Designing visual symbols is crucial in the ever-changing world of digital culture for communication, identity building, and cultural expression. With an eye toward the aesthetic, functional, and semiotic aspects, this article delves into the methods and principles of making effective visual symbols in digital settings. The study delves into a wide array of digital symbols, including emojis, logos, icons for user interfaces, and digital art, to uncover how these visual components communicate meaning, impact user behavior, and aid in forming online identities and communities.

Recognizing digital spaces' multicultural and global character, the research highlights the significance of cultural sensitivity and contextual knowledge throughout the design phase. Additionally, it delves into how technological innovations, including augmented reality and vector graphics, have influenced the development of visual symbols. The adaptability of symbols in response to user interactions and cultural trends may be shown in case studies from various digital platforms and social media networks.

The results stress the importance of designers balancing originality and clarity in creating visually appealing and universally understandable symbols. At the end of the paper, we suggest ways to make symbols that may change with digital culture and appeal to different audiences by using iterative design processes and user feedback.

Visual components, user interfaces, digital art

Jin, Y. & Yu, J. (2023). Optimizing Mentor-Student Communication with Symbolic Design for Message States. [PDF]

Xiong Bearfield, C., van Weelden, L., Waytz, A., & Franconeri, S. (2024). Same Data, Diverging Perspectives: The Power of Visualizations to Elicit Competing Interpretations. [PDF]

W. Tigwell, G., Shinohara, K., & Nourian, L. (2021). Accessibility Across Borders. [PDF]

Carolina Sparavigna, A. (2010). Geoglyphs of Titicaca as an ancient example of graphic design. [PDF]

E. Cabrera, F., Sánchez-Núñez, P., Vaccaro, G., Ignacio Peláez, J., & Escudero, J. (2021). Impact of Visual Design Elements and Principles in Human Electroencephalogram Brain Activity Assessed with Spectral Methods and Convolutional Neural Networks. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Deal, L. (2014). Visualizing Digital Collections. [PDF]

Jesús Cano-Martínez, M., Carrasco, M., Sandoval, J., & González-Martín, C. (2021). Quantitative analysis of visual representation of sign elements in COVID-19 context. [PDF]

Cavaller, V. (2021). Dimensional Taxonomy of Data Visualization: A Proposal From Communication Sciences Tackling Complexity. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Schuster, R., Koesten, L., Möller, T., & Gregory, K. (2023). Who is the Audience? Designing Casual Data Visualizations for the 'General Public'. [PDF]

Hsieh, H. P., Zavatsky, A., & Chen, M. (2023). Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for Aiding Glyph Design. [PDF]

Alhirabi, N., Rana, O., & Perera, C. (2019). Designing Security and Privacy Requirements in Internet of Things: A Survey. [PDF]

Wu, G., Xu, B., Chang, D., & Liu, B. (2021). A Multilingual Modeling Method for Span-Extraction Reading Comprehension. [PDF]

Jahanian, A., V. N. Vishwanathan, S., & P. Allebach, J. (2015). Colors $-$Messengers of Concepts: Visual Design Mining for Learning Color Semantics. [PDF]

He, X. (2022). Interactive Mode of Visual Communication Based on Information Visualization Theory. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

V. Kryssanov, V., Tamaki, H., & Kitamura, S. (2006). Evolutionary Design: Philosophy, Theory, and Application Tactics. [PDF]

Liang, L. & Wang, S. (2022). The Generation and Realization of Dunhuang Cultural Values from the Perspective of Crosscultural Communication: Based on Spanish and Chinese Culture. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Ingrid Prantl, V., Moeller, T., & Koesten, L. (2023). Passionate Charts: Arguments for Empathetic Emotions in Data Vis. [PDF]

Arunkumar, A., Padilla, L., Bae, G. Y., & Bryan, C. (2023). Image or Information? Examining the Nature and Impact of Visualization Perceptual Classification. [PDF]

Luo, H. & Zeng, Q. (2022). Study on the Application of Visual Communication Design in APP Interface Design in the Context of Deep Learning. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Ross, J. & Gao, J. (2016). Overcoming the language barrier in mobile user interface design: A case study on a mobile health app. [PDF]

Bianchini, C., Borgia, F., & de Marsico, M. (2019). A concrete example of inclusive design: deaf-oriented accessibility. [PDF]

Wu, K. & Albers Szafir, D. (2023). Empowering People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities through Cognitively Accessible Visualizations. [PDF]

Sube, L., Bröhl, J., Kadatz, L., Klose, I., Frings, S., & York, J. (2021). Gesundheit – digital und inklusiv: eine Lernsoftware barrierearm gestalten. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Chen, R. (2022). Hakka culture brand image design based on the human–computer interaction model. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Lagunas, M., Garces, E., & Gutierrez, D. (2019). Learning icons appearance similarity. [PDF]

Zallio, M. (2021). Democratizing information visualization. A study to map the value of graphic design to easier knowledge transfer of scientific research. [PDF]

