My Reflection on Introduction of Reading Images

In the first part of introduction, authors admit the distinctions between Western conventions of visual design and that of Non-western cultures. And the grammar explained in this book is defined as “a quite general grammar of contemporary visual design in ‘Western’ cultures.” (3)

Under the influence of globalization, Eastern culture appears to be conforming to Western culture, especially in visual design. It is not hard to find Asian advertisements dominated with Western directionality, such as “English-language magazines from the Philippines,” “advertisements on the MTR in Hong Kong,” and “Filipino advertisements.” (4, 5)

From the respective of Asian nations, sometimes it is hard to tell whether it is “globalization” or “westernization.” I don’t mean to resist the generalization of Western directionality in our advertisements, but I’m worried about whether we are able to keep our own cultural heritage and value system.

However, though European countries are closed to each other, they are still able to maintain their “regionality,” (5) “The European nations and regions still retain different ways of life and a different ethos.” (5) And “it is easy, for example, to find examples of the contrasting use of the left and right in the comparison of pages and images in the British media.” (5) However, Chinese nation, which had written from right to left for thousands of years, have completely conformed to western reading conventions. Therefore, the authors write “the dominant visual language is now controlled by the global cultural/technological empires of the mass media.” (5)

In the second part, it explains the process of “sign-making,” that is, how “the signified” to be represented by “the signifier” through “the semiotic mode(s)” that “make(s) available the subjectively felt, most plausible, most apt form, as the signifier.” (7, 8) Due to our well-developed social conventions, there are countless linguistic grammars to follow when making visual designs.

However, there are two kinds of people “are allowed to break the rules.” (3) One is “a small elite (3) the other is “children in their early, pre-school years.” (9) That’s why the authors adopt children’s drawings to explore the nature of “sign-making.”(9) Older they are, more socialized and acculturated they are, more constraint of conformity put on their sign-making, and more regular their drawings become. (12)