SEMIOTICS AND COGNITIVE MECHANISMS OF VISUAL IMAGE INTERPRETATION IN DESIGN AND ART

Abstract

This article thoroughly analyzes the semiotic and cognitive mechanisms underlying the interpretation of the visual image in contemporary design and art. The research considers design as a comprehensive sign system, where form, color, composition, and material function as carriers of culturally determined meanings.
The study demonstrates that the semiotic approach provides the tools necessary to describe the structure of the visual image and its embedment within a complex system of cultural codes and contexts. Conversely, the cognitive approach focuses on the human factor, investigating the specifics of perception, attention, memory, and the user’s mental models (D. Norman, S. Zeki). The core argument is that the effectiveness of design hinges on merging the semantic richness of visual solutions with cognitive clarity and the recipient’s emotional engagement.
It is substantiated that the integration of semiotics and cognitivism forms the methodological basis for a holistic, user-centered analysis of design. This interdisciplinary lens allows the interpretation of design not merely as a functional activity, but as a complex process of sense-making (Krippendorff) and the construction of user experience within the intricate visual culture of the 21 st century. The proposed integrated framework is shown to be universally applicable to the analysis of graphic, product, and environmental design, as well as fine art.