I. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Introduction
Symbols have been used by people since early history. A symbol can be any pictorial or abstract representation of other objects, idea or activity. So a symbol refers to something other than itself. Ever since the advent of civilisation and trade, the traders have used it to distinguish their product from others. They adopt a symbol which might take the form of a picture or letters, known as a logo, to represent the company or organisation. However, when the company and business world grow, they need a set of elements organised effectively into a consistent design as corporate identity to communicate the company's message to their audiences.
"The corporate image is the way a corporation is perceived in the eyes of its various audiences. Corporate identity is that part of the image which can be seen or heard - advertisement, uniforms, letterheads, business cards, buildings, plant signage, etc."
(Carter, 1985, p. 8)
Every company or organisation needs a corporate identity programme which communicates its profile to the public and sets the company apart from others. The corporate identity could be in the form of a symbol, logo, or logotype and it represents the character of the company. Corporate identity is also a major factor in the company's survival in a competitive environment.
Wally Olins remarks,
"We are entering an epoch in which only those corporations making highly competitive products will survive. This means in the longer term, that products from the major competing companies around the world will become increasingly similar. Inevitably, this means that the whole of the company's personality, its identity, will become the most significant factor in making a choice between one company and its products and another".
(Olins, 1989, p. 9)
A corporate identity programme usually begins with creating a logo that must represent a client's identity. The logo is the heart of a corporate identity. Therefore, it is important that the logo communicates the company's identity to local, national and international audiences.
There are many requirements that must be met when designing a corporate identity. The procedure for designing a corporate identity can generally be divided into four steps, as indicated by Olins (1995):
"The basic blocks of an identity programme are as follows:
Stage One:
Investigation, analysis and strategic recommendations
Stage Two:
Developing the identity
Stage Three:
Launch and introduction - communicating the vision
Stage Four:
Implementation - making it happen"
(Olins, c. 1995, p. 46)
Besides these basic steps, Olins (1995) also states that we need to consider the following issues:
"There are two separate issues to consider here. The first is to research whether the proposed identity programme is acceptable to the various audiences at whom it is aimed. This means pre-testing names and design. And the second is to find out whether the identity programme is succeeding in raising favourable awareness of the organisation".
(Olins, 1995, p. 73)
This investigation is related to the first of the two issues described by Olins (1995), to research whether the corporate identity programme is well understood by the audience and meets their requirements. The researcher contends that cultural factors should be take into account when designing a corporate identity. In other words, the research intends to investigate the importance of cultural influences when designing a corporate identity and how they affect the design.
As Olins (1995) points out later:
"Is it practical to research the proposed identity programme before it is launched? There are differing views on this. One respectable view is that it is possible to research individual parts of the proposed identity programme - names, colours, symbols and even the whole - before it is launched.Client organisations increasingly demand that research of this kind should be undertaken. As research techniques improve, it is clear that the risk-reduction process which this kind of activity offers is becoming increasingly worthwhile"
(Olins, 1995, p. 73)
The message in a corporate identity should be clear enough to be understood by various people from different cultures. This pays recognition to the fact that people from different cultural backgrounds view colour, shape, form and icons differently. In some cases the differences can be distinct and in others they can be subtle. As Griggs & Copeland point out,
"It is essential to keep in mind that people around the world just do not see things the same way"
(Griggs & Copeland, 1985, p. 18)
Later they added,
"Symbols, too are potent: in every culture, things, numbers and even smells have meanings"
(Griggs & Copeland, 1985, p. 18)
In this era of globalisation, most communities consist of people with different cultural backgrounds. Therefore, the designer, whether designing for a local or international audience, must take cultural differences into consideration. He or she has to ensure that the logo/symbol communicates clearly and is not misinterpreted. The need for cross cultural communication is reflected in the following statements:
"The complexities of the task (creating a corporate identity) are great enough when the organisation is located within a single country, but today almost major organisations operated globally".
(Olins, 1989, p. 182)
"And, the designers should understand that what they are creating must be suitable for global applications".
(Lubliner, 1994, introduction)
"It is easier, and there is much more choice, when a project is targeted at a single reader/viewer group - for instance, language, cultural, or regional audiences. The more varied the group is, the more thorough the coordination and the cross-adjustments must be"
(Zhukov, 1995, p. 207)
When designing cross culturally, there could be many pitfalls and problems for the designer if he or she is not familiar with how the cultures view the product. The researcher has conducted a questionnaire survey to find out whether designers research into the cultural backgrounds of the audience prior to generating ideas. The result indicates that 76% of the designers agreed that it was a good idea to conduct background research and 24% did not. Therefore, from the evidence gathered from other researchers and the views of designers revealed by the questionnaire survey, it is clear that cultural research must be done when planning and designing a logo, regardless of whether it is meant for a local, national or international audience.
Initially, the writer explored a demography encompassing cultures in the world without any specific culture, investigating firstly the visual perception and interpretation differences within cultures when viewing a symbol or logo. Secondly, a survey of designers was carried out to determine whether they considered cultural differences in their interpretation of shape, form and colour when designing a symbol or logo for an international or multicultural audience (A summary of this initial investigation can be found in chapter 3). In the term cultures in the world in this investigation, the researcher is was not concentrated in one culture, but just review the general outlook of regions in the world.
Subsequently, the initial survey found that cultures in the world are too broad a scope for this study. Therefore, after some stages of limitation, the researcher concentrated on cultures within the population described by the demography and chose to focus on Chinese culture within the Southeast Asian region.
The term "Chinese" in this investigation is not a reference just to the group of people found in China, but encompasses the Chinese residents in Southeast Asia. This region has been selected due to the fact that about 80% of the Chinese outside China live in Southeast Asia (Lague, as cited in Goh, 1996, p. 9). Moreover, this concentration of Chinese people makes the Chinese cultural consideration important to designers in the Southeast Asian region as well as to designers from any country who are designing a logo that will be viewed by people with a Chinese cultural background. A particular characteristic of ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia and in other parts in the world is that they still preserve their Chinese cultural background in their adopted countries. This includes maintaining the relationships among Chinese society and relationships in business as many of them are in business and trade. As revealed by Lague (1996) that the ethnic Chinese overseas tend to preserve their culture:
"Despite generations away from the mainland, intermarriage and sometimes the loss of their ancestral language, the overseas Chinese have clung tenaciously to their Chineseness"
(Lague, as cited in Goh, 1996, p. 2)
Similarly, Yang also added,
"No matter what country a Chinese may be living in, he will always remain Chinese first and other Chinese will continue to see him as Chinese"
(Yang, as cited in Chu, 1991, p. 205)
As mentioned earlier, the researcher chose to focus on one culture, that of the Chinese within the Southeast Asian region. The researcher believes that Chinese culture has a great impact on Southeast Asian culture and that ethnic Chinese play an important role in the Southeast Asian economy. They established their economic connection by what is called the "ethnic Chinese network" based on people of the same cultural origin.
"The Southeast Asian Chinese are currently the largest and most successful such minority and their role in the development of capitalism in this part of Asia has been crucially important"
(Mackie, 1996, p. VII)
"In addition to sharing cultural values, this group (ethnic Chinese*) is also responsible for much of the economic growth in the region (Asia*). The recent economic phenomena in the Asia-Pacific region may not be explained primarily along geographic and political lines from center to peripery-as the dependency theorist of previous decades argued; it may, in fact , be strongly influences by cultural connections".
(Frith, 1996, p. 5)
This project will develop guidelines for a designer to consider when designing a logo for an audience in the Southeast Asian region.
The title of the project is as follows:
"Chinese Cultural Considerations"
Recommendations for the Graphic Designer When Creating a Logo in Southeast Asia
*Added by the researcher to clarify the meanings
1.2. Rationale
The aim of this research is to:
1. Create guidelines for creating a logo for specific cultural audiences as such guidelines do not exist. This research will be the first of its kind.
2. Assist designers to communicate effectively when designing for a Chinese audience.
3. Increase graphic designers cultural sensitivity and awareness when designing a symbol/logo for a multicultural audience.
4. Add to the researchers knowledge and increase cultural sensitivity and awareness when designing a symbol/logo for a Chinese audience.
The areas covered in this research are as follows:
1. How a designer creates a logo for multicultural audiences.
2. The cultural differences to be considered when designing a logo for a Chinese resident in the Southeast Asian region.
3. Knowledge of how to create a logo for the Chinese resident in the Southeast Asian region.
4. Aspects that a designer must consider when designing a logo for Chinese audience.
5. Chinese cultural symbolism that still applies today among Chinese communities in the Southeast Asian region.
1.3. Limitations of the Study
This research will involve designers from Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Jakarta and Singapore. Furthermore the Chinese cultural focus is limited to the Chinese resident in the Southeast Asian region, excluding Cambodia and Laos as these countries only have a small population of ethnic Chinese consisting of 1% and less of the total population (Suryadinata, 1997, p. 21).
II. METHODOLOGY
The following methodology was used for this project:
2.1. Data Collection
Data was collected by reading the relevant literature in books on design, anthropology and business. Information was found in the following libraries: Curtin University Libraries, The University of Western Australia Libraries (EDFAA library, HIS library), Edith Cowan University Library, Murdoch University Library, The Alexander Library, The University of Melbourne by inter- library loans.
The researcher also used the internet to search for forums or message boards relevant to the research, and the email for distributing survey questionnaire or requesting information from various institutions.
2.2. Survey
The writer chose to use the survey method because of the wide geographical distribution of the respondents. Given this situation, it was felt that the most effective method to gain the information required was by a questionnaire survey. A prepaid envelope was enclosed as recommended by Kumar (1996):
"Usually it is a good idea to send a pre-paid, self addressed envelope with the questionnaire as this might increase the response rate"
(Kumar, 1996, p. 113)
The survey was carried out as follows:
The writer conducted two types of surveys. The first one was a survey of the designers' point of view, using open-ended questions to find out their opinions about designing across cultures. The first question was to determine whether the designer have designed for an international audience and they were given two options. The designer that has designed for international audience may continue to fill in the next question, where as the designer that have never designed for an international audience was given the instruction to stop in the first question because the reseacher was only looking for the recommendations from designers that have designed for an international audience. However the respondents who only filled in the first question were adviced to send back the questionnaire, to be included in the calculation of the percentage of response.
