language as a model for graphic design

language as a model for graphic design - allegory

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An allegory (al´-uh-gor-ee) is a symbolic representation. A literal device or character is used as a symbol for an idea or principle. The underlying meaning has moral, social, religious, or political significance, and characters are often personifications of abstract ideas as charity, greed, or envy. It is a form of extended metaphor. The Statue of Liberty is an allegorical figure for freedom. The United States is signified by the allegorical figure Uncle Sam.

In a poster for the Colorado Music Festival, the artist symbolized the pastoral joy of music by the allegorical figure Pan, the ancient Greek god of forests and shepherds who created the first reed pipe, playing music high on an idyllic mountain.