Essay on Auxiliary Graphics

Abstract: This paper argues that the combination of "auspicious clouds" and modern logos is a re-exploration of the beauty of its modeling form and the extension and deepening of its cultural spirit.

Clouds can be said to be a natural scene that has a great deal to do with human life. Literary writers and artists throughout the ages have been devoted to it. China's romantic poet Qu Yuan in the "Nine Songs" in the "Spirit even curled up Ruoxi both stay, rotten Zhaozhao Ruoxi not yet central ...... cross the four seas Ruoxi Yan Yan Yan poor," the verse, a graphic depiction of the cloud's charming and magnificent, to stay and turn around, and yet there is nothing not to have a form of fluctuation and impermanence. In Chinese landscape painting, there are countless images of clouds. And China's traditional auspicious culture of "cloud pattern" as a unique modeling language has been handed down to the present day, after centuries of evolution, with its unique form of beauty and symbolism gradually precipitated into a representative of the public's visual memory and aesthetic scale of the rich visual heritage, influencing the concept of modern design.

I. The origin and evolution of "auspicious clouds"

Like traditional Chinese auspicious culture, "cloud pattern" has a deep origin. Primitive worship ideas and totem concepts laid the ideological foundation for its creation. In the primitive society, the Chinese ancestors worship astronomy and regard mountains and rivers as gods. Ancient legend says that the cloud god is responsible for rain, which is closely related to the growth of grains, and for this reason, people carried out all kinds of ritual activities to pray for blessings, eliminate disasters and reduce wealth, and shelter production and smooth life. As a tool for ritual activities, totem obviously puts forward the wish of Chinese ancestors to avoid bad luck and pursue a happy life. As a result, the "cloud pattern" (auspicious cloud), which can bring people good luck and good weather, began to emerge. Initially, it appeared with other "gods", such as lingering around the "dragon" or "phoenix", with the "flying sky", "floating and flowing together," and the "flying sky". "together with the floating flow, with the" heavenly horse "running together. At this time, the "auspicious cloud" is often used as an auxiliary graphic appearances, modeling fluent, mostly using the appropriate form of the technique. It sometimes appears around the edge or in the center of the totem; sometimes also as a background, covering the whole picture. With the further development of auspicious culture, symbolizing the blessing, fortune, longevity, happiness and other meanings of the image is also combined with the "auspicious clouds". For example, "five blessings and longevity", "dragon and phoenix", "four seas with the sky", "unicorn sends children", "One Piece in the Palace" and so on.

In folk paper-cutting, kites, lanterns, official clothes, printing and dyeing, carving and other works, "auspicious clouds" abound. And "auspicious clouds" graphics have gradually lost the "totem" features, began to become abstract, the image is more full, its shape or by a few arcs sketched out, or a combination of back to the pattern, or as a band, or symmetrical shape. Modeling full, smooth, graceful lines more beautiful, more vivid image, swinging a lyrical, romantic beauty. From the end of the Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, "auspicious clouds" have become an important form of sending ideals, wishes and feelings of all levels of Chinese society. Intuitive image and long meaning, so that not only up to the palace, princes and lords, but also down to the city, thatched cottage, revealing a unique artistic infectivity and vitality, and has been handed down to this day.

The modern value and use of "auspicious clouds"

With the progress of society and the development of science, people have gradually detached from the worship and superstition of nature and various natural phenomena, including "clouds", but on the "auspicious clouds". "Auspicious clouds" conveyed by the traditional cultural flavor still love. So modern designers use "auspicious clouds" as a modeling language, often used in their own works.

