The Enlightenment Of The Traffic Lights

"Color is the first visual elements". In the process of visualcommunication, the color, which has special meaning and symbolic nature,becomes the most cognizable and propagable visual language. This articleattempt to refine color symbol form the phenomena of traffic behavior,research into the visual language characteristic of the color symbol thatfollowing the phenomenon, and hope to offer reference and basis for theapplication of the color symbol in the modern visual environment.In the process of the textual discourse, traffic lights are thebreakthrough point. In the first place, the article probes into the"prohibited"and"passing"visual language signification of the trafficlights. Then from the point of view of the symbolic cognizance, it analyzesthe different kinds of cognitive styles and the symbolic nature of red andgreen. And moreover, contacting real life condition, the article concludesand sums up the derivative significances of the red and the green.Meanwhile, it also expatiates on the related factors which produce withthese significances. Finally, this article analyzes the application of thesignificances in the modern visual environment from four aspects ofGraphic Design, Product Design, Network Media Design and PublicIndicating System Design. Then it summarizes the use rule of the colorsymbol and provides some beneficial reference and enlightenment for the use of visual color in the aspects of color relations, performance way,significance extending and visual psychology guidance.In the visual design field, this article bands the color symbol research,the visual form and the visual environment research together, analyzes thebirth, cognition and evolution process of red and green color symbol, andresearches into the performance type and the efficiency in this process. Itenriches the significances of the color symbol in future visual space anddiversifies its application form. This article unscrambles the red and greenvisual symbol characteristic from the point of view of visual function, andfinds out the language characteristic of color symbol and the enlightenmentto visual design. It is a sort of exploration to research thought of the colorsymbol in the modern visual environment, and also a kind of attempt in theresearch method of modern color symbol use.