of traditional and modern culture
The national culture has been growing, particularly, ethnic patterns as a source of inspiration within the field of cultural and creative designs. The ethnic minority culture forms an important part of the Chinese culture whose patterns stem from the life experiences of various ethnic groups that developed over history (Maa et al., n.d.). The evolution of these patterns has served as a cultural heritage that has been preserved as traditional art with the help of modern technology. Each ethnic group has symbolic patterns that reflect their cultural identity and beliefs such as the Dragon pattern reflecting Li nationality and, the Golden Peacock Pattern reflecting Dai nationality (Maa et al., n.d.). Within modern graphic designs, these symbols have become ethnic minority patterns that represent Chinese culture. Modern designers have used methods such as restructuring, simplification, and reinterpretation to create new ethnic patterns. Although technological advancements have led people to favour convenience rather than preserving traditional cultural elements, ethnic patterns are considered an important component of Chinese culture that is now vibrantly applied in the market economy. They not only inspire product aesthetics but also serve as the foundation for several cultural and creative designs, reaffirming the importance of incorporating tradition into modern innovation. This integration highlights that cultural heritage can thrive and adapt within contemporary contexts, enriching cultural appreciation and creative industries simultaneously. For instance, the designs promoted by Pang Xunqin to integrate Chinese and Western artistic styles through his reinterpretation of traditional Chinese patterns, by transforming them into modern aesthetic expressions (Tian et al., 2024). He wanted to free the traditional patterns from historical and cultural confines and reinterpret them as independent aesthetic entities that have relevance in the contemporary contexts. His reinterpretation of the Taotie Pattern of the Shang dynasty is the greatest example in which he reduced the traditional motif to its essential form and harmonized its quintessential features with modern structural influences such as Cubism (Tian et al., 2024). Such a method not only ensures continuity between art and traditional culture but also helps in exploring beyond mere replication to the deeper significance of artistic expressions.
As a result of globalization and modernization, designs based on one script (such as Latin) these days are visually styled to resemble another script (such as Chinese) to invoke associations with different cultures. This concept is known as typography mimicry where the visual elements choose to mimicry such as certain strokes or stylish features that may give the text a foreign appearance (Meletis, 2023). Such practices and decisions help achieve the desired cultural evocation. For instance, the designs of the Latin typefaces that emulate the visual style of Chinese script such as the Kashima Brush typeface. The primary strategy was to mimic the curved brushstrokes that typically characterize Chinese calligraphy. On the contrary, it was unsuccessful as pointed out by Shaw that such designs did not successfully achieve the structural balance and harmony which are considered as the basic principles in Chinese calligraphy (Meletis, 2023). The adaptation of the brushstroke aesthetics that was forced into Roman letterforms results in disjointed and unconvincing designs that undermine the intended imitation.
Figure 4-General trajectory of vertical text. Figure 5-General trajectory of horizontal text.
When for instance, English fonts are combined with pop art elements, it creates high brand patterns that enhance the brand identity and atmosphere (KROTOVA & LI, 2023). The brand name ‘CHAGEE’ for example developed a unique pattern getting inspired by the honeydew element in a product and integrating it with the ‘C’ from the brand (KROTOVA & LI, 2023). The honeydew green colour reflects the properties of the product and complements it with the packaging, emphasizing the consistency of the brand and its appeal.
Looking at the past discussion it can therefore be urged that, critically the Chinese fonts play a significant role in showcasing the Chinese culture to the world. throughout Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and the Ryukyu Kingdom, the primary form of writing was served historically by the Chinese characters (Liu & Wang, 2017). New adaptations and characters were developed by these countries getting inspired by Chinese script. On the contrary, the complexity of designs in which Chinese typefaces are available often limits the expressive nature of fonts when compared to alphabets with few characters. Relying on the font solely becomes insufficient to capture and reciprocate the depth of Chinese cultural heritage. However, the appeal and persuasiveness of Chinese character font design have made its increasing usage in product packaging design (Wang et al., 2020). For instance, the images of Chinese characters used in Korean skin products packaging, Japan’s sake packaging, or Noodle packaging, to enhance the appeal of the products resonating deeply with cultural identity (Wang et al., 2020). The Chinese character fonts are reformed to form new fonts that will conform to the concept of the design. It is through these Chinese characters that the traditional Chinese culture is created and inherited. The exotic nature of the Chinese fonts, therefore, appears to preserve the readability and enable consumers to preserve the origin of the style of language by imitating the exotic style.