An interview with Andreas Panayi on the cover art of Hortus Semioticus 12th issue, abstract art, interpretation, and semiotics.
Interviewed by Eleni Alexandri
Introduction
The cover art for Hortus Semioticus’s 12th issue is a unique case. Following the Collaborative Workshop organized by the University of Tartu, Department of Semiotics, Estonian Academy of Arts, Department of Graphic Design, and Cyprus University of Technology, specifically Professor Evripides Zantidis, the Hortus Semioticus editorial team decided to broaden the call for designs to include our fellow graphic designers. The successful week-long workshop and final presentation of students working on the various topics as proposed by Tartu 2024 demonstrated how beneficial and fruitful the collaboration between the two disciplines can be, as well as how tightly linked art and communication design are to semiotics.
Thus, this time, we communicated the call to semioticians and graphic designers, and after receiving the submissions, we unanimously determined that Andreas Panayi’s cover image was the winner. Andreas is a graphic communication designer and Ph.D. student at Cyprus University of Technology’s Semiotics and Visual Communication Lab, Department of Multimedia and Visual Arts. Furthermore, he works as a teaching assistant in his department and takes part in international projects and biennials. His interests include poster design, semiotics, national identity, and popular culture, and his work has been recognized and awarded in numerous national and international competitions. It is an honour to have Andreas’ design as the cover of our 12th issue, and it has been a pleasure to connect with him and do this interview. I would like to thank Andreas for our correspondence and for his contribution to the latest issue of Hortus Semioticus.
Interview
Eleni Alexandri: To begin with, what led you to graphic arts and what would you say is your niche, or rather, which are the topics you are mostly interested in?
Andreas Panayi: I have admired the art and design industry from when I first discovered the field of graphic design, it became the discipline that I wanted to specialize in. Creativity, in combination with communication, as well as exposure to various forms of media and popular culture, were the main aspects that led me to graphic arts and communication design. Presently, I am a graphic communication designer and a PhD student at the Semiotics and Visual Communication Lab of the Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts, Cyprus University of Technology (CUT). My research interests focus on (festival) poster design, semiotics, nation branding, national identity, and popular culture. Regarding my practice as a graphic designer, I would describe my work as more experimental, combining the physical and digital worlds. What interests me is how simple forms and elements such as shapes and arrows can be interpreted in multiple ways and how, from the use of these elements, theories and new meanings can emerge.
EA: Are you working on some specific projects this time, and is there any website or digital portfolio where we can take a look at your creations?
AP: As a PhD student, I am currently conducting my research while being a teaching assistant at the Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts, CUT. Beyond that, I am working on various creative projects, including designing visual identities for festivals and rebranding the image of one of Cyprus’ most important theatres.
As for where you can see my work, you can visit the following link: www.behance.net/andreaspanayi
EA: What are your plans for the future? Would you wish to stay in academia?
AP: I would like to continue combining my careers as a graphic designer and a researcher. I think they are associated, as one supports and enriches the other. Both experiences are equally important and useful if anyone needs to pursue a career as an academic or professor.
EA: Speaking about your research at the Semiotic and Visual Communication Lab, what exactly is your experience with semiotics?
AP: I first got into contact with semiotics during the second year of my undergraduate studies. In my PhD research, semiotics constitute one of my study’s conceptual framework theories, aiming at the observation of verbal and non-verbal signs that construct a nation’s identity in a series of festival posters. In addition, I was a teaching assistant for two semesters in the course ‘Introduction to Semiotics and Visual Communication’.
EA: How did this exposure to semiotics impact your design process? How do you apply your Semiotic knowledge to your creations?
AP: I believe that semiotics inevitably affects the design process of both print and digital media. Focusing on the poster as one of the most powerful mediums of visual communication, this is heavily semiotized as most of its visual elements (such as image, colour, and typography) contain symbolic and contextual meanings. Each design decision and sign included in a design contributes to the overall meaning, targeting specific audiences.
EA: From your response, I take it that you believe in the tight link between semiotics and art, but could you maybe expand on the similarities and differences between graphic communication design and semiotics?
AP: Graphic communication design explores the vast and ever-expanding field of graphic design, aiming at creating visually appealing and functional designs that convey specific messages, while semiotics studies and examines how meaning is constructed and interpreted through signs and symbols. Their relationship is of deep interconnection, as semiotics provide frameworks and tools for analyzing and understanding the ways in which graphic art communicates.
EA: Really well said! But now I would like to talk a bit more about our collaboration. Designing a cover art for a journal’s general issue can be tricky, considering there is no specific theme to draw inspiration from and anchor your design, creating a connection through connotations and visual metaphors. What was your creative process in designing the cover art for the 12th issue of Hortus Semioticus? Would you say it is an abstract depiction of Semiotics as a field of knowledge?
AP: Even if there was no specific theme, the brief for the cover art design for the 12th issue of Hortus Semioticus was very instructive. What really helped was focusing on keywords that, through a critical and creative procedure, could be translated into visuals. My goal was to design something that would be able to cover the different thematics and aspects discussed in the journal while at the same time leaving the freedom of interpretation to the viewers. A short description of my artwork would be: ‘This open-to-interpretation diagrammatic design visualises the stages of a project, from its beginning to completion. A visual journey through shapes, lines, and arrows’.
EA: I see! Could you expand on the relationship between this abstract artistic style and interpretation?
AP: The dynamic and open-ended interplay between abstraction and interpretation highlights the power of abstract elements to communicate complex meanings. Abstract design invites viewers to engage in a contextually influenced interpretative process, enriching the experience of both creating and perceiving art.
EA: Then how do you feel about the issue or potential of misinterpretation as an artist? Do you think that it indicates and hints at the need for the designer to improve the way in which they communicate their ideas and messages, or can we look at it as an intended, conscious technique that gives the audience liberty and offers food for thought?
AP: Misinterpretation may be an important issue in the field of graphic design, but simultaneously, it may lead to unknown directions and new meanings that are worth exploring. However, it is something that the designer should take into consideration through the design process, based on the client’s brief, the target audience, and their intention(s).
It definitely gives the audience freedom of interpretation and food for thought. I strongly believe, though, that balance is the key: using recognizable signs and codes to convey messages to diverse readers while providing abstract information to generate multiple meanings.
EA: Andrea, thank you so much for this interview, and I wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavours! Any of our readers who are interested in Andreas’ work or would like to connect with him, apart from his digital portfolio mentioned above, can find him on Instagram and LinkedIn.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Andreas Panayi