Cloud can be said to be a natural landscape that is vital to human life. Writers and artists of all ages have devoted themselves to this. Qu Yuan, a romantic poet in China, vividly described the beauty of clouds in "Nine Songs", which was tactfully lingering, but ubiquitous, with a wandering form. In China's landscape paintings, there are countless images of clouds. As a unique modeling language, "moire" in China's traditional auspicious culture has been passed down to this day. After centuries of evolution, with its unique formal beauty and symbolic significance, it gradually precipitated into a rich visual heritage representing the public's visual memory and aesthetic standards, which influenced modern design concepts.
First, the origin and evolution of "Xiangyun"
Like the traditional auspicious culture in China, "moire" has a deep origin. The primitive fetishism and totem concept laid the ideological foundation for its emergence. In primitive society, China ancestors worshipped astronomy and regarded mountains and rivers as gods. According to an ancient legend, rain is closely related to the growth of grains, so people have carried out various sacrificial activities to pray for blessing, eliminate disasters and reduce wealth, and protect the smooth progress of production and life. Totem, as a tool of sacrificial activities, obviously entrusted the wishes of Chinese ancestors to avoid evil and pursue a happy life. As a result, the "moire" (Xiangyun) that can bring good luck and good weather began to appear. At first, it appeared with other "gods", such as wandering between dragons and phoenixes, flowing gracefully with Tian Fei and running with Tianma. At this time, "Xiangyun" is often used as an auxiliary figure, which is smooth in shape and more conformal. It sometimes appears at the edge or center of the totem; Sometimes it is also used as a background to cover the whole picture. With the further development of auspicious culture, images symbolizing happiness, auspiciousness, longevity and happiness are also combined with "Xiangyun". For example, "Five Blessingg shares the same fate", "Dragon and Phoenix are auspicious", "Four Seas share the same sky", "Kirin delivers a child" and "One product is in court".
In folk paper-cutting, kites, palace lanterns, official uniforms, printing and dyeing, sculptures and other works, "Xiangyun" can be found everywhere. Moreover, the character "Xiangyun" has gradually lost the characteristics of "totem" and started to become abstract, with a fuller image. Its shape is either outlined by several arcs, or combined with palindromes, or banded or symmetrical. The shape is full and smooth, the indirect lines are more beautiful, the image is more vivid, and there is a lyrical and romantic beauty. From the late Tang Dynasty to the Five Dynasties and then to the Qing Dynasty, "Xiangyun" became an important form for all social strata in China to pin their ideals, wishes and emotions. Intuitive image and profound implication make it not only reach the palace, princes and doors, but also go down to streets, tile houses and huts, showing its unique artistic appeal and vitality, which has been passed down to this day.
Second, the modern value and application of Xiangyun
With the progress of society and the development of science, people have gradually divorced from the worship and superstition of nature and various natural phenomena including "clouds", but they still can't put it down for the traditional cultural atmosphere conveyed by "Xiangyun". Therefore, modern designers often use "Xiangyun" as a modeling language in their works.
"Xiangyun", as a graphic symbol of traditional culture that conforms to the visual experience of the public, is easy to generate emotional buzz with the public. However, the cultural meaning contained in it is easy to be interpreted by the public, so the re-borrowing and re-creation of Xiangyun has become a common method, and this re-borrowing and re-creation is not a simple copy, but a re-exploration of its formal beauty and an extension and deepening of its cultural spirit. Taking the application of "Xiangyun" in modern logo design as an example, the above conclusions can be drawn completely. Professor Chen of Tsinghua University Academy of Fine Arts once wrote that signs are the most refined image language to convey information, which is concise and clear. Modern logo design often shapes with meaning and expresses meaning with form. The combination of "Xiangyun" and modern symbols is not simply realized by the combination of image elements, but by means of various expression techniques. Conformal modeling, plane replacement, virtual reality, isomorphism and recombination are an example. Graphic 1 is the symbol of real estate company, green is the eternal theme, and blue sky and white clouds, free-flying birds and lush flowers and plants become the main components of the symbol. The combination of various elements only uses the conformal modeling method, permeates and adapts to each other, forming a perfect modeling with strong national characteristics, which embodies the harmony between man and nature and the protection of nature by human beings. Here, "Xiangyun" has been abstracted as an inseparable part of the whole logo. Figure 2, on the other hand, takes a different approach, transforming the letters "C" and "S" in CIS into the pattern of "Xiangyun" and combining them with "I" to form a China watch. At the same time, the overall pattern is like the word "Zhong" in China. The zigzag moire and the two horizontal and three vertical lines in the middle form the beauty of direct contrast. The "Xiangyun" here is designed with the imagination.
Modern logo design is not an abstract painting or a crossword puzzle. It is a silent language and must be heard by the viewer. Modern logo design not only requires the perfection and novelty of graphics, but also pursues the "one form and many meanings" of logos. Its "meaning" should not be the "giving" imposed by the author, but the "obtaining" of the viewer's freedom and the "parataxis" under the guidance of graphics. As an auspicious pattern, the figure of "Xiangyun" has formed a rich spiritual connotation after thousands of years of cultural accumulation, in addition to beautiful curve modeling. The appearance of "Xiangyun" in modern logo design not only increases the information content of the logo, but also enriches its connotation. Figure 3 shows the logo designed by the famous designer Han Jiaying for Zhuhai Zulongju Health Care Products Co., Ltd. The designer skillfully combines "Xiangyun" with traditional signboard graphics, which means that the health care products produced by the company can keep consumers healthy and bring them good luck and happiness. Figure 4 is the symbol of the ten thousand Buddha Garden (cemetery). The designer takes "Xiangyun" as the base, setting off the word ""in the Buddhist pattern of China. The shape is full and dignified, and "Xiangyun" symbolizes "heaven", which, combined with "sage-like style", means that the cemetery is a land of immortals. The character ""symbolizes reincarnation and eternal life, and expresses the admiration of the living for the dead. Figure 5 is the logo of Hongxiang Restaurant. The author has a clever idea of "Hongxiang", but not one bird and one feather. I only see "Xiangyun" elegant, vivid and imposing, which not only implies that the raw materials used in this restaurant are rare treasures, but also implies that the service of this restaurant will make customers feel at home, peaceful and thoughtful.
"Xiangyun" is the soul of traditional patterns, with elegant oriental beauty, which has penetrated for thousands of years. Its beautiful, smooth, full and elegant artistic image and beautiful and rich implication give designers endless creative inspiration. In short, the shape of "Xiangyun" has left us with eternal artistic charm, and its artistic vitality will be immortal together with the traditional culture of China.
References:
① Yan Hongshu and Wang, Folk Graphic Art in China, Shanghai Bookstore, 1992. ② Chen Hui and Huang Zhansheng: Auspicious Symbols of China, Hainan Publishing House, Haikou, 1992. Yan Lu: Connotation and Extension of Logo, Beijing Arts and Crafts Publishing House, 199 1.