"Lucky clouds" as a kind of traditional cultural graphic symbols in line with the public's visual experience, it is easy to produce emotional **** with the public. And its own cultural meaning is very easy to be interpreted by the public, so the "auspicious clouds" re-borrowed and re-creation has become a common approach, and this re-borrowing and re-creation, not in the simple sense of copying, but the shape of the form of the beauty of the re-exploration of the cultural spirit of the re-expansion and deepening. Taking the example of the use of "auspicious clouds" in modern logo design, we can fully get the above conclusion.　　Prof. Chen Hanmin of Academy of Arts and Design, Tsinghua University, once pointed out in an article that: logo is the most concise image language for conveying information, simple in shape but concise in meaning. Modern logo design is often stylized by meaning and expressed by shape. The combination of "auspicious clouds" and modern logo is not simply accomplished by combining image elements, but by a variety of expressive techniques. Shape modeling, plane replacement, real and imaginary, isomorphic reorganization is one example. Figure 1, as the logo of the real estate company, takes green as the eternal theme, blue sky and white clouds, free-flying birds and lush flowers and grasses become the main constituent elements of the logo. The combination of many elements, it is the use of the appropriate shape modeling this treatment, the modeling elements interspersed with each other, adapt to each other, so as to form a perfect shape with strong national characteristics, reflecting the harmony between man and nature and the protection of nature. Here, "auspicious clouds" have been abstracted into an integral part of the logo. Figure 2 is another way out, the CIS in the "C", "S" two letters as a whole into the "auspicious cloud" pattern, and "I" into the shape of a Chinese watch. and "I" are synthesized into the shape of a Chinese watch, while the overall graphic resembles the Chinese character "中" in "中国". The cloud pattern's twists and turns and the two horizontals and three verticals in the center form the beauty of the contrast between the curves and the straights. The "auspicious clouds" here are imagined and designed according to the shape.

Modern logo design is not an abstract painting, not to mention the crossword puzzle, it is a silent language, it must seek the viewer's **** Ming. Modern logo design not only requires graphic perfection and novelty, but also the pursuit of the logo of "a form of multi-meaning". Its "meaning" should not be imposed by the author to "give", but should be free to the viewer to "get", is in the graphic guide under the "meaning of cooperation The "meaning" is induced by the graphic. As an auspicious pattern, the "auspicious cloud" graphic, in addition to its beautiful curve shape, has formed a rich spiritual connotation after thousands of years of cultural accumulation. The appearance of "auspicious cloud" in modern logo design not only increases the information of the logo, but also enriches the connotation of the logo. Figure 3 is the logo designed by famous designer Han Jiaying for Zhuhai Zulongju Health Products Co., Ltd. The designer combines the "auspicious cloud" with the traditional signboard graphic, which is unique and implies that the health products produced by the company can keep consumers healthy and bring them good luck and good wishes. Figure 4 is the logo of Ten Thousand Buddhas Garden (Mausoleum), the designer uses "auspicious clouds" as the background, contrasted with a Chinese Buddhist pattern "" character, the shape is full and dignified, using "auspicious clouds" to symbolize the "sky", "heaven", and the "sky" is the symbol of the company. The "auspicious cloud" symbolizes "heaven", and "immortal style and Taoist bones", implying that the mausoleum is a place for immortals. "" character symbolizes reincarnation, eternal life, sends the living to the deceased's feelings of adoration. Figure 5 for the Hongxiang flavor restaurant logo, the author cleverly conceived, named "Hongxiang", but do not see a bird and a feather, only to see the "auspicious clouds" floating, modeling vivid, God's breath, both implicitly the restaurant using the raw materials are exotic treasures, but also implies that the store's services will make customers feel at home, peaceful and peaceful. Customers feel at home, peaceful and thoughtful.

"Lucky clouds" of this elegant oriental beauty of the traditional pattern of the soul, has penetrated the upper and lower thousands of years, its beautiful, smooth, full, flowing artistic image, beautiful and rich meaning, are given to the designers to endless creative inspiration. In short, the "auspicious cloud" modeling left us with eternal artistic charm, its artistic vitality will also be immortalized with its traditional Chinese culture.

References:

①Yan Hongshu and Wang Zhuzhen: Chinese Folk Graphic Art, Shanghai Bookstore, 1992. ②Chen Hui and Huang Zhansheng: Chinese Auspicious Symbols, Hainan Publishing House, Haikou, 1992. ③Lu Yan: The Connotation and Diffusion of Symbols, Beijing Arts and Crafts Publishing House, 1991.