The second one was on the target audience which was, in this case, the ethnic Chinese people in Southeast Asia. The researcher chose to employ close-ended questions for the target audience in order to make it easier for the respondents to fill out the numerous questions; although the respondents were also recommended to make their suggestions or corrections. In this survey, the respondent was asked about the symbols of Chinese culture related to elements in the logo and whether the stated symbolism still applied to their perceptions.
The data gathered from these surveys was analysed to determined which symbols were still applicable and which were not. The Chinese symbols that were still applicable to the Chinese people were compiled as working guidelines for designers wishing to take Chinese culture into consideration in designing a logo.
III. SYMBOL AND LOGO
3.1. Symbol Perception and its Connection to the Culture
Symbols have been created and used from ancient times. In fact, although animals can learn and recognise some symbols as signals, humans are the only creatures who can create them. Humans have the capability to examine, store and develop a symbol system which makes him/her able to use symbols as tools for communication.
"But man, with his large brain and capacity for speech. has been able to achieve what no other organism has found possible, namely: to create symbols which he perceived as patterns or configurations of signals in nature and so has identified and named or labelled them. Man has develped the unique capacity for "information processing," as it is now called, whereby the input of signals is transformed into symbols and interpreted as meaningful messages. Equally important, he has also fabricated designs, painted, articulated combinations and permutations of visual, auditory, and tactile signals as symbols which he invest with meanings to which he responds with purposeful goal-seeking conduct".
(Frank, 1966, p. 3)
A symbol's meaning and use differ from culture to culture. This is due to differing enviroments and differing ways cultures observe and perceive. For example, nature, weather and wildlife contribute to the way people create symbols. Additionally, symbols are inspired by human's inner interpretation of his or her surroundings, nature, wildlife and other natural phenomena.
"Two individual looking at the same cloud will see in them different shapes; similarly, it is rare for two people to hold an identical opinion of the third. In each case the stimullus is the same, but the response made to it depends upon the observer. At cultural level, this process of differentiation receives further stimuli from the natural environment".
(Fontana, 1993, p. 18)
An equally important aspect of a symbol is that it has a big role within a culture. Members of the culture believe in the symbolism and apply its meaning in their every day lives.
"Whenever symbols are created and accepted and utilized by a group, they attain a statue and become established so that it is exceedingly difficult to displace them or to persuade people that such symbol are no longer valid. This become understandable when we recall that a symbol is essentially a human creation that requires "full faith and credence" if it is to be meaningful and significant, capable to evoking from those who use it and those who are exposed to it, the meaning and the credibility necessary for its functioning as an operating symbol".
(Frank, 1966. p. 13)
Despite the strong bond between symbols and culture, symbols can also evolve. Their meanings and usage shift with cultural change and with the passage of time. Some symbols can become meaningless and are no longer believed. As Fontana (1993) reveals,
"Finally, symbols often become modified with the passage of time. As a culture advance, there is a tendency to regard the beliefs of the previous generations as primitive or supersitious. Their symbols are rationalized and sanistized (in the way that company logos sometimes incorporated ancient symbols in their designs), interpreted literally, or simply abandoned altogether by the cultural elite (as happened with a great deal of religious and mystical symbolism in the scientific west)".
(Fontana, 1993, p. 19)
Consistent with the shifting meanings of symbols throughout the decades, as Fontana (1993) added later, some of the symbols rarely remain the same, if not altered, with the migration of the people from one area to another. Even the new culture would broaden the symbols system. In other words, although the original culture becomes assimilated into a new culture, the symbols system from the former culture do not simply vanish, but broadens.
"When different people come into contact through trade, conflict or migration, their cultural signifiers - or symbol - rarely remain unchanged. The symbols of one group typically enrich, modify or supplant those of the other, and the resulting changes in artistic expression;...".
(Fontana, 1993, p. 36)
From these arguments, the researcher concludes that the meanings of the symbols of a particular culture can change with the passage of time and also that these changes depend on the usage of the symbols. If the symbols are still applicable to members of the culture in their everyday lives, the symbols remain the same, but if the symbols are not applicable anymore, they become meaningless or the meanings can change. With the integration of cultures, symbols rarely vanish, but broaden and become richer with the meeting of two cultures.
Further to this study, the researcher will discuss the general interpretations of basic elements such as colours, images and shapes/forms within the configuration of a symbol.
It is believed that some basic geometric shapes can evoke an emotional response, and that basic shapes such as a circle, triangle and square are more attractive than others. Fontana (1996) points out,
"Certain geometrical shapes have the power to reach deep into the unconcious and effect subtle changes in the mood of the observer. There is firm evidence that some geometric forms are innetely more pleasing than others;...".
(Fontana, 1996, p. 54)
For a general psychological explanation of this symptom, Fontana (1996) also observed,
"The most direct explanation for the psychology power of abstract shapes is that they symbolized certain human emotion. An abrupt shape with irregular, jagged edges for most people symbolized anger or anxiety, while a symetrical, rounded shape represents feelings of relaxation and inner space. Our feelings about geometry may also be concerned with the intrinsic balance within nature itself, each state of mind counterweighted and in part defined by its opposite".
(Fontana, 1996, p. 54)
As mentioned before, colours have been known to stimulate an emotional response from humans. Different cultures may have different perceptions and reactions towards colour and, in fact, the perception of colour is also very personal. But every culture has a different general perception of colour. So, it can be assumed that there are some similarities found across people within a specific culture.
"Perception of color causes very varied associations. Some of them belong to the sphere of collective subconciousness-related from the personal shapre-and largely correspond to the symbolic contect of colors (red for love, purple for melancholia, green for hope, etc.). Others arise from the individual subconciousness".
(Favre, 1969, p.14)
The largest range of symbols is formed from animal images. Animals from wildlife to domestic animals are widely used in symbolism. Animals are represented by their bearing, ability (strength, agility, speed) and their cultural connection with good luck or bad luck. Animals are also culturally connected to the stages of human life (e.g. birth, marriage, death).
"Animals were seen as a source of wisdom and power, not because they were grater than mankind, but because they are privy to the secrets of nature in a way that mankind, hampered by his intellect, was not".
(Fontana, 1996, p. 78)
Nature symbols represent mankind's relationship with nature and are often believed to carry divine power as examplified by the power of symbols in ancient times.
"The tree is one of mankind's most potent symbols. It is the embodiment of life, the point of union of the three realms (heaven, earth and water), and a world axis around which the entire universe is organized".
(Fontana, 1996, p. 100)
Besides animals and nature, people also create symbols from the things that are closely related to everyday life, their religion, sky objects (sun, moon, stars), and also the elements in nature. Mankind examines all of these, absorbs them into their minds resulting in the expression of a symbol.
3.2. Brief History of Logo
The logo has been used for centuries. In the medieval days, the guilds used it to control trade and by the 1700s, almost every trader or dealer had his or her own mark. However, in this time the logo was used as a visual mark for identification only. It was not until the 1950s that the logo became more important, it significance raised by the industrial revolution with its attendant mass production and marketing development. The logo attained greater value and people became aware of the need to unify the image that the organisation communicates into a consistent design system in order to differentiate their organisation from the others.
"Prosperity and technological development seem closely linked to the increasingly important corporations, and these large industrial and commercial organisation were becoming aware of the need to develop a corporate image and identity among various sectors of the public"
(Meggs, 1983, p. 424)
Walter Margulies, the head of a New York graphic design consultancy was the first to use the term corporate identity which appeared in the 1950s. He used this term to distinguish his company's work in creating complex and coherent design systems. However, in a very short time, this term became a standard and everyone began using it for both large and small companies and organisations.
3.3. Corporate Identity and the Logo
"Identity is expressed in the names, symbols, logos, colours and rites of passage which the organisation uses to distinguish itself, its brands and its contituent companies"
(Olins, 1989, p. 7)
The logo describes a company's personality. It is both an image and essence of the company's marketing communications. A logo has two facets or purposes. Besides being a company's public image, a company's logo has to inform the people within it, thus generating a strong sense of belonging and target or purpose. In general every logo should fulfill the following criteria:
1. It has to be Informative and persuasive.
2. It has to be a unique mark representing the company
3. It has to manifest the character of the company
4. It has to visually interpret the company's business nature, character attitude, quality, even its product's price point
5. It has to have longevity in the specific period
6. It has to be credibility-based - that is believable and trustworthy representation of its company, reflect the products' service and the spirit of it.
7. It has to be flexible and adaptive for the various implementations.
There are some differences between a logo and logotype. The former is a typical symbol and means of identification. The second may be a name, a product name, or an imaginary name which is drawn and designed in a special way and used commercially.
According to Ibou (1992, introduction), logos can be classified into four categories:
1. Alphabetical forms ( based on letter or letter combinations)
2. Concrete forms (human form, animals, plants)
3. Abstract forms (geometric figures as triangle, circle, etc...)
4. Symbols, numbers and similar visual elements (arrow, hearts, musical notes)
The logo and logotype can be used together or independently, depending on the situation.
According to Olins (1989, p. 159), the process for designing a corporate identity can usually be divided into four steps:
1. Investigation, analysis, and recommendation leading to the design brief.
2. Development of the design, communication and behavior programs.
3. Working out the final program
4. Launch and implementation.
3.4. The Cross Cultural Logo
"The world can be no longer be viewed as one homogenous bazaar in which corporate identity is applied indiscriminately"
(Lubliner, 1994, introduction)
In the era of globalisation, companies must consider markets outside their own when developing identity strategies. An effective identity must be capable of being understood across cultures and countries.
However, when communicating across cultures, the possibility of people visually misinterpreting the design should be considered. In other words, it is important to keep in mind that people around the world do not see things the same way due to their backgrounds and cultures. When designing for other cultures, every design element must be considered so as not to be misinterpreted by any audience.
