Modern design is not only the maintenance of a specific fashion, corresponding to the time range. It expresses the author’s thoughts about modernity, becomes the personification of spiritual and moral values, and touches on social, technological, and political processes (Arraes, 2014). The main message of design in visual culture is the arousal of noble actions and thoughts caused by the aesthetic pleasure of a person. Thus, the design in some situations translates an ideal image of the interaction of different cultures and spheres. I believe that the primary role of design is to interpret and transfer socio-cultural or political interactions to the environment around people to understand events better.
Talking about the role of design in modern visual production that is important to note what crucial function globalization played in formation and development of design. The primary function of globalization is cross-cultural interaction, which is strongly reflected in production and completely unusual new collaborations in creating designs. For example, in the case of Brazil, Arraes (2014) demonstrates that “traditional aspects of Brazilian imagination began to model themselves on American culture” at a time when Western news deconstructed Communist identity (p. 119). Thus, a significant influence is created on the masses of people with the help of design. Moreover, experts and professionals create propaganda with the help of design, and such propaganda is perceived as accurate and does not cause any doubt.
The design has vast power because it unconsciously makes specific changes in our perception of everyday things and makes us look at what we are used to from a different angle. Walker & Chaplin (1997) states that “the sense of sight is and always has been the most important sense” for world perception (p. 20). That is important to note that a person perceives the world faster and more effectively through the visual channels than through other sensory organs such as hearing or using physical contact (Walker & Chaplin, 1997). To create correct visual advertising, this is essential to consider the features of a person’s eye anatomy and color perception.
It is crucial to note the controlling role design has over society and people’s private lives. For example, experts attract the buyer to the choice of goods with the help of design and influence that a person will not decide to buy purchases of a specific company. Another vital role of design is to provide feedback between the production and the buyer. For example, due to the specific approach in advertising, the demand for one product will be much higher than the demand for another product identical to the first one. The proper emotional involvement of the customer will also play a role in the selection and purchase of the product.
Politics is another area in which global changes are taking place with the help of visual culture and advertising that are not noticeable to the layman’s eyes. For example, Richardson (2015) reports that “Visual Culture in Britain has asked representatives of British universities to respond to the idea of a changing Britain through the prism of art and visual culture” (p. 103). It is precisely because visual culture has a considerable influence that it is used even in political fields.
In conclusion, it is essential to note that the role of design does not stop only at the decoration or modernization of objects but also has a deep socio-cultural or political subtext in its creation. Moreover, the main goal of the design is still to improve the external environment in a more aesthetic way for its better influence on the actions and thoughts of people.
References
Arraes, M. (2014). American Visual Culture in the Brazilian Media. The International Journal of the Image, 4(2), 119–127.
Richardson, C. (2015). Wet Paint: Visual Culture in a Changing Britain – A Round Table Debate. Visual Culture in Britain, 16(1), 103–117.
Walker, J. A., & Chaplin, S. (1997). Visual culture: An introduction. Manchester, UK; New York: Manchester University Press; New York.