Prototype Theory and Acceptable Images


The key to using prototype theory in the analysis and the design of visuals for international marketing pieces has to do with concepts of 'recognizability' and 'acceptability/credibility.' The idea is that prototypes provide individuals with both a mechanism for identifying objects and images and a method for determining the acceptability or the credibility of objects and images. The relationship works as follows : Prototypes are not rigid absolutes. An object or an image does not need to have every single visual characteristic in common with a prototype to be considered part of the category represented by that prototype. If this expectation were standard, then one and only one object (the prototype) would ever fit into a particular category (e.g., only a robin could be judged to be a bird).

Rather, prototypes allow for a range of items with prototype-like characteristics to fit into a particular category. An ostrich, for example, is often recognized as a bird. Such recognition is because an ostrich has enough characteristics in common with everyday birds (e.g., robins) to be identified as belonging to the category of bird. However, when one hears the word 'bird' or is told to look for the 'bird,' the image of an ostrich rarely jumps to mind. Moreover, if asked to identify a 'good' example of a bird, few people would say 'ostrich.' Thus, prototypes help individuals achieve two objectives:

  • Identifying the category of items to which an object or an image belongs

  • Assessing the quality of an object as a representation of the related prototype category (i.e., how 'good' is it?)

This concept of 'good' vs. 'adequate/identifiable' prototypes is central to international image design, for it helps establish a system for assessing acceptability/credibility.

The more characteristics the object has in common with the prototype, the better a member of the related prototype category that object is considered to be. This concept of 'better' reflects increased acceptability, for the more an image resembles a prototype, the more acceptable that image will seem in the eyes of viewers . Acceptability, in turn , relates to the fact that most individuals would look at the image and say, 'Yes, I accept that image as being a good and an appropriate visual representations of item X.'

According to the robin-bird example used earlier, an eagle would be a better example of a bird than a kiwi, for an eagle has more visual characteristics in common with robins than kiwis do. In both cases, viewers would be able to identify both images as representing 'birds.' One bird, however, would be considered a 'better' or a more appropriate and acceptable way of presenting the idea of bird than the other. If asked to choose which representation would make a better image to use in the logo for a Web site dedicated to birds, most individuals would probably select the eagle, for it more closely resembles the widely accepted depiction of what a bird should look like. According to this system, a kiwi would be an identifiable example of a bird, an eagle would be a good example of a bird, and a robin would be the best possible bird one could have.

In this way, prototypes create scales of acceptability. That is, while several visually different objects will be identified as belonging to the same category, certain objects will be considered better representations of that overall category than others. In this system, the difference between 'identifiable,' 'good,' 'better,' and 'best' is the number of characteristics the item has in common with the expected prototype.

Prototype theory can therefore serve as a mechanism for analyzing specific visual components (e.g., images, color use, layout) of the international Web sites identified via the rhetorical screening process mentioned earlier. Prototypes provide individuals with a guide (characteristics) for identifying the visual aspects members of a particular culture associate with the prototype for the different features used within an identified credible visual. Once identified, these characteristics can then be used to create a design checklist, or a set of steps individuals can follow when developing online marketing materials for individuals from specific cultures.




Contemporary Research in E-marketing (Vol. 1)
Agility and Discipline Made Easy: Practices from OpenUP and RUP
ISBN: B004V9MS42
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 164

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