Investigating the Impact of Environmental Graphic Elements on Concept Communication and Visual Identity in the Design of Television Program Studios

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the impact of environmental graphic elements on concept communication and the formation of visual identity in the design of television program studios. This applied study employed a sequential mixed-method qualitative–quantitative design. In the qualitative phase, six prominent television studios, including two news studios, two talk-show studios, one entertainment studio, and one science-educational studio, were selected through criterion-based purposive sampling. Semiotic analysis, structured content analysis, thematic analysis, and comparative analysis were used to examine color, lighting, form, materials, typography, graphic signs, digital displays, dynamic elements, visual hierarchy, and visual coherence. In the quantitative phase, 32 experts in stage design, environmental graphics, visual communication, and television production completed a researcher-developed five-point Likert questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-sample t-tests, and the Friedman test. One-sample t-test results showed that the mean scores of all assessed components were significantly higher than the theoretical midpoint of 3 (p<0.001). The highest t value was observed for compatibility between studio design and program content, t(31)=21.96, followed by visual coherence, t(31)=20.91, and formation of a distinctive visual identity, t(31)=19.61. The Friedman test also indicated a significant difference among component rankings, χ²(12)=94.67, p<0.001. Compatibility between design and program content ranked first with a mean rank of 10.98, followed by visual coherence at 10.42 and distinctive visual identity at 9.95. Environmental graphic elements influence concept communication and visual identity not as isolated components but through their organization, coherence, hierarchy, and compatibility with program content; therefore, television studio design should be approached as an integrated visual communication system.