Cultural Meaning And Materialism

Digital text lacks a kind of romance.This kind of romance means that in the era before the appearance of the screen,characters are not just simple meaning symbols and tools.In many cases,they are attached to various objects and exist as materialized forms of culture and spirit.The readable and textual functions of Chinese characters will be reduced once be separated from reading media such as paper and screen,and the characteristics of objects are highlighted.When the text appears as an "object",the interaction between its material carrier and the human being and the environment will impact its own semantic information and cultural meaning.It provides another perspective for us to look at Chinese characters design—the materialized form and features of Chinese characters.This paper analyzes the concept of "the materiality of characters" from three aspects:symbolic materiality,textuality and object carrier materiality.Then,through the cases analysis,generalize three ways of materializing,include transiting meanings,forms and functions from characters to objects.In the end,focus on the application and practices of modern new technologies,concepts and design languages to the materiality of characters.This article will systematically expound a point from ancient times to present,from case to theory:the combination of words and material constructs the richness and complexity of the meaning,which provides a new perspective for the design of Chinese characters:create unique form to the characters through the features of objects,on the other hand,the meaning of the text changes the form of the object.For Chinese character design,materialization is one of the unchanging cores in Chinese character culture,and it is also a breakthrough point for new designs,new technologies,and new styles to try.