Visual Coexistence: New Methods of Intercultural Information Design and Typography

In a globalized world, Asian, Latin and Arabic characters and visual cultures appear side by side and woven together. The coexistence of different visual cultures is now part of our daily lives and a given feature of our communication systems. But how do we best present information, structures and designs from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds? Visual communication has classically been guided by principles of uniformity and simplification, values that seem unable to adequately cope with the coexistence of different systems of representation. How can we set up equitable systems for cross-cultural communication that honor the diversity of writing systems? What new design values are needed for an age of global communications? In Visual Coexistence, graphic designer Ruedi Baur leads a research team in investigating and analyzing visual graphics from different cultures, with a focus on Chinese and Latin writing systems, in order to identify their specific principles of depiction and the ways in which they visually communicate. From this interdisciplinary, intercultural investigation, the designers recommend appropriate, differentiated design solutions for global communication. Exploring the problems and possibilities of multilingual typography and visual representation, Visual Coexistence advocates for design as a tool of global understanding.