The World of Design,Designs of the World
Mostafa Asadollahi
“Graphic art is a very appropriate means for establishing relations with the world,” says Ebrahim Haqiqi. “It is visual like photography and film, with the difference that it does not depend on music, language and drama. Sometimes, by using graphic design, a connection is established much faster (as in signs, which are an international visual language familiar to everyone; road signs for example). Graphic design is a comprehensive language possessing the capacity for vast development.”
Today, graphic design is everywhere. Stations, airports, gymnasiums, and more recently, in the world of computers. On websites we come across many graphic symbols that are familiar. In effect, we now know the world through a visually global alphabet. “Through graphic art one is able to follow the outlook, social behavior, traditions, and the spirit of the people as living elements of a culture and civilization,” says Sa‘ed Meshki.
The above sentences perhaps express, up to a point, the significance of graphic arts in shaping and developing our dialogue with the rest of the world. In explaining its importance, Qobad Shiva says, “Graphic designers can create the hieroglyphics of their era, invite eyes to an international cultural banquet, and be the promoters of understanding between nations of different civilizations.” As an art which is free from the entanglements of indigenous language, with minimal contact with the traditional culture of tribes, graphic art can be one of the best means of contact between different corners of this earth.
But how can this language become global? Meshki believes, “Since the image, as compared to words, has a wider capacity for human understanding, this sort of dialogue will have a wider audience. Graphic art cannot create understanding, but it can enable us to better comprehend the concept of understanding.”
Explaining how this global language can be established, Majid ‘Abbassi says, “In addition to the knowledge required in this profession, such as technical capacity, and academic background, a graphic artist must have a sufficient grasp of the social and cultural issues of his society. Graphic art is a clear reflection of critical social issues. Therefore, we must use the talents of graphic artists for dialogue between civilizations. In the special medium of his profession, a creative graphic artist can communicate his message to the world.” With respect to the means of making this connection, Farshid Mesqali says, “Through graphic design, our culture can be packaged and distributed in the world. But this is not an individual, isolated, action; rather, a council should be formed in order to decide on the matter. Artists should be under the supervision of one central council. If viewpoints are merely personal, they will ultimately lose their potential capacity for refinement.”
But the question arises, as one part of this relationship, what form should our contact take? In order to be working towards globalization, should we bring ourselves closer to them, or bring them closer to us? Ebrahim Haqiqi replies, “By means of dialogue, we can transfer a culture, at international exhibitions, with topics such as peace, environmental pollution, and helping to protect children… Posters have been distributed with an international language, but at the same time with special national symbols. For example, in most posters representing Japanese artists, images of Japanese culture exist, and these are their merits, for as long as we are not ‘national,’ we cannot become ‘global.’ ” “In this visual dialogue, in order to create a successful and effective work of art,” says Majid ‘Abbassi, “aside from being familiar with an international visual language, a graphic artist must consider his identity to be significant, from a historical and cultural perspective, while being in harmony with contemporary circumstances.”