"When designing across cultures, it is important to keep in mind that is not a question of right or wrong, better or worse".
(Steiner, 1995, p. 9)
"Those communicating across cultural borders, however, must be prepared for the possible reinterpretation of their work along somewhat different lines".
(Guldin, 1995, p. VI)
Things to be considered when designing multiculturally, especially when designing a logo or a logotype, are:
1. Colour
Colour has different meanings to different cultures. Some cultures give definite meanings to colour while others view and use colour for a particular purpose. Some colours are even considered taboo on specific ocassions.
"... colour evoke different reactions in different countries and, on the other hand, serve as a guide for the export specialist"
(Favre, 1969, p. 99)
Hall as cited in Gregg & Copeland (1985) also remarks,
"Certain colours and combinations may be pleasing, but the colours themselves have little or no significance. Elsewhere this is not so. Colours are ranked just as we rank gold and silver. Some colours are good, others bad
(Gregg & Copeland, 1985, p. 63)
As an example, Gregg and Copeland (1985) observe:
"Black is not universal for mourning; in many Asian countries it is white; in Brazil it is purple, yellow in Mexico, and dark red in the ivory coast. Americans think blue as the most masculine color, but red is more manly in the United Kingdom or France. While pink is the most feminine color in America, yellow is more feminine in the most of the world. Red suggest good fortune in China but death in Turkey".
(Gregg & Copeland, 1985, p. 63)
2. Symbol and imagery
A symbol can be viewed differently within different cultures, depending on the historical background, religion, social setting and politics of the region.
Because symbols, like colours, are very subjective things. Even people from the same culture could view them from different perpectives. As Jung (1964) observed, people in the same culture view things slightly differently, varying from individual to individual. Symbols must be used with caution because symbols that are related to national, historical, royal or religious pride are sensitive and could offend. Before using the symbol or imagery, background knowledge of that symbols/imagery is strongly encouraged.
"Once the mark or symbols have been cleared, the firm must have make sure that the colours, name, and picture are not comical, offensive, disrespectful, or even obscene in the foreign nation"
(Selame & Selame, 1975, p. 170)
" A cow can not be use in India, where cows are considered sacred"
(Selame & Selame, 1975, p. 170)
"Elsewhere, especially in Islamic areas, dogs are considered filthy and would be as appealing as a bat would be in the US. Greyhound buses there do not carry the famous greyhound logo".
(Griggs & Copeland, 1985, p. 61)
"Expressive figurative imagery in international design can pose problem because of the wide variety of unexpected cultural interpretations"
(The Duffy Design Group, 1995, p. 83)
3. Numbers
Numbers have significant value in different cultures. In some cultures, specific numbers are taboo. So the use of those numbers should be avoided.
"The fascination with numerology is not the concern of the Chinese alone. Suffice it to say that the Chinese, firm believers of the notion luck, have come to attach luck to some numbers and regard some others as signifying bad luck or disaster"
(Rossbach, 1984, pp. 153-154)
When designing multicuturally, the designer needs to combine representation of the uniqueness of the company with a design solution that does not create any misconceptions. As Olins (1989) remarks,
"The symbols designer should, wherever possible, look for opportunities to introduce concepts that both represent the particular organization and are directly accesible to people through the visual representation of universal human values"
(Olins, 1989, p. 186)
Also Cato (1995) points out,
"In today's global business environment a strong visual identity is one of the most important marketing and communications tool a company can have. It is crucial therefore that it is carefully developed and nurtured, so each communication builds a clear, focused identity that their audiences can easily and correctly interpret. Quite simply, the visual message crosses the cultural boundaries and is the easiest to understand".
(Cato, 1995, p. 123)
Because of limited choice and the many pitfalls that can occur when creating a logo for multicultural purpose, there is a tendency for it to become boring and sometimes banal. This is possibly the ultimate challenge to designers to create a distinctive and creative logo that also communicates well. With this kind of contradiction, it is hard but not impossible to produce an effective solution. It takes a depth of research and analysis of the stakeholders, including the fundamental vision of the company and the target audiences to produce an effective multicultural logo.
"The important thing is not to keep away from conventional values, but to explore them, and exploit them - selectively, conciously, and purposefully. Of course, playing it safe is a precondition to play it well.
(Zhukov, 1995, p. 210)
The fundamental aspect that a designer should have in designing cross culturally is the willingness to learn about other cultures with an open mind and without judgement. The designer needs to accept the differences in human cultures, then translate significant messages into the elements of the logo so that it is clearly understood by the target audience.
"The goal of cross cultural design is to respect the subleties of one's audience, an effort that requires constant questioning of both the designer's personal beliefs and the troubling misconceptions that might be lurking in the assignments".
(Ferrara, 1995, p. 88)
"The ability to supply a visual statement that provides a direct, clear communication of the message is basic for good designers and imperative when working cross-culturally. They must strive to transmit one set of message within the medium of a foreign tradition without losing the meaning and attitude of the original concept".
(Steiner, 1995, p. IX)
Finally, while designing with cultural differences in mind may seem complicated, with many rules to follow when designing a logo, such an undertaking is not impossible. With the willingness to understand cultures other than our own and not to think just from our own perspective, this kind of project can be done well.
Cultural consideration is part of the first step in corporate identity planning. The results of the investigation will become recommendations and guidelines for the next step.
The next section is a review of the graphic designers survey of graphic designers to look at the designers' tendencies and points of view in designing a logo/corporate identity for an international audience.
3.5. Graphic Designers Survey
As mentioned in the introduction, the writer distributed 170 questionnaires. One hundred in three cities in Australia: Perth, Sydney and Melbourne, the rest in Jakarta and Singapore.
From the 170 questionnaire distributed in Australia, the writer received a 32% response. 17 were excellent, 10 were satisfactory and 27 failed to answer the questions or had never designed for multicultural audiences.
The questions in the survey attempted to investigate the cultural considerations taken by the designers when designing for an international audience/culture that differed from his/her own.
A Summary of comments from The Graphic Designers Questionnaire
This summary is a compilation of responses from graphic designers that have designed a corporate identity for an international audience.
(Refer to Appendix 1 for full transcription)
Question:
1. Have you ever designed a corporate identity for an international audience?
Summary of responses:
Yes
1.a. If so, would your research procedures be different when designing a corporate identity for an international audience compared with a single audience?
Summary of responses:
Most designers who have ever designed a corporate identity for an international audience were of the view that the research procedures are different from those for designing for a single audience.
Some designers were of the view that the procedures are similar, but different in terms of the target audience and approach.
"The research procedures are very different when designing a corporate identity for an international audience. Beside the background culture of the company, the culture of target audience need to be considered"
(Respondent no.17)
"Yes, -Level of appreciation depends according to personal experience
-Link with custom/tradition/culture - it is very crucial
-Taboos/turn ons"
(Respondent no. 23)
2. Are there any differences between designing a corporate identity for an international audience and a single audience?
Summary of responses:
There are differences in designing a corporate identity between international and single audience.
3. To what degree do you consider the effect of color, form and typography across a diverse audience?
Summary of responses:
Colour, form and typography are very important elements to be considered when designing a corporate identity for international audience.
Things to be considered regarding these elements:
- Simplicity
- Correct interpretation
- Clarity
- Good communication
Colour has different meanings in different cultures, so it is very important to research which colour has a negative or positive interpretation in some cultures.
Refer to standardisation or international perception.
Conduct an intensive research on the target market
The company's personnel should reflect on every elements of corporate identity.
"Colour, form, typography should combine to create balance, unique composition that is understood and correctly interpreted by various cultures"
(Respondent no. 7)
"The effect on colour, form and typography is very important, therefore we have to conduct an intensive research with focus group or market sample"
(Respondent no. 21)
4. Do you consider cultural differences in concept and visual interpretation when designing a corporate identity for international audience?
Summary of responses:
Some elements are universally accepted, although some concession should be given to differences in some countries.
Consider the cultural differences when designing a corporate identity for international audience.
Know the target cultures' way of thinking.
"Tune into the culture's needs and ways of thinking and research culture thoroughly"
(Respondent no. 3)
"Certain cultures may fail to grasp streams of though and concepts based upon language/communication barriers. One must continuosly remain tuned to such differences and reflect within their design a universal global understanding"
(Respondent no. 7)
5. If so, what practice do you have in place to avoid concept and visual misinterpretation?
Summary of responses:
Work on a focus group, refer to the relevant cultural organisation, or target market sample.
Research the target market's customs, way of life, perception, taboos and sensitivities of the audience.
Communicate with the client to understand the details of their aims.
Create something that is universally accepted or, in other words, follow the convention.
Have the motivation to understand other cultures
Design something simple and easily understood by a cross-section of cultures.
"By having the motivation and desire to comprehend differences between cultures and eliminating, from initial brainstorming session, any elements that may conflict or to be misunderstood when united"
(Respondent no. 7)
"To avoid misinterpretation, create form that perform globally. To avoid misinterpretation, we must done the research"
(Respondent no. 13)
"Know more about target market, get a knowledge about how they live, what is the custom, habit, way of life and perception"
(Respondent no. 14)
"Study the culture where the corporate identity will be launched and also study the symbol, form and colour of that culture"
(Respondent no. 21)
6. What strategies do you use to create innovative and visually interesting corporate identity?
Summary of responses:
Know the company's/client's needs
Study:
- The aim of the corporate identity
- Understand the company's objective
- The target audience
- The uniqueness of the product
Interpret the company's message through something original and visually interesting
Avoid clichés. Keep the design simple.
"Identify what is unique about the product/service to make an innovative and visually interesting corporate identity"
(Respondent no. 2)
"Rely on keeping up with trends, styles and techniques, and using our skills to interpret and develop distinctive design, which communicates the client direction and message"
(Respondent no.5)
"Research and seek for true solutions, do not follow clichés. Use of intelligent creative methods. Consider culture as a key factor in success"
(Respondent no 11)
7. How do you measure the success of a corporate identity across all audiences?
Summary of responses:
The success of corporate identity could be known by:
Feed back from the client and target market
Recognition by its audience
Increasing or decreasing sales
Recognition, in the absence of corporate name, of the logo by the clients/audiences.