Wu, J., Liu, X., Lu, C., Yu, S., Jiao, D., Ye, X., & Zhu, Y. (2022). A Design Framework of Medical Wayfinding Signs for the Elderly: Based on the Situational Cognitive Commonness. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Roy, S., Sural, S., Chhaya, N., Natarajan, A., & Ganguly, N. (2020). An Integrated Approach for Improving Brand Consistency of Web Content: Modeling, Analysis and Recommendation. [PDF]

No, E. (2021). What it costs to make Ourselves happy instant heroes. osf.io

Srivastava, P., Ramakanth, D., Akhila, K., & K. Gaikwad, K. (2022). Package design as a branding tool in the cosmetic industry: consumers’ perception vs. reality. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

World English Journal, A., Kamil Ali, S., & H. Al-Bahrani, R. (2021). A Cognitive Linguistic Study of the Persuasive/Attention Strategies Used in Selected American English E-Advertisements. osf.io

Morstatter, F., Shu, K., Wang, S., & Liu, H. (2017). Cross-Platform Emoji Interpretation: Analysis, a Solution, and Applications. [PDF]

Michele Valensise, C., Serra, A., Galeazzi, A., Etta, G., Cinelli, M., & Quattrociocchi, W. (2021). Entropy and complexity unveil the landscape of memes evolution. [PDF]

Robertson, A., Magdy, W., & Goldwater, S. (2021). Black or White but never neutral: How readers perceive identity from yellow or skin-toned emoji. [PDF]

Siga Stephan, L., Dytz Almeida, E., Boesche Guimaraes, R., Gaudie Ley, A., Gonçalves Mathias, R., Valéria Assis, M., & Luiz Luz Leiria, T. (2017). Processes and Recommendations for Creating mHealth Apps for Low-Income Populations. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Wu, X. (2022). Interaction design for socially assistive robots for people with developmental disabilities. [PDF]

Zhu-Tian, C., Tong, W., Wang, Q., Bach, B., & Qu, H. (2023). Augmenting Static Visualizations with PapARVis Designer. [PDF]

Yong, X. & Arya, A. (2023). Inclusion in Virtual Reality Technology: A Scoping Review. [PDF]

Aydin, S. & Aktaş, B. (2020). Developing an Integrated VR Infrastructure in Architectural Design Education. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Grübel, J., Thrash, T., Aguilar, L., Gath-Morad, M., Chatain, J., W. Sumner, R., Hölscher, C., & R. Schinazi, V. (2022). The Hitchhiker's Guide to Fused Twins: A Review of Access to Digital Twins in situ in Smart Cities. [PDF]

Vickers, P., Faith, J., & Rossiter, N. (2013). Understanding Visualization: A Formal Approach using Category Theory and Semiotics. [PDF]

Dasu, K., Kuo, Y. H., & Ma, K. L. (2023). VisActs: Describing Intent in Communicative Visualization. [PDF]

Walny, J., Frisson, C., West, M., Kosminsky, D., Knudsen, S., Carpendale, S., & Willett, W. (2019). Data Changes Everything: Challenges and Opportunities in Data Visualization Design Handoff. [PDF]

Yu, G., Akhter, S., Kumar, T., Genaro Reivan Ortiz, G., & Saddhono, K. (2022). Innovative application of new media in visual communication design and resistance to innovation. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Xiao, S., Wang, L., Ma, X., & Zeng, W. (2024). TypeDance: Creating Semantic Typographic Logos from Image through Personalized Generation. [PDF]

Xu, H. & Shi, L. L. (2022). Analysis of Graphic Language Expression in Visual Communication Design. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Satyanarayan, A., Lee, B., Ren, D., Heer, J., Stasko, J., Thompson, J., Brehmer, M., & Liu, Z. (2019). Critical Reflections on Visualization Authoring Systems. [PDF]

Clarke Marshall, G., Freitas, A., & Jay, C. (2020). A Framework for Improving Scholarly Neural Network Diagrams. [PDF]

Zhao, Y., A. Nacenta, M., A. Sukhai, M., & Somanath, S. (2023). TADA: Making Node-link Diagrams Accessible to Blind and Low-Vision People. [PDF]

Zhang, S. & Park, S. (2021). Study of Effective Corridor Design to Improve Wayfinding in Underground Malls. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Sabburg, L., Woodley, A., & Mengersen, K. (2021). A Data- and Task- Oriented Design Framework for Bivariate Communication of Uncertainty. [PDF]

Langdridge, D., Flowers, P., Riddell, J., Boydell, N., Teal, G., Coia, N., & McDaid, L. (2020). A qualitative examination of affect and ideology within mass media interventions to increase HIV testing with gay men garnered from a systematic review. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Goalwin, G. (2017). The Art of War: Instability, Insecurity, and Ideological Imagery in Northern Ireland’s Political Murals, 1979-1998. osf.io

K. Ferguson, B. (2023). Symbolic meanings of ordinary city streets and their trees. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Zheng, H. (2022). False Vision Graphics in Logo Design Based on Artificial Intelligence in the Visual Paradox Environment. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov