Remembrances of eminent contributors to Visible Language's first 50 years...

Abstract

Linguistically and in their visual form, Chinese and English are distinct typographic systems. This paper investigates the relationship between language and typographic design through examining a sample of Chinese and English newspapers published in Hong Kong. The paper outlines key considerations for Chinese typography and approaches to newspaper typography and layout and then explores these further in relation to the newspapers in the sample. The findings indicate that the Chinese newspapers tend to differentiate information through color and graphic devices more extensively and overtly than the English newspapers. The Chinese layouts also show a greater tendency towards symmetrical design and use an atomization approach to layout. These differences highlight the importance of considering the interplay between language and design and adapting descriptive frameworks for particular cultural contexts.