1. Introduction

Under the impact of the wave of globalization, how to preserve cultural genes while aligning with contemporary visual expressions has become a collective challenge for designers. A living fossil of Eastern civilization, Chinese characters are not only visual symbols but also philosophical bearers. The age-old aesthetic wisdom they embody is now facing challenges from Western design paradigms such as minimalism and modularization. Chinese designers must cope with the iterative pressure of digital media while protecting the spiritual core of traditional visual language. This dual mission provides the practical significance of this study.

The research focuses on the innovative transformation of the visual system of Chinese characters and selects five cultural motifs—Confucian ritual systems, Taoist alchemy, Jiangyong Nushu, Dunhuang murals, and Mongolian motifs—as experimental samples. By disassembling the relationship between form and meaning in text, we explore the possibility of activating traditional elements in scenarios such as dynamic graphics and brand visuals. The research team discovered that when the beauty of Oracle Bone Script's bone structure meets the interactive logic of interface design, and when the whispering features of Nushu are integrated into dynamic logos, cultural memory gains new growth space. This transformation is not a simple appropriation of symbols, but a profound translation based on cultural genes [1].

This achievement provides empirical data to support the innovation of Chinese character design and reveals the rules of adaptation between traditional visual elements and modern media. By measuring cognitive effectiveness and emotional resonance with the audience, the research attempts to build a sustainable design framework that considers both cultural roots and future contexts, finding a benchmark for the inheritance of Eastern aesthetics in the digital age.

2. Literature review

2.1. Visual translation in graphic design

Visual translation is the process of transforming cultural genes into a perceptible visual language, which is particularly crucial in the symbol system of Chinese characters, where form and meaning are integrated. Designers must decode the ritual metaphors of patterns on bronze objects or the blank space philosophy of Zen ink painting, then re-encode them with a contemporary visual grammar. For example, the dragon motif is deconstructed into geometric modules, allowing traditional totems to be rejuvenated in dynamic fonts. Simulating the blur of Xuan paper with digital brushstrokes preserves the charm of ink wash in interface design. This is not only a transformation of form, but also a translation of cultural semantics [2]. In this process, designers act as a bridge: they must not only thoroughly understand the patriarchal system carried by bronze inscriptions, but also be familiar with the information reception habits of Generation Z. They are not just cultural carriers, but rather re-creators with a sense of problem awareness—how to adapt the beauty of the structure of oracle bones to mobile phone screens? How to convey the breathing sensation of the flying white of calligraphy through a pixelated array? This type of intertemporal dialogue has given rise to new visual grammars, allowing ancient civilizations to continue to grow in their contemporary form. Visual translation thus becomes an experimental field for cultural innovation, where tradition and the future find a delicate balance [3].

2.2. Creative reconstruction and intercultural communication

The innovative recreation of cultural elements requires breaking with traditional frameworks and reactivating traditional genes with the help of digital technology and contemporary design thinking. For example, a certain design team deconstructed and reorganized the facial makeup of the Peking Opera. Through the light and shadow fission of defect art and augmented reality (AR) technology, they enabled the century-old makeup of the Peking Opera to take on a new look in virtual space. This type of recreation is not about affixing new labels to old bottles, but rather about allowing cultural symbols to develop naturally in digital media [4]. The breakthrough of Oriental aesthetics in the global design competition is essentially a precise cultural negotiation—it is necessary to retain the metallic charm of seal engraving while adapting to the minimalist aesthetic of international brands. Designers use vector tools to dismantle blue and white patterns, and dynamic design tools to explore the thousands of possibilities for mixing ink and wash, seeking contemporary expressions of traditional aesthetics in the randomness generated by algorithms. Successful cultural translation rejects symbolic curiosity. When the ribbons of Dunhuang's flying apsaras become visual guides for interface interaction, and when Mongolian motifs are reborn in the rhythm and shopping carts of dynamic logos, tradition is no longer just exhibited in museums, but the key to initiating intercultural dialogue. This type of reengineering practice has given rise to a diverse and symbiotic visual ecosystem, allowing traditional culture to continuously breathe and maintain its vitality through innovation [5].