The characteristics of successful corporate identity (which has usually existed for at least 7 years):
- Single minded
- Easy to remember/recognised
- Communicative/clear
- Relevant/serve the purpose
- Easy to implement
- Unusual
- Unique
- Longevity
- Have the same meaning across all audiences
"Primarily feed back from our clients, and their clientele"
(Respondent no. 5)
"By how well it is response and how well it recognise"
(Respondent no. 9)
"It considerably success if the public could determine the logo without the name in it e.g. Nike, Meercedes, VW, etc."
(Respondent no. 14)
8. Do you have any further specific views about designing an international corporate identity?
Summary of responses:
Know the target audience.
Ensure that a corporate identity for an international communicates accross cultures. Furthermore, corporate identity usually comes from a simple idea which should communicate anywhere.
Every project has an approach that is different from another.
A corporate identity for an international audience needs an accurate and objective brief for its conception.
Know the corporate personality.
Simple design lasts longer.
The main idea is to keep the message clear and easy to understand.
"Although more and more the world communicates in the same usual and verbal language, but research is an important tool as long as it is not columned by personal bias"
(Respondent no. 2)
"Never get frustated when you come across hurdles or misunderstanding, keep preserving as long as you tuned into the culture"
(Respondent no. 3)
"All back from communication. In order to create a success corporate identity, our idea must come from global communication. A simple idea could communicate anywhere"
(Respondent no. 14)
3.6. Reflection
From the investigation, the researcher found that this area of research is worth exploring. Knowledge of cultural sensitivity when designing a logo, and the diversity in cultures that a designer should be aware of when designing have not received the attention that they deserve.
The researcher discovered that it is imposible to investigate all the cultures in the world at one time. So the best solution when designing a logo for an international market is to concentrate on symbols and colours that are already universally accepted and create a simple design. However, consideration should be given to variations in regions and cultures.
Although it is imposible to investigate all cultures in the world, it does not mean that cross cultural investigations should not be undertaken. Through cross cultural research findings, a designer could have a better understanding of the cultures within the target audience. Such knowledge would benefit his or her work and the effectiveness of the solution. The researcher believes that while a study of all cultures is imposible within the confines of this study, cross cultural investigation of a specific culture is highly important; especially as it will help designers to communicate internationally (a cross border). With these considerations, the researcher then limited the study to a specific culture.
In her initial study, the researcher investigated a broad area encompassing all cultures in world but later realised that this was not posible because there are too many cultures in the world. Subsequently, the researcher limited the area of investigation to Australia and Asia but soon found out that the area was still too broad. Therefore, the Southeast Asian region was chosen, with a further focus on ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. The reasons for choosing Chinese culture is because ethnic Chinese have a big influence in the countries of the region and there is a tendency among these overseas Chinese to preserve their cultures. From these findings, the writer decided to focus on Chinese culture with a view that in designing a logo, the designer should also consider Chinese culture. A diagram of the process decribed is:
Worldwide/international cultures
Australia and Asian culture
Southeast Asia
Malaysia Singapore Thailand Myanmar
Indonesia Philippine Vietnam
Chinese culture
Figure 3.1
Reviewing the graphic designers survey, the researcher found that enclosing a self addressed reply envelope was a good survey technique because it increased the number of responses. Searching for addresses from the "yellow pages" in the internet was also an effective method, especially in searching for addresses from overseas. However if one were to do this again, he or she should be aware of postal time because it takes time for the respondents to receive the questionnaires and an even longer time for the respondents to reply. For the contents of the questionnaire, the researcher found that almost every respondent gave the answers she sought, although some of them did not quite understand the questions. The researcher is of the view that for future research, the questionnaire should be clear enough to avoid any misunderstanding.
IV. CHINESE CULTURE
Section IV is the introduction to the focus of this study. This section will cover a brief history of the Chinese culture, followed by an overview of Chinese people in Southeast Asian countries. The researcher will also review the effect of globalism and foreign cultural influences on the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia. Furthermore, there will be a discussion on the role of Feng shui in logo planning, and examples of logos that were designed with Chinese cultural considerations. Lastly the factors to be considered in designing a logo for a Chinese audience in Southeast Asia will be reviewed in a conclusion that covers all of the sections above.
4.1. Brief History about Chinese people migration to Southeast Asian Region
The contact between Chinese people and people within the Southeast Asian region has been recorded for the past thousand years. History records that Chinese merchants made contact with traders in the Southeast Asian region in the 1280s. The Chinese people, mostly merchants, started to migrate in this period and migration reached its peak in the latter part of the of eighteenth century, inspired by the opportunities offered by colonial rule in Southeast Asia and driven by the worsening conditions in China caused by flood, famines and overpopulation. During this period, the Chinese migrated as 'coolie' and laborers on the rubber plantations. Between 1876 and 1901, about 4,850,000 emigrants left for Southeast Asian countries, many of them working initially as farmers, fishermen and miners. Subsequently many of them changed from rural to urban occupations (Tan, 1986, p. 47). Until the 1920s most of the migrants were men. Then a few women started to migrate to countries in Southeast Asia. Before the migration of women began, some of the Chinese took local women as their wives or concubine. Most of the immigrants did not have the intention to stay in their host country, they only meant to earn money to improve their economic situation back in their homeland. During this period, they still maintained their cultural heritage, and had a strong bond to their homeland. Therefore they did not adopt any local culture, viewing their migration only as temporary.
"The Chinese immigrant was unique because he saw his departure only a temporary solution to pressuring poverty and deprivation at home"
(Tan, 1986, p. 47)
But when the Communist party took power in 1949, many ethnic Chinese in the Southeast Asia region gradually became more involved in their country of adoption. Inspired by the independence of the Southeast Asian countries from colonial rule, the ethnic Chinese were urged by their adopted countries to take up local citizenship.
The degree of assimilation of ethnic Chinese into the local culture varies in the Southeast Asian region. Because the Chinese people migrated at different stages in history, there were differences in their assimilation into the local culture. It seems that the earlier immigrants are more assimilated than the later ones. This is quite obvious because many ethnic Chinese that have been in their country of adoption for a hundred years and have adopted the local culture at the same time as their Chinese culture declined generation after generation. This new Chinese society is called "Peranakan" in Indonesia, "Baba" in Malaysia, "Meztisos" in Philippine and "Sino-Thai" in Thailand. These communities identify more with their new homeland than with China. However, this identification also varies from country to country depending on the political, religious and social and relationships between the indigenous people and the ethnic Chinese. As Suryadinata (1997) remarks:
"It should be noted that the rate of Chinese assimilation in Thailand and the Philippines is the highest. It appears that Buddhism and Christianity are more easily accepted by the Chinese, while Islam often emerges as an obstacle to the assimilation of the ethnic Chinese in the local communities."
(Suryadinata, 1997, p. 12)
The researcher will review the relationship of ethnic Chinese with their cultural identity and the cultural gap between the different generations. As a preview to the next sub-chapter, the integration of Chinese in Southeast Asian countries into their countries of adoption varies, depending on the political situation, religion, societal sentiments, socio-economic circumstances and government regulations.
4.2. An Overview of Overseas Chinese Culture in Southeast Asian Countries Nowadays
1. Thailand
Unlike conditions in some Southeast Asian countries, the ethnic Chinese in Thailand are free to observe their cultural heritage and it appears that Thai society is more tolerant in this respect.
"It also be pointed out that as some elements of Thai culture are similar to Chinese culture, a certain degree of Chineseness is not an issue in Thailand"
(Suryadinata, 1987, p. 13)
This is unique to the Chinese in Thailand because besides preserving their Chinese culture, they also practice Thai culture in their everyday lives.
"These ethnic Chinese live conformably in Thai society because they can keep their ethnic Chinese identity while the same time use their national identity as Thai. This dual identity is accepted as long as the Chinese prove their allegiance to Thailand and express their nationalist ideology by supporting the three traditional and everlasting symbols of Thai nationalism: nation, religion and king".
(Chantavanich, 1997, p. 254)
Some elements of the Chinese culture that have similarities with Thai culture have been assimilated and practice by ethnic Chinese and the indigenous Thais. Also the background religion, Buddishm, made the assimilation easier. Depending on the attitude of the parents, some of the younger generation identify themselves as Thai rather than Chinese. For example, a China-born parent is more Chinese oriented than a Thai-born parent, hence the the Chinese oriented parent speaks more Chinese than Thai and Chinese culture is still strong among such Chinese. The older generation still preserves their Chinese identity although they also adapt themselves to the Thai culture. However, there are some arguments that ethnic Chinese in Thailand still have "dual identity" even after three generations. They consider themselves as Thai but are still aware of their Chineseness ( Suryadinata, 1997, pp. 12-13).
2. Malaysia
Although ethnic Chinese in this country are not as free to demonstrate their Chineseness as in Thailand, they still have a strong position in society because they play a major role in the local economy and trade and are given some political privilages. The Chinese population is one of three largest ethnic groups in Malaysia. Therefore, Chinese culture is allowed to exist but the Chinese also have to learn Malay and the English language in school. However, Chinese language education in school is viewed favourably because of the economic growth in Asia which ensures that Chinese culture is preserved to a limited degree via education. Besides education, Chinese ethnicity, language and culture are also effective in business networking within Malaysia, maintaining its importance to the ethnic Chinese. The ethnic Chinese who have been assimilated into Malay culture are called "Baba", and they practice more Malay culture than Chinese culture.
