Research on Pictogram and the Situation of Pictogram Design in China
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by CSCanada.net: E-Journals (Canadian Academy of Oriental and Occidental Culture,... ISSN 1712-8056[Print] Canadian Social Science ISSN 1923-6697[Online] Vol. 10, No. 6, 2014, pp. 162-165 www.cscanada.net DOI: 10.3968/4969 www.cscanada.org Research on Pictogram and the Situation of Pictogram Design in China ZHOU Zhen[a],* [a]Academy of Fine Arts, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China. a variety of pictograms was used to indicate facilities * Corresponding author. available at or near each station. Ever since 1964 when Received 12 March 2014; accepted 28 June 2014 pictograms were used for signs and events in Tokyo Published online 31 August 2014 Olympics Games under the art director Masaru Katzumie, the effectiveness of pictogram gained a high evaluation Abstract and have been used at every venue where people gather from around the world. This paper presents the research on pictogram and the Nowadays, all kinds of pictograms have become situation of pictogram design in China, for the purpose the indispensable things in the modern life. With the of developing understandable, systematic and interesting development of international exchanges, the complexities pictograms. It collects and studies the existed definition of cities and transportations, and the enlargement of the of pictogram that always referenced and terms related technological environment, pictograms best promote to pictogram, then put forward the author’s opinion the intercommunication, thus international pictograms of pictogram and pictogram design. It discusses the were proposed, most vigorously since the Sixties. Until strongpoint and limitation of pictogram, the difference recently pictograms had become a leading tool in sign between pictogram and icon, the commonness and design (Katsui & Tanaka, 2000). efficiency, the globality and locality of pictogram. Then it Pictograms are also called pictographs. It is preferable analyses several unsatisfying points of pictogram design to use the term pictogram because –gram refers to in China and put forward the new pictogram design “something written or drawn” while –graph mainly method which making use of the formative methods of refers to “the tool or machine used for writing (or for characters to solve the problems. transmitting records)” (Abdullah & Hübner, 2006). Pictogram design; Design method; Icon; Key words: (In Chinese, this term is usually translated into 图标in Mark; Sign Chinese character). Therefore in this thesis I use the term pictogram uniformly in English. Zhou, Z. (2014). Research on Pictogram and the Situation of Pictogram Design in China. Canadian Social Science, 10(6), 162-165. Available from: http://www.cscanada.net/index.php/css/article/view/4969 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/4969 1. EXISTED DEFINITION OF PICTOGRAM Concerning the definition of pictogram, there are several viewpoints. Here I select some explanation of pictogram which always referenced in many papers. INTRODUCTION a) Otto Neurath (1882-1945), philosopher of science A pictogram is a type of graphic symbol in which and political economist, was also a European pioneer of meaning is conveyed through the use of a form expressing information visualization. His system of representing its meaning (Yukio, 1993). It was an emerging area of quantitative information via easily interpretable research in the twentieth century. pictograms became crucial for modern data graphics. An early modern example of the extensive use of When developing the ISOTYPE (International System of pictographs may be seen in the map in the London Typographic Picture Education), he described pictogram suburban timetables of the London and North Eastern as “elements in current system unconditionally”( Katsui & Railway, 1936-1947, designed by George Dow, in which Tanaka, 2000). Copyright © Canadian Academy of Oriental and Occidental Culture 162 ZHOU Zhen (2014). Canadian Social Science, 10(6), 162-165 b) In Japan, the definition of pictogram is always moved, switched or changed in size, giving it the ability to described as “A pictogram is a type of graphic symbol; it represent a large amount of information including the time is a symbol which makes people understand its meaning (Port, 2000). through use of form expressing its meaning.” Simply 2.3 Sign stated, the feature of the pictogram is its “transmission effect which can be understood immediately and A sign is a stimulus pattern that has a meaning, according internationally without prior study.” to philosopher C. S. Peirce. The Japanese translation of pictogram is “e-moji” There are three kinds of sign: the icon, the index and (絵文字, picture word) or “e-kotoba”(絵言葉, picture the symbol. The difference is in how the meaning happens language). E-moji represents each element, and e-kotoba to be attached to (or associated with) the pattern. refers its structural system, that is, the text and the ● An icon has a physical resemblance between the character 