Application of Vernacular Design for Emotional Communication: Focus on Visual Arts of Ancient Peruvian Inca

Abstract

It is common knowledge that people from different cultural backgrounds tend to have different ideas and perceptions. However, in this era where globalization exposes everybody to the same content, it can be assumed these perceptions might become similar at some point. Global brands are consumed regardless of race, language or culture, attracting all types of consumers to purchase the same product. Nonetheless, in the case of products that utilize the local history and culture of a country as a source for the design, they tend to be considered old-fashioned and not necessarily attractive. This study undertook the challenge to create a vernacular design inspired by the ancient art of the Inca culture of Peru. The investigation followed a longitudinal research design: pre-test, design development and post-test. The pre-test involved asking the participants about their current views concerning Inca patterns. Then, based on the results, new designs were created to match their overall preferences. Finally, the new designs were tested in the post-test to compare an improvement in perception. The results showed that the current perception between Koreans and Peruvians is very similar, which means that their standards are in agreement despite cultural differences. The design development proceeded by modifying the original patterns based on the pre-test results. Lastly, the post-test revealed that Peruvians preferred the design that resembled the original image the most, while Koreans preferred a more modern-looking design. Nevertheless, the final results indicate that the overall perception of the designs improved significantly.