3. Indonesia
There are variations within the ethnic Chinese community in Indonesia, as Tan (1997) stated,
"Although the majority of Indonesians tend to group all ethnic Chinese together as one entity, there are clear differences among them and this has implications for the determination of their identity. An important distinction is by cultural orientation, which is the result of their educational experience, the number of generations their family has settled in Indonesia, and whether they are of mixed descent"
(Tan, 1997, p. 42)
These differences relate to the various groups of ethnic Chinese in Indonesia. On one hand, there is the "totok" Chinese, the ethnic Chinese who are still culturally Chinese; they have a Chinese educational background, practice Chinese traditions, speak the Chinese language or dialects and their occupation is usually in business or trade (Tan, 1997, p. 42). On the other hand, the "Peranakan" Chinese who are already mixed with the indigenous Indonesians, are more locally than Chinese oriented. Many of them cannot speak the Chinese language or any Chinese dialect, and have little knowledge about Chinese culture and tradition. Their occupations are widely ranged because many of them have university education. However some of them are still in business and trade (Ibid.)
Despite the differences in cultural orientation, ethnic Chinese in Indonesia somehow still feel that they are ethnically different from the indigenous Indonesian. They still feel their "Chineseness" and that they are not totally accepted. There is a tendency in the younger generation to socialise within their own ethnic groups.
4. Myanmar (Burma)
The Chinese migrated to Myanmar before the earliest historical records and have a long historical relationship with Myanmar because of the proximity of these two countries. The uniqueness of the ethnic Chinese in Myanmar is that they have not just adopted Myanmar culture, but are totally assimilate into the Myanmar community. They do not bother to observe their Chinese culture anymore and they identify themselves as Burmese. They have mixed marriages with the Burmese, making the assimilation easier.
But the later migrants from across the border areas find it difficult to assimilated with the Burmese community because of the gap between their cultures, societies, languages and traditions (Than, 1997, p. 144). This group still preserves its cultural identity and has not adapted to the Burmese culture.
Although the ethnic Chinese in Myanmar could be considered as being totally intergrated into Burmese culture, locally they still keep their Chinese network for business connections, both locally or within other Southeast Asian countries (ibid., p. 145)
The younger generation of ethnic Chinese in Myanmar seems to identify themselves as Burmese and have adopted Burmese culture in their everyday lives.
5. Singapore
Despite the degeneration of the Chinese culture in some countries in Southeast Asia, Chinese culture has strengthened in Singapore. This has been due to the ethnic Chinese in Singapore who view that economic growth and opportunities in Asia should be backed up with more Chinese culture and knowledge.
"Many of Singaporean began to deepen their knowledge of the Chinese language, and find out more about Chinese culture and history. Thus, in terms of Chinese culture attributes, they become more Chinese"
(Kong, 1997, p. 224)
This has assisted the Chinese identity to grow stronger, beside the fact that ethnic Chinese is the largest community in Singapore. The government has adopted cultural pluralism in Singapore and also supports the preservation and maintainance of the Chinese culture.
"The government has therefore taken steps to ensure that although Singapore may have an international outlook, the traditional cultures of various races will still be preserved".
(Stravens, 1996, p. 277)
There are some gaps between the older generation and the younger generation in the sense that some of the cultural beliefs, values and traditions have been changed. However the younger generation in Singapore still have a strong attachment to their Chinese identity.
6. The Philippine
Ethnic Chinese in the Philippines have been assimilated into their local culture and many of them identify themselves more as Philippinos than Chinese. They are mainly concentrated in the metropolitan areas (e.g. Manila). This phenomenon is more distinct among the younger generation. They have lost their ability to speak Chinese or any other Chinese dialect. This is due to their education and their integration into the local community. However, many of the older generation still preserve their cultural heritage and there is some awakening in the Chinese society towards an increased awareness of their Chinese identity.
7. Vietnam
Vietnam and China had a two thousands year connection before the rise of the Chinese empire. Due to the Chinese domination over Vietnam from second century BC, this mutual assimilation became even stronger. Chinese emperial domination lasted more than ten centuries. So these two cultures have been strongly mixed in history, linguage, custom and religion.
The Vietnamese participation in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and the increased connection with China have had an effect on the revival of Chinese identity in Vietnam. Ethnic Chinese in Vietnam see these improved relations as an opportunity for developing their business networks with other Chinese in Southeast Asia and Asia. This phenomenon has affected the revival of Chinese culture in Vietnam, especially language. The development of Chinese identity awareness among ethnic Chinese and the growing importance of Chinese language in Vietnam has been an important factor in the preservation of Chinese culture in Vietnam.
Beside the national factors which influence the Chinese culture to degenerate or streghthen in Southeast Asian region, the effect of globalism also has impact of the continuation of Chinese culture. This matter will be review in the next section.
4.3. The Effect of Globalisation and Foreign Cultures on Ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia.
"It was in connection with the impact of electronic mass media that the expression "global village" was coined in the 1960s. Since then, communications technology has become more powerful and sophisticated"
(Vervoorn, 1998, p. 11)
Many experts anticipated that the world would converge. Countries and cultural differences will become more subtle and integrated through the advancement of technology and communication. On the other hand, there is another point of view which argues that technological development is not a sign that the world will merge. As Mee (1998) stresses:
"Such technologies are considered crucial to globalisation, given the way they enable and shape global capitalism and the circulation of symbolic messages and images. This, however, should not be read as evidence of the dissolution of the nation-state, or nationalist sentiment".
(Mee, 1998, p. 227)
However, the effect of globalism cannot be avoided in regard to the Southeast Asian cultures. The cultures in this region change and adapt themselves to the prevailing situations and trends. Globalism has affected many aspects of life, ways of thinking and has also caused degeneration of native cultures. Foreign cultural penetration through clothing, fast foods, telecommunications, entertainment, technologies has a great impact on cultural changes in Southeast Asian countries. However behind the global product consumption, Lennie and Copeland (1985) argue that people always keep their cultural background, even if they use the same products.
"Cultures on the surface, are changing every day in momentous ways. People are buying different kinds of clothing, using different products, watching different media, and so forth. But people in foreign countries who eat fast food are no more "westernize" than New Yorker who eats Sushi and drives a Toyota is easternized. Deep down the fundamentals of culture change at a glacial pace. People believe and feel the way they have for generations, even when they know better. (Gregg & Copeland, 1985, p. 8)
From all of these arguments, the writer concludes that there is a shift in Chinese culture, especially in the younger generation. The ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia, generally, can be divided into three groups in terms of their cultural identities:
1. The young generation
This group is most influenced by the globalisation phenomenon due to the fact that some of them are no longer educated in the Chinese school system. Therefore, the young generation have not been exposed as deeply to Chinese culture as their parents, although some of them still have the ability to speak Chinese or dialects. In some countries such as Singapore or Malaysia where the Chinese heritage is still strong, the younger generation generally have a better knowledge of their Chinese heritage in comparison with other young Chinese in countries where Chinese culture is suppressed.
2. The middle group
In this group, the ethnic Chinese are represented by 'peranakan' Chinese in Indonesia or 'Baba" in Malaysia. Some of them still maintain their Chinese identity and culture. However some received Chinese education but no longer practice Chinese customs or speak the Chinese language or dialects at home. Their occupations vary as many of them have received university education, although some of them are still in business and trade.
3. The traditionalist
On the other hand, this group still practice their culture. They received Chinese education and speak Chinese language or dialect at home. This group shows some pride in their Chinese origin and preserve the Chinese culture. They are mostly entrepreneurs and maintain the relationship among ethnic Chinese in their local area, and within Asian countries through their 'Chinese network'.
"Furthermore, a significant percentage of overseas Chinese have had western educations and years of experience on an international level. Still, the majority of majority of overseas Chinese, particularly those who were born before 1950; retain many of the traditional attitudes and customs that have shaped the character and habit of the Chinese for more than three thousand years".
(Mente, 1990, p. 63)
The overseas Chinese cultural pattern differs from country to country and the researcher does not intend to assert that every society has similar values and behavior. However, some generalisation can still be made on the basis of certain underlying commonalities.
"What, however, may be observed is that there are certain fundamental traits that may consistently appear so as to form a coherent and systematic pattern of behaviour which in turn, makes it plausible for certain generalizations to occur".
(Hofstede as cited in Goh, 1996, p. 24)
The next section is the review of Feng Shui aspect in logo, how Feng Shui influenced the design and the importance of considering Feng Shui as part of the Chinese culture in logo planning.
4.4. Feng Shui of Logos
Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art of creating balance and harmony with the energy of nature in our personal space. Feng Shui, which means literally "wind and water", has been practice by Chinese people from 6000 BC and had evolved within the Han dynasty (AD.221-263) and Tang dynasty (AD. 618-905).
"This well known word (Feng shui) means wind-water, but in its wider sense stands for the relations to the surrounding nature, the influence of the landscape on the beauty of the buildings and the happiness of the inhabitants".
(Borschman as cited in Eitel, 1987, foreword)
Feng Shui is sometimes looked upon as unscientific, irrelevant and superstitious. But this practice has existed for thousands of years and has contributed immensely to those who practice it. However, Feng Shui could be categorised as non-scientific knowledge that provides a set of guidelines on how we maintain a balance in our relationship with nature.
As mentioned earlier, the essence of Feng Shui is to keep everything in balance with nature. Initially, Feng Shui was practiced in relation to the environment, specifically the arranging of houses, landscaping and town planning, and it was often been applied to architecture and interior design nowadays. But Feng Shui spread into other aspects of life as well, in such areas as clothing (colour in clothing), food and also transportation (Rossbach & Lin, 1994). Lip (1995) stated that a logo should have an auspicious meaning beside reflecting the personality of the company. Actually, Feng Shui can be applied to every element in our lives. As Lip (1995) stated,
"It is believed that all things, natural and man-made, must be in balance and harmony in order to benefit from the workings of nature"
(Lip, 1995, p. 22)
Besides having the knowledge to design a credible logo when designing for a Chinese audience, it is an advantage for the designer to have knowledge of Feng Shui because it is closely related to the Chinese peoples' way of thinking. Feng Shui is part of Chinese cultural background and they continue to practice it in their everyday lives. In fact, Feng Shui is especially relevant to the lives of the Chinese immigrant.
