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Design

Graphic communication and design thinking provide visual and applied methods for solving problems across different domains (DiMarco 2010).

Form as meaning

Meaning can be affected by four variables: “the form of the elements, the quantity of the elements, the way they are distributed in space, and the relative magnitude of each element” (Foucault 1994, 134). Design began to matter more in the realm of communicating complex ideas such as describing biology, both textually and visually, to record the most accurate account of that structure, making classification more meaningful.

Icon, index, symbol

Semiotics is an analytical tool used in the study of signs and interpretation of information. Understanding the three kinds of sign: icon (represents something), index (points at something), and symbol (abstracts something) is important to writers and designers because we use them to create meaningful works that span scholarly and commercial projects. Icons are clear representations of things, indexes are related things and point at them, and words are abstract because they do not have a real meaning unless we make that connection through opposition via context, so icons become the most literal of all signs due to the fact that we can make meaning immediately.

Figure 1.6 Marrying text and image requires great care. It can elicit precise meaning as we see with the Franklin Mills logotype and brandmark created by legendary graphic designer Milton Glaser. The image of a kite, with a lightning bolt nested inside, together offer an icon representing exploration and innovation. The final element, the logotype symbol is words, which lose abstraction when added to mark.