Branding a symbol: Context and meaning across cultures | Culture and communication in digital worlds

Author(s): Leo F. Hoye, Ruth Kaiser

Year of publication: 2007

Keywords: Visual phenomena, Imagery, Visual studies, Design, Symbol as image, Linguistic pragmatics, Meaning transmission, Graphic design

Methodology/Sample: Case study/_

Reference: Hoye, L. F., & Kaiser, R. (2007). Branding a symbol: context and meaning across cultures. Intercultural Pragmatics, 4(1), 51–69. https://doi.org/10.1515/IP.2007.003

Abstract

The advent of cybernetic technology and new digital technologies, together with the speed and effectiveness of their global reach, have undoubtedly impacted in unprecedented ways, quantitatively and qualitatively, on how visual phenomena are modified and transmitted and, in turn, on how we access and respond to them.

This new reality—the rise and dominance of imagery—is paralleled by an exponential growth of scholarship in visual studies, with implications for research agendas across a wide range of interrelated disciplines, such as visual semiotics, visual anthropology, visual arts, psychology, history, sociology and so on (see Barnhurst et al. 2004). This article is to be seen as part of that trend: we discuss images in this article; more precisely, symbol as image, from a cross-cultural perspective. Our approach is perhaps unusual in that it is primed by Linguistic Pragmatics.

The study has practical implications for cross-cultural design because it illustrates some of the issues facing graphic designers who seek to reassign and transmit meanings across cultures.

> Summary

The paper explores Visual Pragmatic Acts, emphasizing the importance of context in understanding visual symbols .
It critiques the use of symbols like the Nazi Swastika in marketing and art .
The authors argue that symbols carry different meanings across cultures and contexts .
A contextually-sensitive approach is advocated for interpreting visual symbols and their implications .
The paper highlights the dynamic nature of meaning-making in visual communication .

> Problem statement

The paper discusses the challenges of cross-cultural design in graphic communication, particularly in reassessing meanings across cultures.
It highlights the misinterpretation of symbols, such as the Nazi swastika, in marketing contexts.
The study emphasizes the need for cross-culturally informed behavior in marketing to avoid intercultural misunderstandings.
It critiques the assumption that symbols can be context-free, stressing their varied meanings in different cultural settings.
The research aims to apply a pragmatic approach to understanding visual communication and its contextual implications.

> Methods used

The paper applies the theory of Pragmatic Acts to the visual domain, termed Visual Pragmatic Acts.
It references two case studies involving the Nazi Swastika in marketing and art.
The study explores the relationship between images and their contextual meanings.
It emphasizes a contextually sensitive, pragmatic approach to understanding visual symbols.
The research discusses the functionality of images in performing various visual acts.
It incorporates cognitive approaches to context, memory, and representation.
The paper acknowledges the ambivalence of visuals and their multiple meanings.

> Practical implications

The study highlights issues in cross-cultural design for graphic designers, emphasizing the need for cultural sensitivity in meaning transmission.
It illustrates the importance of context in understanding symbols, as meanings vary across different cultural settings.
The paper advocates for a pragmatic approach to visual symbols, enhancing awareness of their contextual significance.