Semiotics of Symbol in Tribal Tattoo Patterns as Inspiration in Designing Unique Iron Decorative Units

The multiplicity of cultures within human society may be determined in the formulation of a semantic symbolism for art and design as a visual language that translates many visions of the diversity of human cultures, as culture represents a complex system of symbols indicating human perceptions subject to specific religious and social backgrounds. Despite the multiplicity of styles of tribal tattoos globally as one of the manifestations of traditional visual culture and it being considered a unique style of art that has semantic and semiotic aspects, it has not been adequately studied in the Arab academic literature in the field of iron product design in terms of the anthropological symbolism of tattoos and the role of this study in inspiring the designer. To produce unique design patterns, so the research aims to:

• Study and analyze the elements of the semiotic approach and its relationship to the symbol culture.

• Study and analyze the art of tribal tattoos from a semiotic and anthropological point of view.

• Analyze the role of the symbol in tribal tattoo styles.

• Inspired by symbolic tribal tattoo art patterns to enrich decorative iron products.

This is done by adopting the descriptive and analytical approach to each of the concepts: the semiotics of the symbol, the cultural heritage and their relationship to tribal tattoos, and then the experimental approach in the applied scope.

The research reached a number of results, including:

• Visual semiotics in the field of design is an analytical method for formal elements and expressive symbols that arise aesthetically in a process of self-origin and collective interaction that is characterized by the characteristics of the creative process and expresses the identities of multiple human cultures.

• Studying the ethnic backgrounds and semiotic signs of tattoo art helps in understanding the value of the symbol contained within it and its relationship to the cultural heritage of the human group that created it.

• The art of tribal tattoos can be inspired by the design of iron decorative units characterized by heritage features that excite the recipient’s imagination and push him to connect with them emotionally and be affected by them as an integrated, functional work of art.