The Problem of Visual Complexity: Criteria for Analysis and Evaluation

The article analyses the concept of visual complexity, highlighted by different researchers as a significant characteristic of contemporary visual communication and culture. The problem of ambiguity of the concept and its dependence on different objective and subjective factors and perception variables is posed. Formal categories and criteria for assessing visual complexity are defined, its stable patterns in the subject area of corporate identity —logo, are revealed. With the help of the identified categories visual complexity is analyzed through specific formal universal attributes that can be systematized, which makes it possible to answer the question of what makes a logo complex. The concept of complexity of corporate identity is meaningfully revealed from the point of view of designers — its direct developers, who determine the visual-graphic, constructive and plastic character of the brand logo. For the first time in the Russian-speaking scientific space, an empirical study of the position of professional designers regarding the significance of the proposed criteria was conducted. The quantitative survey method allowed objectifying the point of view of the professional audience: the data is characterized by stability in comparison with the data obtained from the general audience. Visual complexity is thus conceptualized and empirically operationalized without a gap between the theory and practice of visual communication. It is concluded that, as an expressive design tool, visual complexity is a positive characteristic in contemporary media communication.