Investigating the Impact of Environmental Graphics on Local Culture in Sustainable Rural Cultural Tourism Spaces

Abstract

It is paramount that local cultural sustainability be preserved as China implements its rural revitalization strategy, and the integration and transformation of rural cultural tourism spaces based on this foundation is unprecedented. However, rural cultural tourism spaces face many challenges at present, including a lack of cultural appeal and homogenized spatial expression methods. Environmental graphics, a concept widely utilized in urban branding systems, serve as a novel spatial text that combines both material and immaterial aspects within the extension of brand design systems. Creatively intervening in the shaping of rural cultural tourism spaces, environmental graphics enhance the spatial experience of rural tourism. In this study, we introduced a model that uses an experiential design approach to explore and transform local culture into environmental graphics. Through three application case studies of cultural tourism spaces with diverse cultural backgrounds, this study illustrates how environmental graphics can revitalize the cultural and historical allure of rural heritage by transforming local elements through contemporary language. Moreover, the study aims to further validate its findings through practical applications in future research to convert experiential design into cultural sustainability.

1. Introduction

In the course of modernization and urbanization, traditional Chinese rural society values have been confronted with unprecedented challenges. In rural areas, modernization has resulted in issues such as the loss of cultural memory in landscape spaces and a loss of cultural heritage. Consequently, people have started to reflect on their origins and future, resulting in a widespread sense of nostalgia [1]. The concept of nostalgia encompasses a wide range of facets, including geography, economy, society, and culture, and is a collective social memory that embodies our deep attachment to our native land. Through the power of thought, developers dedicated to promoting local culture strive to establish connections between nostalgic memories and their objects of recollection.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, consumer attitudes toward travel have changed significantly, due to the development of China’s tourism experience economy. Nowadays, consumers are more concerned with the journey’s experience than the destination’s attractions. The tourism industry is recognized as a tool for communities to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) [2]. However, despite rural tourism’s enormous potential, special attention must be given to ecological and cultural sustainability [3]. Through the development of branding, rural cultural tourism spaces can bridge the cultural perception gap among visitors from different regions, enhance the experience value of rural tourism, and contribute to the sustainability of local culture.

The Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD) (1998) [4] defines environmental graphic design as the professional activity of planning, designing wayfinding systems, and producing other visual communication forms in built and natural environments. As an extension of brand design in spatial design, environmental graphic designers primarily focus on information communication needs in environmental spaces. To create environmentally graphic solutions with orientation, interactivity, display, and cognition, they employ various visual elements (such as text, images, colors, and materials).

Recently, environmental graphics have been gaining more attention in cultural tourism spaces in China. There have been considerable advancements in the field of environmental graphics, which have gone beyond merely being used as a wayfinding design to improving the image and identity of venues systematically. It has also become a standard for evaluating the functionality of space to create a unique atmosphere and emotional value.

As rural cultural tourism spaces undergo transformation and upgrading, the application of environmental graphics in these spaces is uneven and still exploratory. The purpose of this article is to guide, at this stage, regarding the effectiveness of environmental graphic systems in promoting rural cultural tourism brands, the effectiveness of environmental graphics in sustaining Chinese culture in cultural tourism spaces and how they can be further enhanced to enhance their cultural sustainability.

2. Literature Review

2.1. Nostalgia, Memory, and Cultural Sustainability

Under the promotion of national rural revitalization policies, the concept of remembering nostalgia has gradually taken root in people’s hearts. It not only points out the direction for rural construction in the new era but also makes us realize the importance of local culture. Jan Assmann’s theory of cultural memory [5] emphasizes the continuity and inheritance of culture in time and space (2011). This theory posits that cultural memory is a form of memory that transcends time and space, connecting the past, present, and future, thereby establishing the continuity of human culture. By inheriting cultural memory, people can better understand their cultural identity and recognition and address challenges and problems in contemporary society simultaneously.

Cassirer (1962) emphasizes that culture is a symbolically externalized and materialized activity [6], representing an expression of life and a way of living. All forms of culture are symbolic. Lin [7] points out that there is a close relationship between culture, design, creativity, and industry. Among them, culture is a way of life, design is the taste of life, creativity is the embodiment of contact recognition, and industry is the medium, means, or method to realize cultural design creativity. It is necessary to take into account the interrelationships among these links to achieve truly sustainable cultural development. Additionally, these concepts apply to the creative industry’s design field.

2.2. Cultural Memory in Rural Cultural Tourism Spaces

The integration of rural cultural tourism forms a value co-creation system by blending and interconnecting the three elements of the countryside, culture, and tourism [8]. Tourism in rural areas is primarily driven by local culture, which attracts tourists to visit and experience. In addition, the arrival of tourists promotes the reproduction of rural cultural resources, converts them into tourism resources, and generates economic value by drawing consumer traffic. Furthermore, tourism development contributes to the improvement of rural infrastructure, the enhancement of the living environment, and the creation of positive interaction between the countryside and tourism, contributing to rural revitalization (see Figure 1).

