: boom, rolling, rail, wheel, porch, dragonfly, sedan, turn, turn, soft, light, axis , more, 辇, 轳, 轳, and so on. This leads to the creation of various words, which are simply innumerable and difficult to enumerate. Not only do they have such contemporary names as "sedans", but they also have special terms such as "trajectory". They also have ubiquitous vocabulary such as "advocate", "transformation", "imperial", and "recklessness," and even "being vigorous". "The station can't live any longer" this kind of vulgarity. Perhaps it is not difficult for us to discover any future occasions that can be imagined in ancient and modern times, even in the future. As long as there is a place for Chinese people, there will be use of “designed products” that are implicated in “cars” everywhere.

In fact, each Chinese character is such a "product" that they have built a Chinese civilization and have prolonged and expanded Chinese culture. In fact, the first Chinese characters were directly called "literature". The first dictionary after the unification of Chinese characters was called "shuowen." In this dictionaries, the structural rules and laws of Chinese characters were also clearly revealed. , and explicitly point out the principle of "painting as a text". The vocabulary of “civilization” and “culture” summarizes the special function of “nothing is unknown and unintelligible” in Chinese characters. In the course of five thousand years of development, Chinese characters have become the most complete "visual plane information record system." Some people who do not understand this and do not understand this are in violation of these principles. They must engage in the “Chinese Character Reform” that “takes the world’s common path of pinyin” and set up a committee for reforming the writing. They are essentially trying to cancel the visual plane structure of Chinese characters. With regard to information characteristics, they do not understand the unified and identical compositional rules of multiple writings of Chinese characters, to "reform" Chinese characters by reducing the strokes of Chinese characters, and even "standardize" Chinese characters by using typos and characters. As a result, there has been a simplicial body. Since traditional characters can contain simplified characters instead of simplified characters, they do not have the function of replacing traditional characters (at least until the simplified characters were issued, all Chinese dictionaries were kept in traditional characters). Therefore, this In fact, after a few strokes of each word, more than a few thousands of commonly used Chinese characters were created, resulting in confusion and complication of the Chinese character system. Look at the thicker and thicker dictionary. ), it is not difficult to understand the seriousness of this mistake. This has brought a lot of difficult work to the standardization of Chinese characters and is not conducive to the two-way open reform and cultural exchange between time and space. Otherwise, with today’s open reform as the basic national policy, why should the “Word Reform Commission” that has flaunted the reform be renamed the “Writing Work Committee?” To simplify it as a precursor, the “Chinese Character Reform” for the purpose of cancellation is precisely that. The product of a bourgeois-democratic revolution and an administrative order where the national culture is ignorant. Wrong, change it. There is indeed a lot of "wordwork" waiting for the "Writing Work Committee" to work.

Many civilizations written in Chinese characters may have further development and glory for the creation of Chinese people. The quintessence of Chinese characters in graphic design may be worth learning, inheriting, and exploring for every “designer”. I always feel sacred and proud for the design of Chinese characters.

Second, copper design

I often have an idea that the world’s highest design award should be awarded to the ancient Chinese designer who designed copper coins for Qin.

Maybe my idea is not unreasonable. As for the long-term use of single-piece designs and the large number of products created, the development of design concepts and the extension of design concepts are based on the number and number of these products used, as well as the prolonged duration of this design. The discovery and application of rich cultural connotations caused by design can be said to be absolutely unsurpassed in terms of measuring aspects of design achievements. Well, if you want to designate a design award around the world, it's natural that it must be.

China was one of the first countries to have money. Since the Xia Dynasty, various natural and man-made currencies have emerged one after another. Shang and Zhou Dynasties, and all types of currencies have been designed to show us the superb and rich design of the millennia. Level. Many stereotypes of currency design have always influenced the development of Chinese ornamentation and the formation of culture. However, none of these rich and complex designs can be compared to later copper designs. The copper coin of the Qin Dynasty chose the most concise graphic of the outer circle of the Chinese side and completed the most complete use of functions and the most extensive educational function.

It can be said without hesitation that the mastery of circles and squares is the most important sublimation stage of human understanding of abstract figures at first, and it is from the basic strokes of paintings and paintings to the basic pattern of strokes (from Linear development to the plane) awareness of the sign. In the pattern of painted pottery in China's primitive society, the basic pattern is triangular, square, and circular, in addition to the curve of the point painting. These patterns are combined with clever combinations to create a rich ornamentation. However, the use and expression of Fang Heyuan as a design element and design idea also depends on further understanding and grasping of abstract design elements. When people understand the principle of “not being able to be a rule”, we can understand the rules of “circle to make moves, and make others calm” and even measure the cultural concepts and patterns of feelings such as “the heavens and the squares” and “the squareness and sleekness”. In the "square" and "circle", such a design only showed an incomparably superior experience.

Money is to be used and circulated, and all the coins of the world at the very least are attributed to circular designs. Only the Chinese nation has chosen a round with square holes as the ultimate style of coins. The coins running through the ropes are naturally easy to count and carry. In terms of drilling techniques, casting square holes is much easier than drilling circular holes. This design of Chinese money naturally has extremely rich cultural requirements, and it has made it easy for the public to ask for help.

It is precisely because of this "Responsibility for Refugees" process design that the design of copper coins naturally has the potential for more development in the use of functions and cultural affinity. Perforated money is more conducive to carrying and counting. The square holes and circular money can accommodate other social and cultural concepts related to graphics at the same time. For example, the basic functions of money such as circulation and stability, the social character of people such as sleek and square, and peripherals and centers The concept of location is such that the title of money such as “Kong Fangxiong” will appear, making the money also come from Confucius as a “confucius” to adapt to the cultural spirit advocated by Confucianism. Following this, it is possible for China’s God of Wealth to have the name “Marshal Ming”. However, such conjunctions as “Heart and Money Founder, God of Wealth and the Public” can set people’s hopes and create people’s character from a broader cultural concept.

If we look further at the design of many ordinary utensils by the Chinese people, we will also find many places where “reliefs are difficult” and “use squares” (rules). Chinese people are inseparable from the chopsticks. People use the most common types of utensils, such as baskets and utensils, to create a round shape. These are the most common examples, and they are all typical examples of design and manufacturing. These modern convenience baskets, hygienic chopsticks and the like that have been "reconstructed" will not continue this pleasing appearance. Let us take a look at the basic shapes of the logos of countless contemporary trademarks, and generally follow the basic way of comparing, interspersing or containing basic figures such as squares. And these are the basic design ideas of China's copper coins.

Can be no