CULTURAL SYMBOLS AND DESIGN TRANSLATION: REINTERPRETING GUANGXI ZHUANG BROCADE PATTERNS FOR CONTEMPORARY CULTURAL AND CREATIVE PRODUCTS

Abstract

This study examines how the symbolic meanings embedded in Guangxi Zhuang brocade patterns can be translated into a contemporary design language for cultural and creative products without reducing the patterns to surface decoration. Focusing on the relationship between visual form, cultural meaning, and design communication, the research integrates Semiotics, the Cultural Gene Analytical Framework, and Design Semantics. This article reports the qualitative and analytical component of a broader multiphase mixed-methods study integrated with design-based/practice-based research. Evidence was drawn from documentary analysis, semi-structured interviews with 10 key informants, field observation in Binyang County and Longzhou County, and structured visual-semiotic analysis of representative pattern samples. Thematic analysis identified recurrent problems in existing applications, including direct copying, superficial decoration, weak cultural explanation, insufficient carrier adaptation, and tensions among material, process, cost, and cultural expression. The findings show that Zhuang brocade meanings are generated through phonetic, analogical, and metaphorical association and that culturally responsible translation requires the retention of core semantics and recognizable visual-structural features while permitting controlled formal change. The study proposes an operational six-stage process within a design translation framework: motif selection, meaning analysis, element extraction, visual transformation, color and material determination, and product application. An illustrative paired-fish-and-lotus application demonstrates the process across a refrigerator magnet, bookmark, and adhesive tape.

Keywords: Guangxi Zhuang Brocade, Cultural Symbols, Design Translation, Cultural Gene Analytical Framework, Cultural and Creative Product Design