The Arabesque as a cultural interface for contemporary packaging design in the Arabian Gulf

Abstract

This thesis explores the graphic symbol as an interface for communication in a local as well as globalized environment. Specifically the research examines the arabesque as a cultural interface for contemporary packaging design in the Arabian Gulf by addressing the graphic application of the arabesque as a cultural, religious and social element in the design of selected food and beverage labels.

The aims of this research include a brief investigation in the history and evolution of the arabesque in traditional and contemporary visual culture; a semiotic and visual investigation in the meaning of the arabesque; the graphic application of the arabesque in contemporary packaging design; and the arabesques potential as a cultural interface.

This research is informed by a review of published sources on the definition, history and evolution of the arabesque as an ornament; a typology of the arabesque as a visual motif; a semiotic analysis of the arabesque in the context of traditional Islamic culture and globalization; three case studies of arabesque designs in selected contemporary food and beverage label designs from the Arabian Gulf; and the incorporation of the arabesque in the ‘re-design’ of three contemporary packaging designs followed by an online survey of graphic responses from participants in the Gulf region.

The research is framed by discourses on visual culture and meaning making (Grabar; Ali; Kuhnel; Berger and Luckmann; Kazmierczak) and the semiotics of Arab cultural identity in a globalized world (Boutros; Fox and Asfour; Said; Sebeok and Danesi). Analysis and interpretation of the survey data demonstrate a positive response to the potential of the arabesque as a cultural interface for contemporary packaging design in the Arabian Gulf, particularly in cross-cultural communication, and marketing. The participants’ responses also raised unexpected issues for the graphic designer regarding the context and ethics of applying cultural symbols to the marketing of consumer products.