Re-designing Of National Character In The Contemporary Visual Context

As one of the Chinese ethnic minorities’ written languages,Dongba pictograph has been hailed as the "living fossil in the history of characters".Dongba characters and Dongba scripture are Dongba culture’ s important carrier and the essence of national art tempered by the Naxi people’ s wisdom.Owing to the unique culture,Dongba characters and scripture are listed as a precious world cultural heritage and considered as rich spiritual wealth bequeathed by the ancestors of Naxi people.With the development of history and social change,the ancient Dongba pictograph is facing the danger of losing its cultural foundation.On one hand,we should strengthen the efforts to collect,sort,protect and study the Dongba characters;on the other hand,we also need to fully explore its profound cultural connotation.Dongba pictograph is of guiding significance to graphic design.Its unique and harmonious ecological outlook contains simple religious and philosophical ideologies,which are conductive to setting concepts on environmental protection for graphic designers;it contains ancient legend and myth,which can help designers strengthen the vividness of the storytelling and enhance its appeal;its reductionist narrative pattern allows designer to create interesting work;with strong ethnic characteristics,its aesthetic taste and lifelike,vibrant,and colorful characters contribute to enriching elements of design and arousing creative inspirations.Dongba characters demonstrate rhythmical beauty in the use of design elements,decorative elegance in the application of color,and visual attractiveness due to the varied decorative techniques,thus reflecting humanism and sublimating the beauty of emotion,all of which have provided designers with inexhaustible ideas and inspirations.From the perspective of graphic design,the paper is intended to study in depth the Dongba characters’ uniqueness with regards to its ecological concept,storytelling,narrative pattern,aesthetic sentiment and elements of graphic design,etc.It analyzes the manifestation approaches including the traditional and modern embodiment of Dongba characters as well as their abstract application.The paper investigates and brings into practice the redesign of Dongba characters using real examples to enhance Dongba pictograph’s communication ability in modern language context,promote its ability of literal communication and international recognition,and to further improve its cultural value and artistic value.And that is exactly the obligation and responsibility of the author as a designer and a Naxi minority.