The

designer as a culture agent

Ctia Rijoa
a

Departamento de Educao em Lnguas, Comunicao e Artes,

Escola Superior de Educao de Lisboa, Instituto Politcnico de lisboa
crijo@eselx.ipl.pt

ABSTRACT
The purpose of this article is to present a reflection on the importance of design as transmitter of cultural diversi-
ty. To discuss the importance of tangible and intangible culture as a differentiating factor in building a visual identity associ-
ated with a site, since cultural diversity takes many forms across time and space.
Currently, cities are constantly changing and cultural references have been become lost, yielding a loss of identity
and relationship to the places. It is our duty as citizens to know and preserve our cultural heritage since it depicts our histo-
ry and tradition while at the same time strengthens the feeling of belonging.
Culture constitutes the common heritage of humanity and should be recognized and affirmed for the benefit of
present and future generations. Culture as transmitter of messages must be taken and understood as an essential element
in the representation of a place.
Design culture requires its observers to look beyond visual attributes and associate with the creation and dissem-
ination materials. Culture is more than a pure visual representation and message transmission, rather culture formulate,
formats, circulates, contains and retrieves information, and that culture takes diverse forms across time and space, consti-
tuting the common heritage of humanity and should be recognized and affirmed for the benefit of present and future gen-
erations.
Keywords: design, culture; identity, communication

INTRODUCTION
Given the role of the designer as a cultural agent - engaged in construction of meanings - consideration
should be their contribution as active agents of change, it is fundamental to highlight the inherent
responsibility to the creative process. It is, then, to recognize that designers have a social responsibility,
political and cultural before their receptors.

CULTURE AND IDENTITY: THE DESIGNER AS A MEDIATOR

The word "design" is increasingly used in our daily lives, often being seized and used as a synonym for visual
representation.
In a broad sense, design is understood as a methodology which is to achieve a given objective and / or result.
Guy Julier says that visual culture plays a key role in shaping the cultural representation. According to the
author, visual culture is an intrinsic expression of great cultural and social importance. "The culture is more
than a pure representation narrative or, where the visual culture transmits messages and culture formula,
formats, flows, and retrieves information contains" (Guy, 2000: 13).
The designer is an active agent in cultural construction, because the choices you make and the messages it
conveys are a component of the cultural reality - including materials - public. Victor Margolin explains how the
designer's role is in the creation of value. This is most obviously commercial value, but may also include social,
cultural, environmental, political and symbolic values.
About the problem of designer as a cultural agent, Norberto Chaves (2001: 3) states that: "The graphic
designer is precisely the key element, one whose suitability is not to set the message in their own way, but
rather to interpret the special crossover event codes and give you a balanced solution that will satisfy the
expectations and possibilities all other actors so that communication reaches its highest level of efficiency. "
According to Daniel Raposo (2003), the designer is a mediator that optimizes the transmission of a message
that does not belong to you." However, it is important to consider that "this process of selection of graphic-
semantic signs intervenes training and intuition designer" since this "handles according to the culture recipient,
Proceedings of the 8th International Conference Senses and Sensibility 2015, Lisbon, Portugal 4-6 October 2015


but also its and its aesthetic sense.
Notably, the designer plays a key role in communication, the symbolic relations, and also in the relationship
of individuals with the society in which they operate. As such, the designer should try to assess the
differentiating features of the object to communicate, in order to safeguard that the product lends itself to
being emotionally recognized by the receiver, ie, the designer should not forget its main function, that is to
create an information visual that relates to the public to whom it is addressed and with whom you want to
communicate.
As stated Bruno Munari (1998: 18), "a designer is a designer gifted with aesthetic sense, [...] takes care of the
images, whose function is to transmit a communication and visual information: Signs, signs, symbols, meaning
of shapes and colors, relations between them. "
To clarify, refers to the prospect of Margolin (2008:23): "The designer shouldnt seek to investigate new
concepts and try to understand how the human action Affects design. [...] Design as a culture Relates to the
subjects que study human behavior (such as sociology and the anthropology) while Relates to studying objects
(such as art history or culture of the material). "
According to Daniel Raposo (2003), the designer is influenced by the society in which it operates, but also it
influences the proper context, when acting as proactive element in the cultural, social and economic events,
returning to society representations adulterated per se. The simple choice of certain communicative elements
in detrimetno other as a form of representation, said the effectiveness of the transmission of the message. In
this way, the designer can create new meanings and influence meanings to existing representations by
changing the behavior of a given society. Within the work he undertakes, the designer therefore has a
responsibility to try to decode and transmit culture and cultural diversity, so that it is perceived and
apprehended by the society in which it operates.