As Mitchell (1987) observed,
"Emigrant Chinese populations, throughout Asia and on the west coast of America, took Feng shui with them. Its practitioners soon adapted their art to local circumstances, and the notorious aptitude of the Chinese to prosper abroad was credited by them to the skill of their Feng shui men".
(Mitchell, 1987, afterword)
Yin and yang elements and five elements
Feng shui is based on the yin and yang and the five elements concepts. Yin and yang are two contradictory elements, negative and positive principles of universal elements. They also complement to each other. Yin represent the moon, female, passive and dark, while yang represent the sun, male, active and light. Everything in the universe can fall into the yin or yang element concept because without one the other cannot exist. As Rossbach and Lin observed:
"Together yin and yang create a harmonious whole-the Tao. They are interdependent: without cold, the concept of heat does not exist; without an outside, there is no inside; without life, there is no death".
(Rossbach & Lin, 1994, p. 21)
The Feng Shui concept; yin and yang are represented by the Tai-Ji symbol.
Figure 4.1
(Eberhard, 1986, p. 283)
In designing a logo, the colours, form and all elements in the design should be used in harmony with this yin and yang concept.
The following five elements are derived from the yin and yang concept. Those elements are: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. In some translations metal refers to gold. According to this concept, all elements in the universe are classified into these five elements.
As Rossbach and Lin put it:
"These five elements are not physical substance but powers or essence describing all matter and all attributes"
(Rossbach & Lin, 1994, p. 23)
These five elements refer to the cycle that either support or are opposed to each other.
The five elements support cycle could be decribed as follows:
Figure 4.2
As Rossbach and Lin (1994) observed:
"The Five-Element Creative Cycle proceeds like this: fire procedures earth (ash), earth creates metal (minerals); metal produces water (although water rusts metal, this part in the creative sequence derives from the observation that when cold water is in a metal container, water forms on the outside of the vessel); water cultivates wood (tress needs water to grow); and wood feeds fire".
The five elements destrcutive cycle could be decribed as follows:
Figure 4.3
"The Five-Element Destructive cycle is: wood upheaves earth; earth obstructs water; water extinguishes fire; fire melts metal; and metal chops down wood. The essence of this sequence is not generally negative. In fact, this series of mutually destructive or overpowering relationship connotes eternal recycling".
(Rossbach & Lin, 1994, p. 23)
According to the five elements concept, the colours, shape and type of business can be classified into these five elements.
Colours Elements
Elements Colours
Water Black, Dark Brown, Gray
Wood Green, Blue
Fire Red, Pink, Purple
Metal White
Earth Yellow, Orange, Brown, Tan, Beige, Gold
Figure 4.4
(Rossbach & Lin, 1994, p. 71)
However, the list above is only the basic guidelines and only includes the basic colours.
Shapes Elements
The square represents the earth element
The circle represents the metal element
The triangle represents the fire element
The elongated shape and other rectangular shapes represent the wood element
This wave-like form represents the water element.
Figure 4.5
(Lip, 1995, p. 25)
When applied to all of the arrangements described above, one should be concious of the nature of the company he or she is designing for. Field (1998) and Lip (1995, p. 28) reveal:
Elements Types of business/organisations
Metal Business dealing with money, hardware, jewelry, knives, workshops, government offices, justice office, entertainment, recreation, hospitality.
Wood Artist's & designer's studio, cafes, road, transportation, distribution, despatch, restaurant, carpentry, furniture, hospitals, agricultural business
Water Advertising, arts, bathrooms, communications, computers, distilling, electricity, laundry, literature, music, media, oil, word processing, business dealing with labor, maid agencies
Fire Business dealing with animals, livestock, chemicals, intelligence, kitchen, leather, man power, fast food outlets.
Earth Business dealing with bricks, ceramics, civil engineering, clay, farming, garages, pottery, storage, financial centres, banks, shares, securities brokers.
Figure 4.6
Things to consider when designing a logo in Feng shui point of view
1. Harmony and Balance
Harmony in the Feng Shui point of view should be a balance in every element in the logo. In colour, harmony could be achieved by the used of yin colours (refer to cool colours e.g. blue and green) and yang colours (refer to warm colours e.g. orange, red and yellow) in balance. In fact, the balance between yin and yang colours can be achieve by using complimentary colours (two hues diametrically opposite on the colour wheel).
Figure 4.7
(Lip, 1994, p. 57)
In the Feng Shui perspective, the use of complimentary colours is the most auspicious colour scheme because it reflects yin and yang elements in balance. However, it does not mean that we cannot use other colour combinations.
In the colour scheme application, the designer should refer to the elements of business (figure 4.5) in order to make the elements of business compatible with the elements of colour scheme (refer to figure 4.3).
2. Compatible and incompatible arrangements
Every elements in logo such as colours, form, lettering should be arranged in a balanced manner. As Yoon (1976) stated it:
"The harmonious relationship among the geomatic elements of a site is a critical factor in geomacy. No conflict or jealousy between elements, of any kind, was allowed. Balanced among elements is also necessary in order to form a harmonious relationship among them".
(Yoon, 1976, p. 212)
The combination of elements should be compatible to each other in order to produce the best outcomes.
According to Lip (1994, pp. 23-24) the elements should be arrange in certain manner. Derived from the support cycle (figure 4.2) and destrcutive cycle (figure 4.3) the combination of elements has a compatible and incompatible arrangement.
These compatible and incompatible arrangements below are summarised from Lip (1994, pp. 23-27).
Compatible arrangements of the elements should be as follows:
Water with Wood
Wood with Fire
Fire with Earth
Earth with Metal
Metal with Water
If three elements are being used, the compatible arrangements are as follows:
Metal, Water, Wood Wood, Wood, Fire Water, Water, Wood
Metal, Earth, Fire Wood, Fire, Earth Water, Wood, wood
Metal, Water, Water Wood, Water, Metal Water, Wood, Fire
Metal, Metal, Water Wood, Fire, Fire Water, Metal, Earth
Fire, Earth, Metal Earth, Metal, Water
Fire, Earth, Earth Earth, Fire, Wood
Fire, Fire, Earth Earth, Metal, Metal
Fire, Wood ,Water Earth, Earth, Metal
Incompatible arrangements are as follows:
Earth with Water
Water with Fire
Fire with Metal
Gold with Wood
Wood with Earth
Arrangements that contain just one element (except wood element)
Arrangements that considered neutral:
Wood with Wood is considered an average sign
Wood with Metal is considered an average sign
Wood with Fire is considered neutral
These compatible and incompatible arrangement can be better explained by these further examples:
Figure 4.8
1. In this example, the compatibility between the colours and shapes occurs in all elements
Colours and their application in each element is auspicious:
Orange (earth) and circle (metal) is considered auspicious
Pink (fire) and square (earth) is considered auspicious
Blue (wood) and square (wood) is considered an average sign
The arrangement between the colours
Pink - orange - blue represented by fire - earth - wood elements is considered auspicious.
The arrangement between the shapes
circle - square-square represented by fire-wood-wood is considered auspicious.
Therefore, every element in this arrangement is compatible. So the harmony and balance is achieved.
Figure 4.9
2. The colour combination blue-yellow-red representing wood-earth-fire is considered an auspicious colour combination. The triangle represents the fire element. Therefore the shape and colour combination are compatible.
Figure 4.10
3. The colour combination of red (fire) and black (water) is not an auspicious combination. The combination of the red (fire) - black (water) - circle (metal) is also not an auspicious combination.
3. Inauspicious symbols
Every image or symbol that is adopted as a logo should have an auspicious meaning. Combined images should also have auspicious meaning.
Other images that are considered inauspicious symbols according to Lip (1995):
- Puzzle or ambiguity mark
- Graphic designs resembling a tomb
- Water dripping onto fire
- Arrows shooting down
- Two headed arrows or crosses denote conflict
-The lack of balance between yin and yang elements
-Question mark
-Sad figure
However, one should note that these sets of rules in Feng Shui are only basic guidelines for graphic designers. These rules are not fixed and can be flexible in some cases. Further reviews of relevant literature should be carried out when specific cases are undertaken.
4.5. Summary of Chinese Symbol Survey
(Refer to Appendix 2)
To examine the relevance of symbol that are specific to Chinese culture, the researcher conducted a survey of residents in Southeast Asia. The questionnaire was constructed from a list of symbols that have specific meanings in Chinese culture. The researcher included only those symbols that might be used as elements in a logo. The categories in the questionnaire are colours, fruit and plants, animals, miscellaneous, numbers and shapes. The questionnaire was composed from a list of Chinese symbols that the researcher believed might be adopted as images for a logo/symbol. The researcher employed closed-ended questions, and the respondents were required to fill in the five interpretations with 5 relevance rating. The researcher compiled the list of Chinese symbols from various sources:
Eberhard, W. 1986, A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols: Hidden Symbols in Chinese Life and Thought, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London.
(translated by G.L. Campbell)
Rossbach, S. & Lin, Y. 1994, Living Color: Master Lin Yun's Guide to Feng Shui and the Art of Color, Kodansha America Inc., New York.
Williams, C.A.S. 1960, Encyclopedia of Chinese Symbolism and Art Motives: An Alphabetical Compendium of Legends and Beliefs as Reflected in the Manners and Customs of The Chinese Throughout History, The Julian Press, New York (introduction by W. Kato).
Cahvannes, E. & Atwood, E.s. 1973, The Five Happiness: Symbolism in Chinese Popular Art, Weatherhill, New York (foreword by Arthur W. Hummel).
From the 150 questionnaires distributed, the researcher received 68 questionnaires back. The returned questionnaires were divided into 5 categories according to age group. The aim of age group differentiation is to determine whether there are differences between generations in the viewing of Chinese symbols. The researcher then calculated the percentages of each interpretation in terms of their relevance rate; and the mean of the relevance percentages in each age group to find out the overal relevance rate in each segment.
