Adrian Frutiger. Signs and Symbols. Their Design and Meaning. Translated by Andrew Bluhm. Watson-Guptill Publications New York

Transcription

1 Adrian Frutiger Signs and Symbols Their Design and Meaning Translated by Andrew Bluhm Watson-Guptill Publications New York

2 Contents Part 1: Sign Recognition, Sign Formation Introduction: Three Themes 17 l. Disorder-order Remembering a figure Light and shadow - black and white 21 I. The Elements of a Sign 23 l. The dot The line 23 a The imaginary line 23 b The line in itself 24 c Horizontal and vertical 25 d The oblique line 26 e The curve Relations between lines 28 a The manual movements 0/ drawing lines 28 b Alignment and rhythm 30 c Proximity The morphology of signs 31 a The "geography" a/perception 31 b Symmetry and asymmetry 31 c Morphological Table d Morphological Table 2 38 Sign topology The Basic Signs The square The triangle The circle The arrow The cross Ill. Joining Signs Together Relations between signs of 2. the same form 53 Relations between signs of different forms The expression of the inner area Relations between closed and 5. open signs 60 Experiment with two fork signs 61

3 6. The "complete" sign 62 a Morphological Table 3: abstract signs 62 b Morphological Table 4: object signs Between diagram and figure Puzzle signs 67 IV. The Sign in Ornaments 69 V. Signs of Dualism 73 VI. The Solid 77 l. From line to solid area 77 a Thickness of the lines 78 b The swelling and shrinking of lines 79 c The tape shape The white sign on a black background 82 a From outline to negative 82 b Varying brightness of an interior shape 84 c Indications of form The chessboard pattern 85 VII. The Simulation of Volume 87 l. Superimposed layers Plaiting "Suggestive" white Perspective The shadow 92 a The illuminated object 92 b Thrown shadows Unusual volume Optical illusions 95 VIII. The Diversity of Appearance Drawing and material 97 a The tools 97 b The stroke ending 98 c The right tool for the right material The value of interior and intermediary space The image 102 a Black-white 102 b Colors 102 c Halftones 103 d Structures 103

4 4. Picture quality 103 a Schematic or "dimensional" illustration 104 b Naturalistic illustration 104 c Artistic or "contemplative" illustration 105 Attempt at a visual synthesis 106 Part 2: Speech-Fixing Signs I. From Thought to Picture Prototypes Speech and gesture Speech Fixing Two ways of script development 113 a Scripts "remaining" pictorial 114 b "Alphabetical" scripts A common origin? Inherited archetypes? From pictogram to ideogram Determinatives From ideogram to phonogram 118 Ill. The Graphic Wealth of Pictograms From Sumerian pictograms to cuneiform Egyptian hieroglyphics Cretan scripts Hethitic pictographic script from Syria Pictographic script from the Indus Valley Pictographic script of Easter Island Runic script Chinese scripts 133 a Wisdom of the I-ching 133 b Chinese pictographic script 136 c Chinese writing and architecture Pre-Columbian American scripts 139 a Aztec pictographic script 140 b Maya pictographic script 141 IV. The World's Alphabets Invention and spread of letters 2. A summary of the world's script 143 groups 146

5 V. The ABC of the Western World 151 l. Early development Capitals and small letters 153 a The transition from capitals to small letters 153 b Toward a theory of reduced hand movements 155 VI. Development of Form through Writing and Printing Techniques 159 l. Black stroke formation 159 a Calligraphy 159 Horizontal pen positions Oblique pen positions Steep pen positions b Pen positioning in other linguistic sectors 163 c Engraving and printing Interior white space 166 a Architecture and script 166 b Space On the family likenesses ofletters 170 VII. Manipulated Letterforms 175 l. Purely proportional variations 175 a Width 175 b Weight 177 c Slope 178 d The extended palette of type faces Deviations from the basic forms 182 a Ornamental letters 182 b "Antiques" 183 c "Figurative" alphabets 183 d Letterforms of the future 183 Environmental "inscription." Digital displays. Experiments in extreme Simplification. Automatic reading. Boundaries of legibility. e Type image and type picture Monograms 192 a Abbreviations become acronyms 192 b From ligature to ornament 192 VIII. Text Type and Its Legibility 197 l. Type as a worldwide medium of communication Type forms and legibility 198 a The reading process 198 b Steps in reading motivation 199 c Formal synthesis of the alphabet 200

6 IX. Numerical Signs Numbering with letters Origin and evolution of arabic numerals 206 a The ingenious idea of the zero 206 b Origins and development of form Some analytical comments 209 a Speech and numbers 209 b Number-writing movements 209 c Division into basic elements 211 d The future of numeral forms 211 X. Punctuation Signs Word space The punctuation marks 214 a Sentence-structuring signs 214 b Expression signs 216 c Reference signs The ampersand Currency and other signs 218 Part 3: Sign. Symbol. Emblem. Signal Introduction Nonalphabetical signs New signs for science Pictorial signs for industry Directional signs A surfeit of pictures? Back to pictograms? I. From Illustration to Symbol The picture The diagram 229 a Stages of schematization 229 b Computer aids to schematization The ground plan The allegory The images of superstition The Symbol What is symbolic? From symbol picture to symbol sign Ambignous use of the word "symbol" 237

7 Ill. The Graphic Wealth of Figurative Symbols How pictures become symbol signs a The process of stylization material b Simplification through and tools c Gigantic symbol signs 244 Fauna symbols 246 a From multiplicity to simplicity Bird figures 246 b Of life and death The serpent symbol 248 c Other fauna symbols Archetypes of the subconscious Plant symbols The human form as symbol 257 a The complete figure of the human body 257 b Parts of the human body Objects, landscapes, elements of nature The symbol of the center 266 IV. Abstract Symbols Space and its center The cross sign and its ornamentation Signs symbolizing movement Plaiting, interweaving, knotting Sun signs The stars The symbol in ornamentation Geometry and symbol 287 V. Signs of Pseudoscience and Magic The elements The signs of astrology The signs of alchemy Cabalistic and magical signs, talismans 302 VI. Signature Signs Stonemasons' signs Monograms 311 VII. Signs of Community House marks Japanese family arms On heraldry Community signs of the present day 322

8 VIII. Trademarks Marking in the past 325 a From marking to the mark: cattle branding as an example 325 b Traders' marks 326 c Artisans' and manufacturers' marks 327 d Structural signs Watermarks Industrial signs of the present day 330 IX. Technical and Scientific Signs Technical pictography Signs of modern sciences 341 X. Signal Signs Orientation 345 a Meaning and interpretation of traffic signs 345 b Shape of the panel 346 c Calor 346 d The driver's reaction to the signal Pictograms Signal signs in printed form Emotional aspects of route finding 352 a Orientation in public buildings 352 b Pictographic systems for events Operating signals 354 Toward a Synthesis 357 Epilogue 359 Bibliography 360