3. Methodology

3.1. Research design

The research adopts a multidimensional approach, integrating visual disassembly, practitioner interviews, and user feedback data. First, systematically collect 120 Chinese character creative works from professional design communities such as Behance and Artnow, as well as information on university exhibitions over the past five years. Establish a classification matrix based on media types (posters/brand visuals/digital interfaces) and cultural origins (Chinese character deconstruction/personalized folk maps/philosophical symbols) [6]. On this basis, an analytical framework is constructed, focusing on marking the transformation techniques of traditional elements in the works, such as the digital translation of feibai calligraphy or the modular recombination of bronze patterns. Finally, a visual decoding coordinate is established to track the path of cultural integration.

3.2. Expert interviews

Each respondent met strict selection criteria: having worked in the field of cultural design for more than five years and having received at least three international design awards. Each in-depth conversation lasts 40 to 60 minutes. After transcribing the recording, key topics are extracted. The interview questions focus on three dimensions: the strategy of invoking traditional elements in the daily creative process, the contemporary understanding of the concept of “tradition,” and the innovative path of visual narrative techniques. These striking workbooks vividly present the reality of the interplay between personal style, market demand, and cultural responsibility [7].

3.3. Audience evaluation

To measure the actual impact of design works on communication, the research team collected feedback from 300 participants aged 18 to 45 through an online questionnaire, 60% of whom were design professionals. The test uses a combination of text and images, requiring respondents to rate each work on a scale of 1 to 7 for its visual appeal, cultural recognition, and effectiveness in conveying information. The questionnaire specifically sets up an open question-and-answer space to collect concrete comments such as "this dynamic logo reminds me of the door ring of the ancestral house." In the data analysis stage, not only were the score differences between groups with different educational backgrounds statistically analyzed, but also potential correlations between age groups and aesthetic preferences were explored. Finally, a corresponding model of user portraits and design strategies was established through SPSS [8].

4. Experimental process

4.1. Design deconstruction and recomposition

The research team selected five major cultural themes—Confucian ritual systems, Taoist alchemy, Jiangyong Nushu, Dunhuang murals, and Mongolian motifs—for design experiments. Each theme corresponds to three transformation paths: the original repetition group retains traditional form and color, the image extraction group minimizes core elements, and the deconstruction and recombination group generates a new form through parametric design. For example, the ribbon elements of Dunhuang flying apsaras were reproduced as mineral pigments in the retention group, transformed into geometric color blocks in the refinement group, and evolved into algorithmically generated light and shadow particles in the recombination group [9]. Through group comparison tests, professional judges and ordinary audiences were invited to score together to evaluate the balanced performance of the different transformation methods in terms of cultural inheritance and visual innovation.

4.2. Prototype development

All design schemes were broken down into a branded visual asset system, spanning static logos, dynamic graphics, and 3D models. Use Adobe’s suite of tools for multi-shape transformation: capture the moment the brush moves in dynamic font design, and develop a variable font system that can automatically adapt to screen size. The prototype testing covers three scenarios: the mobile interface, the official culture and tourism website, and digital posters in public spaces. Monitor user behavior data over a 14-day cycle, focusing on tracking the distribution of interface click hotspots, page dwell time, and secondary distribution volume on social media. For example, a certain dynamic logo based on Nushu keys increased page dwell time by 32% during the test on the official cultural tourism website, and its social media channel naturally split three times during the test period [10].

4.3. Data collection and refinement

The research team adopted a two-way evaluation method, examining both data performance and listening to user voices. The data shows that the average click-through rate of image-based design is 11.4%, and the page dwell time is 4.7 minutes, far exceeding that of realistic type (7.9% / 2.1 minutes) and abstract type (5.3% / 3.2 minutes). Qualitative feedback reveals an interesting phenomenon: although abstract design has intellectual beauty, it is often ridiculed as “not understanding cultural ins and outs.” Based on this, the research team, while maintaining the framework of the imagist school, injected detailed memory points such as the rhythm of the brush tip and the gradual change of ink color. For example, they made the starting strokes of dynamic fonts conform to the rhythm of calligraphic brushstrokes, so that the innovative design not only maintains a sense of avant-garde, but also awakens the memory of the cultural body.

