Summary:

Incorporating layers of meaning into design
Date:

January 2018

Description:

We think in images, symbols communicate a multitude of meaning in one single gesture. A design without a meaning is like art without a soul. It does not solve a problem and it does not fulfill a function. The beholder projects an interpretation on the perceived symbol. Therefore the meaning of a symbol is only limited by the knowledge and experiences of the perceiver and the culture they live in. In all of humanities history communicating meaning through symbolism has been an integral part of creativity. In modern times contemporary artists and designers mostly attempt to communicate their personal experiences and beliefs through their work. Not including or adding to the knowledge and experience of the collective unconscious. In history artists, architects and designers got out of their way to transmute the knowledge, beliefs and experience of the beholder by communicating through archetypal symbolism which on a subconscious level could be interoperated and understood by anyone.

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Layers of symbolism are able to encode a multitude of information, secrets and experiences from the past and perpetuate these into the future.

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