Search

Building a visual model of a formalized language for learning education // ΠΡΑΞΗMΑ. Journal of Visual Semiotics. 2024. Issue 4 (42). P. 84-99

In this article, the authors put forward the scientific problem of the possibility of developing a visual model of a unified formalized language of professional communication of modern education researchers as a complex self-developing object of multidisciplinary scientific views. The multilateral analysis of the existing theoretical context of modern education has shown that researchers conceptualize it within the framework of their scientific disciplines, on the basis of established disciplinary theoretical constructs. The latter circumstance has led to the fact that a variety of heterogeneous theoretical interpretations of modern education has been formed in the scientific space. This fact testifies in favor of the fact that the scientific space is significantly enriched with new disciplinary knowledge about modern education. However, the problem of the possibility of building a unified language system for the study of modern education that incorporates universal characteristics inherent in various scientific disciplines still remains unsolved. The authors argue that a single formalized language, namely its visual model, of comprehension of modern education can raise the professional communication of its researchers to a higher quality level. The latter is achieved through the formalization and objectivization of theoretical and methodological foundations of modern education comprehension. The processes of formalization and objectivization provide unified understanding and knowledge exchange, increasing the unambiguity of interpretation of concepts between different disciplines and using unified methods and formats of data description. In order to construct a model of formalized language for studying education and its semantics, the authors carried out a detailed analysis of a significant array of disciplinary sign systems available in the scientific space, with the subsequent identification of universal constructs inherent in all scientific disciplines. Then the alphabet and syntax of the formalized language were built, the relations between its elements were determined, and the semantic network was constructed. Hermeneutic and semantic methods serve as the theoretical and methodological justification of the present work. The article formulates the heuristic potential of the proposed model of a unified formalized language, as well as a number of key conditions for its effective application by education researchers.

Keywords: education, visualization, formalized language, semantic network, visual model

Visual storytelling in higher education: An alternative perspective on the visual aesthetics of communication design // ΠΡΑΞΗMΑ. Journal of Visual Semiotics. 2026. Issue 2 (48). P. 196-211

In this article, the author explores the ability of the visual aesthetics of communication design—which shapes a harmonious appearance and perception of information about higher education—to act as visual storytelling, a strong communication concept in social media. This approach typically employs a sequential change of visual images, sometimes incorporating video and audio elements, actively narrating the past and present of the subject being presented (in this case, higher education) and fostering a strong emotional resilience toward it. This situation is supported by: (a) the high level of competition among universities in the educational market, and consequently, the search for new ways to attract the attention of prospective students, partners, and others; (b) the pressing need for communication designers to enhance visual “communication” by integrating narrative elements into static graphic solutions, thereby creating deeper emotional engagement among various target groups with the university. The scholarly novelty of this work lies in the proposition that encapsulates the essence of this idea. The visual aesthetics of the communication design of higher education is able to act as an active “storyteller” about it (as storytelling), provided that the communication design of information about higher education is created not by the traditional arrangement of established visual objects and palettes of the customer's choice, but by plot. This is achieved by working through the main theme, characters, selected and aligned design elements (color palette, balance of background and key figure, multilevel placement of design objects in the composition), as well as through the use of a variety of stylistic techniques, such as shifting the focus from the foreground to the background, highlighting individual graphic elements and darkening others, drawing objects in “dynamics” (accents that simulate movement), and including text fields. All this creates an intense effect of a multi-layered “dynamic” narrative of a graphic image. It is noted that: (a) the aesthetics of visual communication design, as a form of storytelling, involves the creation of a unique narrative built on unique visual elements reflecting the values hidden behind information about higher education, presented on any media, forming a deep emotional context associated with it; (b) the modern visual aesthetics of communication design of higher education in the context of storytelling narrates, through the variety and layering of visual images, its fascinating past, exciting present, and promising future. It is suggested that in the current circumstances, visual aesthetics in the role of a “storyteller” is aimed not only at promoting active involvement in higher education, but also at forming its holistic, vivid, and memorable visual image, emphasizing its uniqueness, recognition, and value, and evoking a positive response in society about it. The research is based on: (a) a visual turn in socio-humanitarian knowledge, focusing on the visual aspects of culture and society, considering images, visual media, and aesthetic practices as important objects for study; (b) a narrative approach focusing on narratives that convey experience, values, and culture. As a result, the article offers a variant of communication design, using the example of higher education, the visual aesthetics of which acts as visual storytelling about it.

Keywords: visual aesthetics, visual storytelling, communication design, narrative, visual image