THE DESIGN AND THE IDENTITY OF THE PLACE: ISSUE OF THE VISUAL
REPRESENTATION
Lynch ([1960] 1998) defines local or neighborhoods as spaces of a city where the viewer enters mentally and
recognizes common features that represent it. These features are identified internally by the community.
The designer should use these elements in the visual representation of the location, as are the references that
allow their recognition. As based Hornskov (2007:12), "identify and build an identity based on cultural resources
and distinctive place so the image is Recognized and que matches with expectations."
Cities awaken behaviors in their people, they stimulate, encourage, stimulate and inspire. Whenever we
move through the city, we are faced with any number of stimuli that arouse in us emotions, thoughts, feelings,
and reflect the emotional and intellectual character of the space (Ribeiro, 2004). It can be said that the
character of the city is defined by the merger of its various Features- heritage, culture and religion, urban
planning and history - who perceive aggregated individuality of its inhabitants. The designer should be aware
that very reason, must therefore serve up those features - duly recognized in their close relationship with the
character of the inhabitants in them shall revise it - to proceed with the construction of a symbolic
representation that can be an effective reference - able to reward the identification by the community of the
inhabitants, as well as being the occasion of external recognition. "Human symbolization [...] will make it
readable to all those who attend the same space, a number of organizers schemes, ideological brands and
intellectual ordering the social. These three main themes are identity, relationship and precisely the
story"(Aug, [1992] 2005: 51).
We can say that all are simultaneously local and global, and in this perspective, it is up to the designer to
capture and transfer this multiplicity of identities, ensuring that this is reflected in the visual and symbolic
representations that makes the spaces. As stated above, local diversity takes especially significant contours in
the context of globalization, as it is evidence of dissemination of local culture on a global level, implying that
local specificities - unique and distinctive - be passed on to third parties, which rewards a collective recognition
of
same.
In this context, the preservation of the site and its material culture and not the material is a crucial aspect of
the view of the identification process - which contributes to the formation of local belonging feeling. It is
understood, therefore, that the designer should have the ability to convey a sense of community belonging and
highlight this added value, report it to the outside. The problem that arises criteria of establishment from the
point of view of the proper preparation of a visual representation - it has to consider - is that any visual
representation should be understood the same way by all receivers, which precisely raises difficulties since the
multiplicity of views that can select the plurality of hypothetical receptors can be seen immeasurable spotting
not easy to establish a form which lends itself to recognize any individual sensitivity. It seems, however there is
Proceedings of the 8th International Conference Senses and Sensibility 2015, Lisbon, Portugal 4-6 October 2015


