The visual gamut and syntactic abstraction

Charles S. Peirce’s second trichotomy, which introduces the concepts of iconicity, indexicality, and symbolicity, is probably the only piece of his semiotic that is familiar to visual artists and designers. Although the concepts have found their way into the academy, their utility in the field has been reduced for a couple of reasons. First, as with all of Peirce’s philosophy, his second trichotomy is a concept that is subtle, fluid, and difficult to fully grasp in a sound bite. Second, there has simply been no bridge concept that would form a working connection between that philosophy in its logical guise and the studio practice in the visual arts. The purpose of this article is to remedy that situation by investigating the subtle ways the second trichotomy functions within the visual sphere, and to then suggest a model that can serve to bridge the divide between pure theory and practice. The article makes four main points: first, using examples from visual identity and the graphic arts, it demonstrates how the modes of icon, index, and symbol tend to be blended; second, examples from fine art are used to illustrate how the concept of abstraction, as used in the art world, can only be partially accounted for within the second trichotomy, but can be modeled by supplying a syntactical supplement; third, it expands on and elaborates a previously sketched model, the visual gamut, which makes it possible to classify visual entities according to their position within a map of semantic and syntactic space; finally, it concludes by suggesting ways this enhanced version of the visual gamut model might be used in the analysis of, or creation of, art and design, presenting suggestions for further study.

Digital Badging at Scale at Penn State University

In this chapter, the authors discuss two examples of digital credential implementations at Penn State University. Penn State University is a large R1 with a main campus located in Central Pennsylvania. The purpose of this chapter is to situate the broader digital credential movement within one example of how it has played out in higher education. Within this one example, the implementations between the University Libraries and College of Engineering have similarities and differences. This chapter demonstrates that the purpose and goals of a digital credentialing program heavily influence decisions made from the beginning of the effort through maturation. Outside forces that impact what a digital credentialing effort looks like will be discussed such as administrative requirements and concerns over visual identity. Finally, this chapter provides thoughts on where digital credentials are headed within higher education.

The Metaphysical Quality that gives a Visual Identity Mark its Sway.

Addressing a specific aspect of visual communication, the focus of this paper is to examine the connection between elemental nature-inspired archetypal symbols and contemporary Visual Identity Marks, for example the archetypal Solar Cross to the BP VIM, Helios, by establishing the existence of a contextual relevance and relationship. It furthermore analyses the fundamental influence of these archetypal symbols upon the viewer/user (internal and external audiences), no matter what level of sophistication the viewer’s/user’s society has achieved. To build an appreciation of the continuity and effectiveness of the use of elemental nature-inspired archetypal symbols within a contemporary context, areas of expertise not traditionally utilised within visual communication, such as sociology, archaeology, theology and folklore were engaged. While being defined as “a recurrent symbol or motif in literature, art or mythology” (Random House Dictionary, 2012), an archetypal symbol also possesses a metaphysical quality. This metaphysical quality enables the symbol to act as a galvanising and motivating force, which re-enforces individual and group identity, and ultimately transmit a sense of the sacred and the institutional within a mutable world. The archetypal (natural) symbol is the response of the psyche reflecting the ‘internal truth’. The VIM (cultural) symbol is a vehicle to maintain power for financial or political profits as well as sustain group coherency, and individual identity. Encoded within both a ‘natural’, and a ‘cultural’ symbol, is a deep spiritual quality tapping into a deeper symbolic language which evolved from humanity relating back to nature. Drawing upon notions of individual interpretation, the paper analyses the very idea of personal and/or subjective mental constructs related to visual identity marks.

Ukrainian Library Association: Adjusting to the Next Normal Ecosystem

On 17-18 November, the Ukrainian Library Association (ULA) held a wrap-up electing conference on the UBA Development Strategy implementation for 2019-2021, a ULA award official ceremony, and the presidential, the Expert Board and the Association Control Commission votes for the next three years. A new visual identity and logo for the Ukrainian Library Association appeared during the Conference. The Conference on Ukrainian Library Association: Adjusting to the Next Normal Ecosystem was designed to reflect the complexity of the war, widespread pandemic, economic and managerial instability under which the Association had to build its work, and its commitment to be a mover achieving goals in the development of social ecosystems, the ULA's vision of its position in the system of social and professional ties, flows and focuses.

URBAN DEVELOPMENT OF LENINGRAD IN THE 1920S-1930S

The study of the urban planning features of the development of Leningrad in the pre-war decade can serve to determine the preservation of the visual identity of urban planning ensembles of the historical and cultural heritage of the fi rst half of the 20th century. General plans 1935-1937 gave direction to design activities and large-scale construction in Leningrad for two decades. The basis of a systematic approach to the formation of the structure of the new development of Leningrad was the creation of a complex of urban planning ensembles that united the peripheral districts and focused on the traditions of Petersburg architecture. Are detected the architectural, compositional and spatial features of the organization of residential areas on the peripheral territory of Leningrad are being studied. The boundaries of the protection of ensembles and complexes of the 1920- 1930s, aimed at preserving the volumetric-spatial structure, as well as visual connections of the dominants and accents of the period under consideration, have been determined. The architectural principles of the formation and means of organizing the ensembles of the 1920s-1930s are revealed, the boundaries of the protection territories of objects are determined in the context of visual relationships.

The Relationship between the Quality of Managers, the Internal Communication Level and the Institutional Visual Identity

This research analyses the relation between the constructs quality of managers and internal communication and the dependent variable belonging to the institutional visual identity within the Faculties of Physical Education and Sport, funded by the State Budget, in Romania. The data within this study come from a research based on the survey method, with a questionnaire-based tool, reprised from the scientific literature and validated through Alpha Cronbach’s coefficient, ensuring the internal reliability analysis of each construct: the quality of managers, the internal communication, belonging to the institutional visual identity. The research was carried out on a sample of 261 persons from a population of 452 teaching staff members within the faculties of physical education and sport, funded by the State Budget, in Romania. The research was carried out on two directions: one concerning the correlation between the quality of managers and belonging to the institutional visual identity; and the other concerning the correlation between the internal communication and the same belonging to the institutional visual identity.

National Brand Identity: Pilot Study on Perception of Croatian Student Population

A message sent to a specific market or an audience contains certain types of information that affect the audience. For this reason, brand identity, nowadays increasingly in a digital form, plays an important role. Each state wants to create a robust, attractive, and different brand identity that will set it apart from other states and thus augment its reputation. This research aimed to determine the elements of brand identity that respondents mostly associate with Croatia and to examine their attitudes towards the belief that the brand identity that influences emotions is essential in the creation of national visual identity, as well as their attitudes towards the assumption that the brand identity of Croatia should be liked first by the inhabitants of Croatia, and only then by foreign tourists. Two research propositions were tested using the structural equation modeling, measuring the relationship between the emotional and formal elements of brand identity with the attitudes towards the emotions concerning the brand identity and the relevance of the brand identity to the country residents. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.