1. signal and the meaning. c) A pictograph (also called pictogram or ● An index has a correlation in space and time with its pictogramme) is an ideogram that conveys its meaning meaning. through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object. ● A symbol is an arbitrary pattern that gets its Earliest examples of pictographs include ancient or meaning primarily from its mental association with other prehistoric drawings or paintings found on rock walls. symbols and only secondarily from its correlation with Pictographs are also used in writing and graphic systems environmentally relevant properties (Yukio, 2002). in which the characters are to considerable extent pictorial In graphic design, signs such as marks, symbols, signals in appearance (Yukio, 2002). can convey information that is understood intuitively. Obviously, graphic symbols belong in the domain of signs. Information devices that allow users can easily and 2. TERMS RELATED WITH PICTOGRAM successfully implement the visual sign are sign system. 2.4 Logotype 2.1 Mark A logotype is composed of a symbol or object represented The “Mark” mentioned in this thesis includes mainly the by through the integration of characters. In particular, symbol mark and the trademark. the names of enterprises and goods should be designed The symbol mark is the symbolization-based visual carefully in order to differentiate between competitors. image by which businesses, organizations and social This term comes from the combination of the words “print” activities can be known. Examples of representative and “type” and originally referred to characters. However, symbol marks are the symbol marks of the United Nations now, in the domain of advertising, the mark to reflect the or large multi-industry traders and national flags (Katsui individuation of the enterprises and goods is known as a & Tanaka, 2000). logotype or logomark (Abdullah & Hübner, 2006). The trademark represented with characters and pictures is the sign which is used by the businessman in order to announce their goods or services (Abdullah & Hübner, 3. THE AUTHOR’S OPINION OF 2006). As the typical graphic symbol, the pictogram is based PICTOGRAM AND PICTOGRAM DESIGN on the commonness in the multiformity. In contrast, the In my opinion, pictogram is a concise visual symbol that symbol mark image aims for the unification of the image conveys its meaning through its form. The essence of when directly utilizing the multiformity. The former aims pictogram is its graphic nature and its commonness from convey meaning and the latter aims to transmit an image. diversity. The graphic nature is the same in both the pictogram 2.2 Icon of ancient character and in modern design. This is the An icon is an image depicted by a form in the shape basic grounds of argument of applying formative methods representing the whole or part of a meaningful object. On of ancient character on pictogram design of this paper. computer displays, a computer icon (or simply an icon) is All of the ancient script in the world began with a small pictogram. At present, icon is a general term for pictograms, such as the hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt and the small, on-screen, graphic element that represents an the oracle bone script of ancient China. The formative application, file or hardware resource. Clicking an icon or method of hieroglyph which uses concise shapes to depict touching it with the finger or stylus selects the item that the form of the object is the same with the methods by the icon references. which we design a pictogram. Icon is a free style graphic symbol. Compared with the In modern design, pictograms are serving as pictorial, pictogram, an icon is more easily transformed, combined, representational signs, instructions, or statistical diagrams. Because of their graphic nature and fairly realistic style, 1 Design dictionary (2002), Heibonsha Limited Co., Ltd. pictograms are perspicuous and easy to understand. As 163 Copyright © Canadian Academy of Oriental and Occidental Culture Research on Pictogram and the Situation of Pictogram Design in China pictogram express the commonness of diversity, they can of language (apart from a few onomatopoeic words) have a cover the barriers of language and are widely used to all merely conventional or arbitrary relation to their objects: In over the world nowadays. Peirce’s terminology, they are not icons but symbols. Pictogram and icon are same on the aspect that 3.1 The strongpoint of pictogram conveys its meaning through its form. Their differences 3.1.1 Commonly Acceptance are mainly lie in two aspects. Since pictogram is a “picture language”, it can be easily Firstly, icons are often used in the area of IT industry. approached by and understood by those with a low level As a graphic element, icon always indicates a small, on- of educations, from children to the aged. Pictures convey screen, graphic element that represents an application, file the meaning instant they are seen cross, it is a supplement or hardware resource. Therefore, the design of icon always to the words.