Perception and production of graphic design in different cultures

The modern world is more and more dependent on information. As grows its importance, so does its quantity. That is why the good communication, especially the visual one, is indispensable for the proper disclosure and addressing of potential recipients of information. Graphic design provides the form of visual communication. The interconnection of different cultures is linked with the quick pace of globalization - thus the communication with different cultures is important. Each culture is based on specific values that can vary and very often do to a great extent. These values are then reflected in all areas of human activity, graphic design included. At first, we define the term culture and have a look at the process by which we acquire it - to find out its influence on us. We use as a means the interdisciplinary approach which draws knowledge on cognitive science, neuroscience, psychology and anthropology. Next, we focus on the principles of visual perception and studies concerning the difference in behavior and visual perception in different cultures. We divide the world on the basis of culture-shape events into different cultural units and we analyze graphic design in different cultures by using the knowledge from the previous chapters. We point out the principles and potential pitfalls of symbols and colors in the communication with other cultures. We describe the way how the paradigm of cultural values is reflected in the graphic design and we try to capture the features of visual communication typical for each culture.