no doubt that it is up to the designer to create a kind of consensual representation that rewards the
understanding of the message for the largest number of people, even though we are obliged to recognize that
such a task not easily be seen in a context where the city reveals a space in permanent urban, sociological or
morphological mutation - constituting, so to speak, a living element.
According to Bianchini (1999:45), "A city is a complex and multi-faceted entity [...]: a) an area defined by
geographical boundaries clear, and endowed with natural Certain characteristics; b) an environment shaped by
human intervention [...]; c) a community of people, with particular social networks and dynamics (the society);
d) the system of economic activities and relationships; e) the natural environment, the society and an economy
Governed by an agreed set of principles and regulations Resulting from the interaction between different
political actors." We are witnessing the proliferation of places with a transactional identity - which you can
admire precisely in line with the description proposed by Franco Bianchini; and there are several authors that
address this scenario, calling for the need to ensure the construction of local identities that are innovative,
realizing it essential in this context to attract the creative class (Florida, 2004). The notion of creative urban
environment has been discussed with special hard under the discussion on adequate forms of planning and
development of sites.
In this context, Jensen (2005:14) says that this increased focus this Increased focus on the importance of
creativity and culture in urban development has led to a discourse of cultural planning, "[...] We need to
engage the que notion of locally produced culture is an asset in global competitiveness."
According to this perspective, the cities start to appear and be represented as places of entertainment and
creativity (Short, 1999), using culture and the arts as urban regeneration tools, and giving rise to the term
"creative city".
According to Florian (2002) sites are increasingly impersonal, anonymous and uninhabitable, claiming the
need to develop measures to reward the maintenance of the "soul of the sites." The author clarifies that this
can only happen if boost the development of a unique and inimitable identity, offering a unique experience.
More and more sites are impersonal, anonymous and uninhabitable, being evident the need to have soul. This
can only take place to develop a unique and inimitable identity, offering a unique experience.
Creating a visual and symbolic representation, associated with a city or site, aims at achieving certain key
objectives that matter to consider: increase the number of visitors, make the site more attractive, encouraging
business investment and encourage permanent home. This visual representation can be called visual identity,
since, in the design, identity word is associated with the personality of an organization, that results of their
historical development, tradition, culture and its objectives and strategies. In this sense, identity is always
present in all forms of organization and communication is through it that connects between the past and the
future (Fragoso, 1999). A homogeneous and cohesive identity is essential to the sense of belonging by
employees and by your target audience, revealing it is therefore essential for a strong identity.
However, the creation of this visual identity is a complex process, since the uniqueness of the site is no
purely objective which would lend itself to be modeled without resort to processes of interpretation and the
site is not exactly an organization with well-defined borders any place has multiple users, and separate the
fundamental elements of the intangible tangible. The identity of the site is a summary of their
intrnsecasalidas features the image it projects, shall be reported in accordance with their true potential,
meeting the mental image that each of the inhabitants previously already have. The location of the image
should be so construed as representation par excellence of this identity that assume intrinsically related to the
impressions that people have of the site: when the place has created a clear concept of its desired identity, the
foundations of its image have been established.
The creation of a visual identity, whether or corporate land, has the ability to transmit abstract elements
more clearly and instantaneously than other types of communication tools, since it is primarily symbolic.
The identity of the site is not copyable and is associated with several distinctive features, and the
communication of its visual representation must be real, true, credible, simple and distinctive and appealing.
The list of such requirements will not be sufficient, however, and the problem of establishing appropriate
criteria for creating a visual representation of the sites realize all the more complex and at the same time to
solve urgent since there is still no established model to create the visual representation of cities or places.
What has been happening is that adopt existing models to create corporate visual representations (best known
for brands) even though it is aware that the variables to be evaluated are others.
Indeed, the interpretation of a city or place as a brand does not appear appropriate, since, as mentioned
above, the site is an intricate network of several factors which are constantly changing and their variables are
much more complex and difficult to control. On the other hand, the city is also not a product and given its
extreme complexity, it is revealed indispensable "identify and build an identity based on the distinctive cultural
features of place to ensure the success of the brand and the place marketing" ( Bianchini and Ghilardi, 2007:
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281). The visual representation of a city or location must be translated into an image that reveals strength, also
representing the collective and timeless values with which the community identifies and feels like your
(Fragoso, 1999).

Conclusion
According to the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2002): cultural diversity contributes to
the intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual satisfactory and constitutes one of the essential elements in the
transformation of urban and social reality. It is to recognize that culture takes diverse forms across time and
space, being the common heritage of humanity and should be recognized and affirmed for the benefit of
present and future generations.
The architecture, the art, the history, the landscape, the climate, and the local culture define your route. Each
city or location must communicate and project their gains through a strong identity, easy to understand, so
that they create an emotional relationship with the community. Their identity should make known the most
representative characteristics of the site.
Through images and symbols, the designer should try to portray the differentiating features of the site,
ensuring that they refer to the cultural heritage and represent the existing contemporary in it. This
representation should be made without the loss of local identity and simultaneously associated with
globalization.
To achieve this, the designer must assess the differentiating features in order to obtain an identity
representation of the site and that it develop an emotional relationship with the receiver, that is, the designer
must create a visual image based on the differentiating attributes of the site with the aim of strengthening the
identity of the same.
The designer, as a professional project, contributes to this cultural diversity is perceived and perceived by many
people, preserving it to an intangible level.

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Proceedings of the 8th International Conference Senses and Sensibility 2015, Lisbon, Portugal 4-6 October 2015