Example: there are 14 respondents in age group 46-55
Colours Interpretations Responses from age group 46-55
Yellow fame IR R R R NI U R U R R R R U R
R=Stll Relevant U=Uncertain IR=Irrelevant NI=No Idea N/A=No response
Percentage of relevance rate= Amount of R X 100%
Total respondent
So the relevance (R) rate for fame interpretation on yellow colour is:
9 X 100%=64%
14
The same calculation applies to the other units of responses (U, IR, NI, N/A).
As mention above, from that calculation, all the responses have been added together to determine the percentage of relevance for each of the interpretations. The researcher also calculated the rates for each response unit to supply additional information. (still relevant, uncertain, irrelevant, no idea, no response). The researcher also divided respondents into 5 age groups. The summary of the Chinese survey can be found in Appendix 2, describes each interpretation that is calculated based on formula above.
The responses indicate that the overall relevance rate of the symbols. To age group 18-25 is 41%; age group 26-35 is 42%; age group 36-45 is 49%; age group 46-55 is 55%; age group 55-above is 59%. A diagram of these relevance rates is provided in figure 4.11
The overall relevance rate is calculated for each group:
Sum of all percentage relevance rate divided by the sum of all units of interpretations.
Example: the overall relevance rate for age group 55-above
sum of percentage relevance rate 60+80+40+80+... =59%
sum of all unit of interpretations 158
The researcher believes that some of the symbols have very high relevance rates because they are still applicable to the respondents' everyday lives. The list of the most relevant Chinese symbols which compiled from the summary of Chinese symbols could be found in Figure 4.12.
However, one should note that the results of this survey are the subjective perceptions of the respondents and could change with the passage of time. Nevertheless, they are relevant at the time of the survey.
4.6. Examples of Logos with Chinese Culture Considerations
This section will give examples of logos that are grounded in Chinese cultural concepts reflecting some of the symbols listed. Furthermore the researcher will review and apply the basic guidelines of Feng Shui to the logos in this section.
1. Bank of Singapore
The Bank of Singapore broadened its branches to Australia. As its corporate identity designer, Ken Cato uses the cresent moon to represent the developing nation and therefore symbolically represent a developing bank. The colour red represents good luck and gold represents prosperity (Cato, 1987, p. 56).
Figure 4.13
(Cato, 1987, p. 57)
From the basic Feng Shui point of view, the combination of colours is auspicious. The combination of red background (fire) and gold circle (metal-earth) is an auspicious combination.
The type of business transacted is banking which is represented by the earth element. Therefore, the element of business and elements in the logo are compatible and balanced, thus harmony is achieved.
2. Ssanyong
Ssangyong is the sixth largest conglomerate in Korea that operates domestically and internationally. In Southeast Asia, Ssanyong has branches in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Philippine.
Ssanyong's business is very diverse and includes mining, contruction, agriculture, chemicals, oil refining, heavy industry, insurance, security, telecommunication, cement and many others.
Figure 4.14
(Steiner, 1995, p. 43)
This logo is adapted from the Chinese "tai ji" symbol which represents balance in nature. The name of the company "Ssanyong" means two dragons which have been represented by the two letters "S" which, in turn, reflects the "tai ji" symbol.
Figure 4.15
(Eberhard, 1986, p. 283)
However from Feng Shui point of view, there are some contradictions in the elements. For example, combination of red and green and white colours represent the fire - wood - metal and water elements which are not compatible. As Ssanyong is a company that operates in various fields, the elements in the businesses transacted in this case are not individually considered because most elements are covered.
3. Mandarin Oriental Hotels
This is the new corporate identity for the Mandarin hotel group. The Mandarin Oriental is a British company that operates in the Pacific region. The oriental fan has been chosen as the logo because the fan is viewed as the symbol of the orient. Originally the fan was designed with fourteen segments, but was then changed to eleven segments because fourteen is an unlucky number for the Chinese (Pentagram, 1995, p. 145).
Figure 4.16
(Pentagram, 1995, p. 144)
The logos are the same for each hotel but in various colors for each location. The colours were chosen carefully, ensuring that each symbol is adapted to the culture where the hotel is located.
"After the gaff over numbers, the selection of colors was treated with caution - color is emotive stuff. Muslims have a great affinity for green, Chinese associate blue with death, and Indian get buried, not married in white"
(Pentagram, 1995, p. 146)
Figure 4.17
(Pentagram, 1995, p. 144)
From the basic Feng Shui point of view, the type of business transacted is hospitality which is represented by the metal element. Therefore, the most auspicious element arrangement is by using the colours which represent the earth element (yellow, orange, brown, tan, beige, gold) and water element (black, dark brown, gray). The combination of colours that represent the wood element (green, blue) is considered an average sign because the combination of metal and wood element is considered neutral.
4. Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines has a reputation of being one of the world's leading airlines. The image of an abstract bird was chosen because Singapore has no original bird that is well known enough to be adopted as a symbol. Moreover, in Chinese culture, the bird has a good image; and with the open-ended lines consisting of two unjoined lines, the symbol represents endless good luck (Taylor, 1995, p. 186).
Figure 4.18
(Taylor, 1995, p. 186)
From the basic Feng Shui point of view, the combination of colours is inauspicious. The combination, gold and blue that represent earth and wood is an inauspicious combination.
The type of business transacted is transportation which is represented by the wood element. So, the combination of colour and business type is wood - earth - wood which is not considered an auspicious combination.
4.7. Cultural Considerations when designing a logo for a Chinese audience
This section will review the points that should be considered when designing a logo with Chinese cultural considerations as a summary from the previous chapters.
1. Chinese culture
There are some differences among different generations of ethnic Chinese. The younger generations tend to be more culturally oriented to their host country and many of them have adopted a 'global culture' as consumption and technological advancement in the world merge. They think more globally partly because of by their non-Chinese education. Young Chinese generations consume the same products and enjoy the same food and entertainment as other young generations in other parts of the world. Therefore they are similarly influenced by the media.
On the other hand, the older generation continues to preserve their Chinese cultural identity, and many of them still practice Chinese customs in their everyday lives. Some of them were educated in Chinese and brought up in the traditional Chinese way. Therefore, their Chinese heritage is stronger. The researcher concludes that when designing a logo, the designer should be aware of the target audience, regardless of whether the product is targeted at the younger audience, the older group (which is normally in trade or business), or any other age group target. It is advisable to have some background knowledge of Chinese philosophy and customs.
2. Chinese symbolism
(Refer to 4.5. Summary of Chinese survey)
Some images in Chinese culture have specific meanings. Symbolic images are expressions of Chinese custom, belief, philosophy and way of thinking.
The Chinese symbol, according to Eberhard (1986), could be classified into these categories. The first category is human as the centre of the object with his/her social setting and his or her surroundings including his or her belonging or his or her handicraft. The second category could be animals that are valued higher than plants. The animal is referred to by their qualities, their strength or their weaknesses. Wild animals are used more often than domestic animals, and plants are selected by virtue of their familiarity and usefulness. On the other hand, some symbols are also chosen for their phonetic sounds, for example apple, phonetically means peace, so apple symbolises peace. Furthermore, the Chinese describe their wishes, dreams and thoughts in their symbols. These symbols are also used to express their feelings and gestures.
"China's art is an unconscious reflection of the people's way of life: their hopes, their ambitions, their inmost desires".
(Hummel, 1973, foreword)
In the Chinese survey, the researcher addresses only those symbols which still have specific meanings in Chinese culture. These symbols that are culture specific are examined in the light of their usage by designers as images within a logo.
Symbolism among the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia varies among different generations; and many younger generation Chinese are able to interpret symbols with universal meanings (e.g. dove symbolise peace, rose symbolise love). However from the survey of Chinese symbols, a designer could derive an overview of which symbols are still applicable and which are not, based on the relevance rate calculate for each symbol represented in the questionnaire. However, some of the symbols that are still a part of Chinese custom are still recognised ( e.g. orange that is used for Chinese new year is recognised as associate with good luck).
In choosing an image for the logo, the designer could refer to the images that have auspicious meanings as the Chinese people always react enthusiastically to icons of good fortune. Avoid the use of images that are associated with death because they have an inauspicious connotation.
3. Numerology
The Chinese interpret some numbers as good or bad signs. Combinations of numbers can also generate certain interpretations.
Lip (1992) remarks,
"Therefore, to the Chinese mind, numbers are not just figures, but they also carry special significance and symbolism as well as masculine (yang) or feminine (yin) qualities."
(Lip, 1992, pp. 5-6)
"Even the sounds of the numbers suggest good or ill luck"
(Ibid, p. 8)
Therefore, it is important to a designer to aware of the meanings and interpretations of numbers before putting it into the elements of a logo.
The list of numbers below have specific meanings and are compiled from Lip (1992) and the responses from the Chinese symbol survey.
Numbers Interpretations
1 signifies the birth or the beginning
2 Symbolise duality and the two complimentary elements yin and yang.
3 phonetically it sounds like growth and alive; so it is regarded as a lucky number
4 phonetically it means death; so this number is considered inauspicious
5 the most important number in traditional Chinese; represents central position, thus indicating balance
6 phonetically it means deer in Chinese which is considered a lucky symbol
7 phonetically it means sure
8 prosperity, multiplication
9 auspicious because connotates fullness and is regarded as the largest number. Phonectically it means long life
14 phonetically it means very sure to die
48 sure to prosper
84 very prosperous or prosperity forever
100 representing longevity
168 success
424 inauspicious number because phonetically means "die and die again"
888 auspicious number combination refering to the multiplicity of number 8
1,000 means very much and forever
10,000 refer to the upper limit to mean plentiful
Numbers to the Chinese can also be divided into yin and yang elements. Even numbers refer to yin while odd numbers refer to yang. The numbers with yang elements are considered more aupicious than yin numbers. However a combination of yin and yang numbers create balance, thus it is considerd an auspicious number. Numbers such as 16, 18, 25, 29, 45, 63, 65, 67 are auspicious.
However this is only the basic guidelines for Chinese numbers. There are many rules for combining numbers. To be more specific a Feng Shui expert should be consulted.
