The Doctrine of the Mean: Chinese Calligraphy with Moderate Visual Complexity Elicits High Aesthetic Preference

Abstract

Chinese calligraphy is a symbol of cultural heritage; it is widely used in visual design (e.g., film posters and modern fashion) for its aesthetic value. In human-computer interaction, visual design complexity strongly influences users’ preferences. Indeed, the relevance of visual complexity to aesthetic preference has been confirmed. However, the visual complexity of calligraphy artworks has seldom been investigated and the process of how visual complexity affects aesthetic preference remains vague. Therefore, in this work we proposed a computational method to evaluate complexity and conducted several perception studies. Results showed that layout features and calligraphy style (regular script, running script, and cursive script) affected visual complexity. The level of visual complexity (low, medium, and high) affected aesthetic preference but calligraphy style did not. Furthermore, Chinese calligraphy with moderate visual complexity evokes strong aesthetic preference. The present findings can help designers redesign websites and interfaces for high aesthetic preference and can provide insights for developing the theoretical design of calligraphic art for advanced interaction in cultural heritage, such as in interactive systems for teaching calligraphy based on aesthetic cognition.