Cultural connotation of design

-- Zhang Xiaofei

From design to now, people have gradually realized that design is for people, not products or money, and slowly understands the humanistic spirit of design. How to make China's design more national and local cultural characteristics is the foundation of China's design toward the world and the foundation of the world.

What is China's native culture? It is a Confucian culture and a 5,000-year-old feudal culture. These cultures are visualized through concrete things, such as Chinese paintings, calligraphy, Yi Jing, Zen studies, five elements and so on. There are folk-cuts, clay sculptures, woodblock New Year pictures, etc. This is a kind of culture, and it is a very urgent need for modern design in China. As the saying goes: "The roots can only be enlightened by Mao," and China's current design draws on and even plagiarizes much of the West. This is just a blind-minded doctrine. We can learn the Western advanced modern design concepts without having to copy from the formalities. This kind of copying will only lose more and more local own things and follow the pace of others. We have always advocated that we should be in touch with the West and even have dialogues. This kind of integration requires us to have our own things. The local cultural connotation is in the inside. Otherwise, it will only be effective and let people laugh at it. The reason why the famous designer of Hong Kong reluctantly succeeds is not only because he has first-rate design consciousness and mind, but also because he has added many very Chinese things in his design, such as Chinese ancient coins, ink culture, and Confucian culture. He is very clever and knows how to add 5,000 years of Chinese culture to some modern flavoring agents. In this way, he stepped into the ranks of the first-class graphic design masters of the century. On the other hand, things that are Chinese-made can make people feel more welcoming, proud, and more of a national design culture.

In the Europe and the United States before the 20th century, no artist would leave such a big gap on the canvas. However, the traditional Chinese painters all regard this blank as a basis for people to use their imagination. Chinese philosophy is the force of all withering. Change is uncertain. Whenever I was looking for such a meeting point, I saw Japan's design work, especially cordial, I feel that I found it, and found a deep sense of sensual flaws. Ancient Japan is a natural worship. Thousands of years ago, cultural references included the Buddhist and Chinese writing systems and the art and architecture of the Tang Dynasty in China. The art of Japan may be simple or complicated. It is both serious and alive. It has both abstract and vivid aspects and a spirit of realism. This is the blend of East and West. Isn't it exactly what we are looking for? Designs from Japan. It seems that we have seen a realm of silence, emptiness, and ethereality and have felt a deeper abstraction of the East. Many of Japan’s indigenous cultures that claim to be Yamato’s nationalities are actually circulated from China. Why is China's contemporary design less than Japan? This is indeed a question worth pondering. The answer to this question involves many aspects, but I think the most fundamental thing is the cultural connotation of the work itself. Today's Chinese designers may emphasize too much on the aspect of the form, and neglect the content and mood that the design work itself should reveal. I have been convinced that only such works can be more reminiscent, people feel a depth, feel the humanistic spirit of design. Let's end this article with an American designer Prossor: "People always think that there are three dimensions of design: aesthetics, technology, and economy, but more importantly, the fourth dimension: humanity."

(The author is a graphic design teacher of Hangzhou Normal University and a member of the China Industrial Design Association. Address: Department of Arts and Crafts, Hangzhou Normal University, Zhejiang Province (Qingchunmenwai Street, Taipingmen Street)