Review of Arts and Humanities

Content Analysis on the Use of Calligraphic Art in Print Advertisements in Taiwan
Yang, Chao-Ming; Hsu, Tzu-Fan

Abstract
Calligraphic art features its unique beauty and history in the Chinese society and has frequently been used as a tool of persuasion in advertisements made by Taiwanese firms in recent years. Calligraphic art is not only used to connect to contemporary culture but also to attract audience’s attention to the advertisements. This study sampled 960 calligraphic advertisements within the period between 2007 and 2014 from two Taiwanese newspapers, namely, Liberty Times and United Daily News. Content analysis was conducted to interpret and code the data. This study found that of the five calligraphic typefaces, the regular and creative scripts were the most frequently used of the five calligraphic types in calligraphic advertisements. Regarding the picture-headline interactive relation, the methods of picture-headline assistance and continuation were most commonly used. In addition, a large number of calligraphic advertisements adopted the rational and cultural appeal and reflected the cultural values of openness to change and self-enhancement. Overall, the Chinese calligraphy has pictorial beauty and the function of message delivery. The advertisements featuring the beauty of oriental traditional art can easily connect the advertised products with culture and produce the effect of persuasion in soft-sell advertising.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/rah.v5n2a2