Dicks (2004) [9] believes that culture needs to be integrated deeply to make it visible and visitable in space. The countryside and its culture are made accessible for visitors, participants, and reminiscence by creating a rich cultural experience, attracting tourists’ attention, and forming a consumerist space. This sort of experience stimulates tourists’ desire for the countryside, allowing them to develop unique cultural identity cognitions as a result and form deep experiential memories. Henri Lefebvre [10] asserts that space has three attributes: natural, spiritual, and social, forming material space, mental space, and social space. Based on Lefebvre’s (1976) [11] spatial division and the special form of rural cultural tourism integration, this article constructed a spatial analysis framework that integrated display–experience–emotion (See Figure 2). Among them, the display space emphasized natural attributes and visibility; the experience space emphasized social attributes and interaction; and the emotional space emphasized spiritual attributes and reminiscence. As a result of these three intertwined spaces, rural tourism’s cultural connotations were shaped, and a lasting impetus was imparted to its inheritance and development.

In Rural Design: A New Emerging Design Discipline, Thorbeck (2013) [12] mentioned that rural design is a medium that brings design thinking and the problem-solving process into it, which can effectively address rural environmental, social, and economic problems. A growing number of urban–rural integration initiatives, as well as rural cultural tourism branding, are being implemented to bridge the gaps between urban and rural areas, thereby facilitating the exchange of cultural values between them. As far as local villagers are concerned, the promotion of rural cultural tourism branding not only helps to preserve the local culture through the creative language of the moment but also enhances the sense of belonging and identity of the locals. Meanwhile, the adoption of modern branding can narrow the cultural distance between young and urban consumers when they enter rural cultural tourism spaces, enabling them to become more integrated into the local cultural environment.

2.3. Overview of Characteristics in Rural Cultural Tourism Space Environmental Graphics Research

In Finding Lost Space: Theories of Urban Design, Trancik (1991) [13] proposed the concept of guidance in urban design. The author emphasized the importance of directive urban design, which guides people’s behavior and activities via urban layout, planning, and design so that an orderly, efficient, and environmentally sustainable urban environment can be created. In The Image of the City, Lynch (1984) [14] stressed the importance of readability and visibility of urban imagery. Roads, boundaries, regions, nodes, and landmarks can contribute to an image of a city. Readability and memorability can be improved by using environmental graphic symbols as an essential visual language. As a result, the main brand image can be more easily recognized and stylized, assisting in its understanding.

For instance, in Shizuoka, Japan, the plastic model industry’s center, Aoi Neon, incorporated columns and benches into plastic model parts, as well as designed giant frames. In this way, the plastic models became more interactive and accessible to everyone. It conveys a sense of fun, as well as being useful. With the guidance system, the city’s attractiveness is spread throughout the world (see Figure 3). Furthermore, the recent transformation of China’s urban landscape serves as a reference point for the environmental graphic design of rural cultural tourism. A century-old street in Liwan, Guangzhou, converted from Xiguan Old Street, is one of the first intangible cultural heritage districts in Guangzhou, Yongqingfang. It combines the thousand-year culture of Guangdong with the historical style of Lingnan. The full-bodied shrimp dumplings, the characteristic opera voice, the flashing eyes of the lion, and the soft waves of Lychee Bay are integrated and designed as decorative elements embedded in the environmental graphic installation, bringing the faded cultural memory of the area back to life and clarity (see Figure 4). Due to the extension of urban space concepts, these ideas are also applicable to the brand presentation of rural cultural tourism spaces.

Norwegian architectural theorist Christian Norberg-Schulz (2013) [15] proposed that a place is the location where human behavior and events occur; a place is a product of the meanings and values people assign to it. Schulz also emphasized the multiplicity and dynamics of places. Places are not static; they constantly evolve with human activities. The interrelationship between people and information in the space of places is specifically described in environmental psychology: (1) the situation of a human’s need to receive environmental information in the environmental space; and (2) what psychological effect the means of information transmission in space have on people, or what type of transmission method would be most effective. Hence, the design of places should take into account future developments, changes, and the cultural and social factors brought about by human activities to accommodate the changing needs of human activities over time. There are four main factors to be considered when designing an environmental graphic interface: user characteristics, environment coordination, system efficacy, and experiential engagement [16,17,18]. As illustrated in Figure 3, Zhang Hongze’s 2019 book Environmental Graphics Design [19] further divided the environmental graphics design strategy according to the above factors (see Figure 5), which indicates that the graphics incorporate multiple disciplines of thought.

To sum up, we summarized the following points when designing environmental graphics for rural cultural tourism brands in the context of cultural sustainability to illustrate how to make the presentation of graphics convey the local culture while maintaining its design characteristics:

• Cultural abstraction and generalization: For the creative expression of environmental graphic design, various artistic techniques, such as indication, symbolism, and metaphor, are employed. The design must be highly condensed and reflect local elements effectively to convey the richest content within a limited space.
• Spiritual inheritance and continuity: In order to enhance the semantic connotation of environmental graphic design, integrated creativity is employed in aspects such as information function, psychological suggestion, and social impact.
• Information diversity and integration: Providing cultural tourism spaces that meet the needs of their participants requires more than just superficial design; it also involves addressing the comprehensive functional needs of the era. To ensure effective communication and integration, the visual features and environmental characteristics of environmental graphics are analyzed in conjunction with user cognition, regardless of the presentation status or cultural characteristics.