5. Results and discussion

5.1. Design strategy effectiveness

The research found that the image reconstruction route struck the best balance between innovative breakthroughs and cultural orthodoxy. Among the 300 valid questionnaires, 68.7% of participants voted for this direction, commenting that “the traditional charm was well captured and the visual presentation was not clichéd.” Although the original style replication school reached 22.1% of the public with its nostalgic texture, it is mainly concentrated among people over 40. The abstract deconstruction school received only a 9.2% support rate. Young users directly stated, “It’s very avant-garde, but the threshold is too high.” This distribution of preferences reveals the contemporary aesthetic shift—both resisting the stereotypical expression of symbol stuffing and rejecting radical experiments that completely cut off context. For specific data, please see the strategy preference quadrant in Table 1.

Table 1: Participant preference by design strategy (N = 300)

In interviews, the designers openly admitted that the path of image recreation coincides with their creative concepts—it allows for free expression in form while maintaining the lineage of traditional narratives. Market acceptance was mentioned repeatedly. Such designs can effectively bridge the generational aesthetic gap. The eye tracker captured an interesting phenomenon: for works inspired by the rhythm of the flying white pieces of calligraphy, the gaze retention time is significantly longer. The data shows that the image group spent 6.3 seconds at the same point, far exceeding the 4.1 seconds of the realist group and the 3.5 seconds of the abstract group (for more details, see Table 2). This visual attraction may stem from the awakening of cultural memory: when the viewer subconsciously recognizes the code for the rhythm of the brush lift and pressure, their gaze unconsciously slows down.

Table 2: Average eye-tracking fixation duration by design strategy

These findings validate the symbolic mode not only as aesthetically engaging but also cognitively effective in guiding user attention through culturally meaningful visual structures.

5.2. Cultural reception and interpretation

The data reveal the disparity in users' decoding abilities: groups with design or cultural training achieved an accuracy rate of up to 82.4% in questions identifying cultural elements, while the average audience was around 51.6% (see Table 3). The gap was particularly glaring in the abstract group—when the blue dragon motif was interpreted as neon lines, the lay group often misinterpreted it as a “cyberpunk element.” Interestingly, respondents in the international group generally responded, “It’s beautiful indeed, but a cultural navigation map is needed.”

Faced with this cognitive gap, the designers mentioned the solution in the interview: integrating dynamic landmarks and metaphorical symbols. For example, when the mouse hovers over the modularized reconstructed bronze motifs, the interface displays the latitude and longitude coordinates of the ships lying ashore. As the user swipes the screen, the abstract lines gradually converge into a complete oracle bone script. This progressive narrative design not only avoids the sense of preaching but also builds cognitive scaffolding for intercultural groups. Research has also revealed that stimulating curiosity is more effective than requiring cultural reservations—achieving the joy of cultural exploration through interactive feedback could be the new key to breaking cultural discounts.

Table 3: Semantic matching accuracy by participant type

6. Conclusion

Research shows that there is an optimal solution for cultural innovation in Chinese character design: the image recreation route. This type of work garnered 68.7% of the votes in 300 surveys. Its eye-tracking data increased by 53% compared to the traditional replica group, and the cultural semantic recognition accuracy rate remained stable at over 78%. The designer's interview reveals that the secret to this strategy's success lies in activating cultural genes—transforming calligraphy's brushstrokes into a dynamic font library, awakening bronze patterns in dynamic interface effects, and generating a chemical reaction between traditional elements and modern media.

Although the literal translation approach is favored by the older generation, it is trapped in the stereotypical image of a museum window. Although the abstract experience has a pioneering quality, users have reported that it is "like an encrypted telegram that is difficult to decipher." Interdisciplinary research methods (practitioner oral histories, visual dissection, and user profiling) jointly confirm that translating excellent culture requires both a keen eye to decode traditions and contemporary grammar to reconstruct narratives.

Acknowledgment

Ruiting Niu and Jiangxue Han contributed equally to this paper.