Semiotic Functions of Figurative and Associative Forms of Design in the Urban Enviroment

The paper specifies the communicative and semiotic properties of associative design objects and the possibilities of their application in open urban spaces. It also presents figurative and associative forms of design as visual reference points and signs and considers basic principles of visual perception of information, embedded in the objects of sign communication. The study reveals the initial set of criteria and techniques that provide an effective and functional process of designing figurative forms of design — signs of visual communication and examines the main criteria and rules for the design of associative figurative design forms and the semiotic features of the perception of information in these forms. The paper analyzes the process of transformation of natural forms into a figurative design form. The author, basing on the associative design method, traces different degrees of conventionality of the design image (from recognizable, stylized to abstract), emphasizing the need to maintain a clear functional conditionality of the design form. The study proves that associative modeling obeys the same objective harmonization laws that determine the development of each design form. The principle of the associative-shaped form clearly reveals the artistic idea, has a stronger emotional and aesthetic impact on the viewer than a simple utilitarian form, and allows for the possibility of various semiotic interpretations. The researcher suggests that an association as a connection between two representations (when one, having appeared, evokes in the mind another or several associative rows), is visually more acceptable to the appearance of semiotic signs in an urban environment. Any associative-shaped form as a semiotic sign can be interpreted in different ways and metaphorical flexibility may be achieved. However, the design forms must exhibit visibility and clarity of understanding for all social groups of the population. The author considers this topic in the context of design issues of creating a visually comfortable subject-spatial urban environment for a favorable human life. Natural imitations introduced into the fabric of urban development are capable of minimizing the influence of technogenic urban visual environment, saturating them with additional meanings, and compensating for the insufficiency of natural forms.