Art director Stas Zhitsky discusses the communication potential of a sign as part of a system and a universal message.

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Designer and artist with experience as an art director and copywriter. I am a columnist and teacher at the HSE School of Design. I have received over 30 design awards and prizes, including the prestigious Good Design and Red Dot. I also serve on the jury at international festivals such as Cannes Lions, Eurobest, and AD Stars, which underscores my professionalism and contribution to the industry.

I am the author of the book "Parable Therapy, or the Book of Meanings about Marketing," in collaboration with Sergei Kuzhavsky. I was a regular contributor to Snob magazine and have also published in the graphic design magazine [kAk], as well as in the publications Creative Director and Vedomosti. These publications reflect a deep understanding of marketing and graphic design, making the author a prominent figure in these fields.

The main street of our town, carefully packed with peasant sleighs, attracts the attention of passersby. It features signs with boots, a golden pretzel, bright red flags, and an image of a young man with cunning eyes and an unusual hairstyle. This symbolizes the local barbershop, where you can get a haircut for thirty kopecks at any time except on holidays, which are often celebrated in our country. This street is a central point for meetings and discussions, where life is vibrant and everyone can find something interesting.

In "Morphine," M. A. Bulgakov explores the complex themes of addiction and the inner struggle of man. The plot centers on a doctor who, captivated by his passions, begins to experience the influence of a narcotic substance. Through the prism of his experiences, the author reveals profound aspects of human nature, such as fear, pain, and the desire for freedom. Bulgakov masterfully conveys psychological tension, showing how morphine becomes not only a means of alleviating suffering but also a source of devastating consequences. This work provokes reflection on moral boundaries and the consequences of choice, making it relevant today. "Morphine" is not only a story about addiction, but also a philosophical reflection on life, death, and human destiny.

In 1962, during excavations at the Neolithic site of Jiahu in China, archaeologists made a unique discovery—the oldest logos in human history. These symbols were carved on turtle shells. This discovery highlights the importance of visual identity and symbolism in the culture of ancient civilizations, which predate the modern understanding of branding. The logos found in Jiahu serve as evidence of how early humanity began using symbols to convey information and shape cultural identity.

Call them hieroglyphs, pictograms, symbols, or signs—the essence remains the same. These visual elements serve as important means of communication, conveying information and ideas without words. They can be used in a variety of contexts, from art to scientific research, and remain relevant in the modern world.

A complete and unique image of an object, action, or definition, as well as their complex combinations, differ radically from the construct known as an "alphabet." Each letter, as a separate symbol, does not have an independent meaning; it represents only a sound or an element with a limited function. This difference emphasizes the importance of the integrity of the image, which conveys information more completely and effectively than the individual elements of the alphabet.

Six thousand years BC, unknown designers were already using elements of a dead turtle to concisely convey meanings. The exact meanings of these symbols are unknown, but contemporaries probably easily recognized them. This approach to design has persisted for eight thousand years, remaining functional and relevant in various forms.

Hypostases and their visual representation. Pictograms, originally found on shells, began to be used on various media, and their literal meaning was transformed into a more abstract symbolism. As a result, many meanings lost their visual clarity. However, Chinese characters remain largely iconic: each symbol corresponds to a specific word, making them a unique and understandable writing system.

The word for "mouth" was represented by a smiley face with a horizontal line through it, giving rise to the character 口 (kou). In another character, an upward curve with dots below it symbolized rain falling from a cloud. Over time, the logo representing rain underwent changes and became more complex, evolving into the character 雨. This process demonstrates how visual symbols evolve while retaining their original essence.

In later Egyptian hieroglyphs, the ibis cannot be confused with Anubis, as their images are clearly distinguishable. Furthermore, cats are depicted not only symbolically but also with anatomical accuracy. Egyptian hieroglyphics demonstrates a high degree of skill in the depiction of animals, which testifies to the importance of these creatures in the culture of Ancient Egypt.

With the development of mankind, the need arose for letters to convey more subtle meanings, but logos that have their own History, remained relevant in areas where brevity and expressiveness were particularly important. A striking example is religious symbolism, which uses logos to convey profound ideas. The multicultural Indian swastika, the Slavic Kolovrat, the Star of David and menorah in Judaism, the cross and fish in Christianity, the dharmachakra in Buddhism, the yin-yang symbol in Taoism, the Om mantra in Hinduism, as well as the Muslim crescent moon and star and the Satanic pentagram—all these symbols serve not only for identification but also to convey cultural and spiritual meanings. They remain important elements of visual communication, and their use continues to play a significant role in modern society.