4. Colours
Colours play a significant role in Chinese people's lives. As Rossbach and Lin (1994) reported:
"Yet, color plays a major role in many aspects of Chinese culture and is part of this strongly symbolic tradition".
(Rossbach & Lin, 1994, p. 6)
Some colours have specific meanings in Chinese culture and some of them have opposing connotations. In colour application, the designer should be aware of the implications of combining the image and colour so that negative interpretations can be avoided
These are generalised meanings of some basic colours in Chinese symbolism. According to Rossbach & Lin (1994) and Eberhard (1986) the basic colours have meanings such as:
Red
This is the most auspicious colour in Chinese culture. It refers to fire, strength, good fortune, wealth, and prosperity.
Purple
Purple, also an auspicious colour and even luckier than red but, in some cases, purple also connotes grief.
Black
Black has two different connotations. The first one refers to darkness, death and the lack of hope. The second one refers to depth and honor.
Yellow
This colour stands for fame, progress and advancement. In a different interpretation it also refers to tolerance, patience and wisdom
Green
Green denotes spring, freshness, happiness and fertility.
Orange
Orange is a mix of yellow and red, and is an auspicious colour that represents love, happiness and power.
Blue
Blue has a dual meaning. While it may refer to hope, growth and spring, it is also used for mourning.
Pink
This colour represents romance, love, joy and happiness, but also connotes flightiness.
White
This colour refers to mourning, denotes virginity, and is an emblem of old age.
Brown
This colour refers to stability.
Gray
This colour has two meanings. Interpreted negatively it means hopelessness and frustration. Interpreted positively, it denotes balance and the resolution of a conflict.
5. Feng Shui
When designing a logo with Chinese cultural considerations, it is necessary to also consider the Feng Shui aspect of the elements in the logo because these elements will have some positive impact on the audience as well as the clients. Feng Shui is still practiced by a majority of the Chinese in Southeast Asia. The researcher believes that with Feng Shui considerations, the logos will have stronger appeal.
A review undertaken by the researcher reveals that the basic principles of Feng Shui used in designing logos do not contradict the general principles in design but complement each other (e.g. the harmony and balance in Feng Shui principles also found in the basic principles in design).
However, the researcher has only investigated the basic principles of Feng Shui because Feng Shui is a body of knowledge that cannot be acquired in a short space of time and needs a lot of investigation and experience. In this research, the researcher intended only to show the importance of Feng Shui as one part of Chinese culture that the designer should be aware when of designing a logo with Chinese cultural considerations. When doing a project, a designer who wants to include Feng Shui in the logo's concept is advised to seek a Feng Shui specialist for advice.
4.8. Reflection
The chapter on Chinese culture reviews some background history of migration of the Chinese people from China to Southeast Asia, their cultural evolution and an overview of the present day practice of Chinese culture in Southeast Asian countries. Chinese culture in different countries is diverse. While it has eroded in some countries, it is still alive in others. Young generations exposed to Chinese movies and made to learn to Chinese language sometimes end up having more knowledge about Chinese culture and symbolism than their parents. The effects of globalism on most of the younger generation also have an impact of the continuity of Chinese culture in this region.
The researcher considers Feng Shui as an important part of Chinese culture. Feng Shui is also found in examples of logos that are designed with Chinese culture in consideration. In the researchers view, the Chinese symbols survey is better conducted than the previous survey of graphic designers in respect of how the researcher construct the questionnaire and process the data.
In the Chinese symbols survey, the researcher prepares a list of close ended questions on several symbolic representations that are compiled from various sources. This method is more effective than asking an open ended question on the symbols that are still relevant to the overseas Chinese residents in Southeast Asia. However, if one were to do this again, he or she should be aware of time constraints in distributing the questionnaires and processing the responses. One other factor is that since some of the respondents do not know how to read, write or speak any language other than Chinese or Chinese dialects (mostly older generations), some questionnaires should be conducted as part interview or complete interview.
V. RECOMMENDATIONS
This chapter will the discuss recommendations regarding designing a logo with Chinese cultural considerations. The recommendations will be divided into three sections which are to culturally informed, socially informed and spiritually informed.
5.1. Culturally Informed
Recommendations regarding Chinese culture are:
Choose the symbols that are still relevant to the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia to denote something specific.
Example: To denote a long life, designer could use tortoise as a symbol or image, because the tortoise are associated with long life for the Chinese people. Moreover derive from the Chinese symbol survey, this interpretation has a high relevance rate.
Choose familiar symbols from the cultures; borrow the image to get the ambiance.
Know the background history of the image; check if the image has specific interpretations.
Be aware of Chinese customs and taboos.
Example: The use of red colour on a mourning occasion ot theme will caused resentment. Instead, on festive or joyous occasions the red colour is popular use because it is believed to bring good luck, wealth and prosperity.
Be careful about the use of numbers. Some numbers are interpreted as auspicious and others as inauspicious. Check if the combination of numbers can be interpreted differently an thus refer to something else.
Example: Number four is widely known by the Chinese is an inauspicious number because phonetically means "death", but when combined with the number eight, it becomes 48 that have an opposite interpretation "sure to prosper" or 84 which means "prosperity forever".
Although some of the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia do not know how to write or read any language other than the Chinese language or Chinese dialects, use can be made of language/typography that are nationally/internationally understood to make sure that all the target audience understand the logo.
Example: the application of Chinese characters will limit the audience to the group that understand Chinese characters. In using the Roman alphabets, almost all the audience will be able to understand it.
5.2. Socially Informed
When designing a logo for the younger generation, Chinese symbols are less effective because most of young Chinese do not recognise them. Their interpretations of symbols are more universal. However, some of the symbols that are still applicable to everyday life are still recognised. (refer to chapter 4.5. Summary of Chinese Symbols Survey).
When designing a logo for older generations, Chinese symbols can be applied to some extent since the relevance rate is still high.
Example: the relevance rate for apple symbolising peace is higher in older rather than younger generations (18-25=37%; 26-35=44%;
36-45=33%; 46-55=64%; 55-above=60%).
A survey is useful for determining the most recent information about cultural practices as culture and trends change from time to time.
Use the appropriate language or translater to conduct a survey with Chinese respondents since some of the Chinese residents cannot speak, write or read any language other than the Chinese language or Chinese dialects.
5.3. Spiritually Informed
Although Chinese religious practices are diverse, many of them are Buddhist. Therefore, Buddisht images should be considered when selecting images for a logo.
Example: Using the image of Budha for commercial use will be offensive.
Create a logo that is easy to distinguish and readily recognised by the audience so that it is easy to remember.
Know the Chinese people's points of view in order to make a communicative logo.
Example: the Chinese react enthusiastically to icons of good fortune and something connoting death is considered inauspicious.
The application of Feng Shui is viewed favourably as it makes the logo's concept stronger and complements the basic principles in designing a logo.
Seek a Feng Shui expert for professional advice when designing a logo that includes Feng Shui aspects.
A knowledge of Chinese customs and philosophy will be helpful to a designer who wants to have a better understanding of the Chinese people's point of view and the way that Chinese people look at their surroundings.
Recommended readings:
1. Chu, C. N. 1991, The Asian Mind Game: Unlocking the Hidden Agenda of the Asian Business Culture - A Westerner's Survival Manual, Rawson Associates, New York.
2. Goh, B. C. 1996, Negotiating with the Chinese, Darmouth Publishing Company Limited, Aldershot, England.
2. Mente, B. de. 1990, Chinese Etiquette and Ethics in Business: A Penetrating Analysis of the Morals and Values that Shapes the Chinese Personality, NTC Books, Illinois.
3. Tan, T. T. W. 1986, Your Chinese Root: The Overseas Chinese Story, Times Book International, Singapore.
VI. CONCLUSION
This study set out to investigate cultural factors that designers should take into account when designing a logo for Chinese audiences in the Southeast Asian region.
Initially the researcher attempted to encompass numerous cultures with the intention of discovering how to design a logo that can communicate internationally. However it became evident that there are too many cultures for such an effort to be practical.
When designing for a diverse audience, one should keep in mind that cultural sensitivity is important to create a communicative logo that can be translated to give the same meaning by diverse audiences. Elements in a logo should be carefully considered and all major cultures should be research, to ensure that the logo will not offend or be misinterpreted. In order to know and understand what makes a logo that can be effectively translated, one should tuned into the cultures, learn the history, customs, taboos and way of thinking of the target audience.
Eventually, the researcher limited the study to one specific culture. The culture chosen being the Chinese culture in Southeast Asia. Chinese culture was chosen due its important place in Southeast Asia. It is supported by a network of business among overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. With the improving business connections among ethnic Chinese in this region, Chinese culture is expected to become more important, especially in economic terms, in the future.
This study has derived some valuable outcomes that will contribute to the design field as cross cultural communication between countries is becoming more important. Additionally, this study will assist the graphic designer to design a logo that has significance and meaning to the Chinese in Southeast Asia as well the Chinese in the other parts of the world. This study is the first of its kind and could be applied to other cultures as a continuation of research in this area of study. The study on Chinese cultural considerations can be seen as an example of cross cultural study in the graphic design field. It is an example of how a designer should learn the target audience's culture in order to make a communicative logo.
Aspects of this study that might have possibilities for further exploration is Feng Shui because Feng Shui requires deep study and the forces determining it can differ from project to project. Feng Shui knowledge cannot be acquired in a short period of time. The basic principles in Feng Shui must be combined with experience and analysis. A Feng Shui expert should be consulted when executing a project. However, a basic knowledge of Feng Shui is useful to a graphic designers when he or she is designing a logo for a Chinese audience or Chinese clients.
Furthermore symbolism in Chinese culture has broader possibilities. The researcher has only included general images and conducted a survey within a limited period of time to derive basic guidelines. Therefore, to use a specific symbol with confidence and to know the relevance rate of that symbol at a particular time, the designer is advised to conduct further surveys.
Finally, findings from the present study point to the willingness to learn one's own culture in order to have a better understanding of the different ways that other people look at things; so that designer is able to translate the given message effectively into a logo that matches the audience's perception.