Coats of arms play an important role in history and culture. There are state, family, Masonic, and guild coats of arms. Guild coats of arms, which were common in the European Middle Ages, are especially interesting. At that time, each artisan belonged to a specific guild, representing a community of professionals. These could be miners, detectives, brush makers for artists, or craftsmen creating violins and cellos for musicians. Coats of arms reflected the identity and traditions of these professions, occupying an important place in the social structure of the time.

Signs in the past had strict regulations, now known as urban design codes. Each consumer business had a unique logo: tailors, bakers, shoemakers, blacksmiths, barbers and saddlers, milkmen and butchers all used symbols reflecting their profession. Logos could be literal, for example, a boot for a shoemaker or a pretzel for a baker. Metaphorical images also existed: taverns and inns decorated their signs in the shape of the sun, enticing customers to come in and warm up. These copper suns were polished to a mirror shine, providing natural illumination: they glowed both day and night. This advertising was effective, especially in the age of medieval illiteracy, when most people couldn't read brand names. Visual symbols, such as a boot or a pretzel, were understandable to everyone and served as an excellent means of attracting customers. Over time, coats of arms and signs evolved into unique images that began to be actively used in advertising for various firms and companies. However, the process of logoization of society did not stop there. People sought to create a universal and iconic language of communication that would facilitate interaction and understanding between them.

One of the first attempts to create a pictographic language was the project of the Estonian scientist Jacob Linzbach, who in 1921 published the book "Transcendent algebra: Ideografie mathematical. Experiment de un lingue philosofic". In this work, he presented his unique language based on pictographic symbols, combining it with another artificial language - Occidental, developed by Edgar de Waal, also an Estonian scientist. Linzbach used simple symbols and mathematical formulas to denote concepts. For example, he expressed the symbol for "smoking" as "a person multiplied by a pipe", and "conversation" as "a person multiplied by a pipe". is represented as "mouth × ear", while "silence" is represented as "(– mouth) × ear". This approach to language modeling demonstrates innovative ideas in the field of semiotics and philosophy of language, which makes Linzbach's work an important step in the development of artificial languages.

There was a language system A system called "Blissymbols" developed by engineer and scientist Carl Bliss, who lived from 1897 to 1985, included 120 key symbols that, through various additions and combinations, could create coherent meanings. For example, a heart with an arrow pointing upward represented the concept of "happy." Blissymbols represents a unique approach to communication, conveying emotions and ideas through visual symbols, making it an interesting subject for study in the context of language and symbolism.

Both of these languages ​​are purely visual, which means that they can be understood by native speakers of any language. Everyone will be able to interpret them in their own way, which opens up wide possibilities for individual verbalization. This can be seen as the logomization of communication, where visual elements convey information without the need for words. This approach promotes more universal and accessible interaction between people, regardless of language barriers.

Despite the failures of some experiments, sign languages ​​continue to exist and develop. These communication systems remain important for many people, providing access to information and interaction for the deaf and hard of hearing. Sign languages ​​play a significant role in society, promoting inclusion and understanding between people. Their use and study are relevant and useful, which confirms the need to preserve and develop these unique forms of communication.

We head to the pharmacy with a green cross for medicine. We understand road signs without words. The letters WC are not just symbols for us (many don’t even know what they mean); we look for doors with images of a male or female figure. At airports, we navigate by the silhouettes of airplanes taking off or landing. We click on icons on our smartphones without reading the captions underneath them. This visual language becomes part of our everyday lives, allowing us to quickly and effectively interact with the world around us.

The Olympics are a shining example of multilingualism and visual communication. I recently studied the history of the pictograms created for the 1980 Soviet Olympics. Designers not only developed pictograms for all sports but also created 239 universally understood symbols that represented various services and signage. These visual cues helped international guests navigate and interact with their surroundings easily, highlighting the importance of information accessibility at international events.

Bakeries were marked with pretzel images.

Check out previous issues:

• Deconstructing the Christmas tree: New Year as a brand with both mascots and promotion strategies
• Bringing Your Vision to Life: Do neural networks understand design?
• Herbarium without a kangaroo: How many meanings are acceptable for a logo?
• Scare the nymph: How color psychology works and whether it works at all?
• Should Shura be nibbled: How much a logo can cost and why you shouldn't reveal its price?
• Borrowed Stanislav, or a Case Study: Why you shouldn't blindly trust someone else's portfolio?
• The Right to Green Grass: Is it Necessary to Register a Brand Color and What Makes a Logo Real? noticeable