Environmental graphics creation also includes the study of environmental psychology [20,21,22]: (1) the need for environmental information reception in environmental spaces; and (2) the psychological experiences that information transmission methods bring to people or what kind of transmission method better conveys information. Environmental graphics, similar to other environmental design installations, should consider the following principles in the actual design [23]: (1) appropriateness, (2) moderation, (3) unity and richness, (4) profundity, (5) overall consistency, (6) individuality, and (7) rhythm.

2.4. Cultural Communication and Cognition in the Creation of Rural Cultural Tourism Brand Environmental Graphics

Saussure’s linguistic model [24,25] views symbols as binary relationships of the signifier and the signified, encompassing both the physical presence of the symbol and its social meaning. The signifier refers to the form of the symbol at the physical level, while the signified relates to the intrinsic meaning of the symbol at the social level, including abstract content such as emotions, thoughts, or information. Saussure’s theory provides a concise approach to interpreting symbols, and graphic design can be achieved through direct and indirect expression. Direct expression is based on inherent experience for semantic transformation [26], making the theme prominent and clear in the design. Indirect expression, on the other hand, connects different things through association, transforming them within graphics to create visually novel designs. This includes abstract, semantic, and meaningful associations, using abstract symbolic language to convey concepts.

By applying creative thinking based on semiotics, traditional local culture needs to be transformed into objects that meet modern society’s demands to maintain vitality. A communication theory may assist us in understanding: (1) how these transformed objects attract tourists’ interest in space; (2) how to effectively convey the artist’s intent; and (3) how to complete the transmission process of local cultural practices.

Environmental psychology studies the interaction between environmental spaces and human psychology. Designers analyze the psychological feelings space brings to people by understanding human sensory perceptions and behavioral characteristics. Audiences engage in a dialogue with environmental graphics in their cultural tourism experiences, as they also use and experience environmental graphics during their visits. Communication theory can further explain this phenomenon [27], where environmental graphic designers are the encoders, and audiences are the decoders.

Encoding and decoding are widely used in various research fields [28], and their mechanisms can also be applied to interpreting the integration of local culture into environmental graphics. We believe that one of the most crucial aspects of communication in rural cultural tourism spaces is the experiencers’ ability to successfully decode. It is the audience’s feedback that contributes to the environmental designer’s reflection and summary of experiences for the creation of future works.

The purpose of this study is to promote traditional rural culture by integrating local elements into environmental graphic designs in rural cultural tourism spaces. Along with the efforts of policymakers and designers, experiencers must be recognized in cultural tourism spaces [29]. As per the procedural school of communication theory, certain requirements must be met on three levels to successfully convey a signal from the designer (sender/encoder) to the audience (receiver/decoder) [30,31]. Therefore, for this study, the design process promoting cognition is as follows:

• At the technical level, creators ensure that they can accurately convey the intended information through image design, user experience design, and material–physical design so that decoders (audience, users, etc.) can perceive the information through visual, tactile, and even emotional means.
• At the semantic level, creators ensure that the information can be accurately understood by decoders from content design, cultural adaptability, and context construction perspectives.
• At the effectiveness level, creators need to ensure that the information can influence decoders in a way that triggers a specific response or behavior.

To help audiences understand the cultural significance of environmental graphic creativity, the following three steps are involved [32,33]:

• Attract visitor attention (recognition): Draw visitor interest through unique design, craftsmanship, or elements related to the audience’s interests.
• Generate accurate cognition (understanding): Present information in a clear, concise, and consistent manner, ensuring that the audience understands the cultural significance conveyed by the environmental graphic design.
• Form profound emotions (reflection): Evoke emotional resonance and reflection in visitors through emotional design language, emotionally evocative images, or emotionally resonant storylines.

This three-step process enhances the audience’s cognitive, interpretive, and emotional experiences of the cultural core of environmental graphics, thereby increasing the audience’s recognition and memorability of environmental graphic design and ensuring that the translated content meets the standards required for publication in prestigious international journals.

3. Methodology

3.1. Framework of Case Study

Case studies are well-suited for exploring phenomena within the rich context of the real world [34]. The broad scope of research questions allows for greater flexibility for researchers. Moreover, emerging theories provide tentative answers to new how and why questions, often merely suggesting new connections between different phenomena, and these explorations drive case studies to expand into broader areas and deeper levels of thought [35,36]. As such, this research opted to explore the feasibility of environmental graphics in the sustainable development of rural culture within Chinese rural cultural tourism spaces through case studies. Cases with diverse regional and cultural characteristics allow for more flexible interpretations of various cultural transformation methods [37].

Based on the value generated by economic activities, Pine and Gilmore (2011) [38] proposed the experience economy model. They divided the value generated by economic activities into four categories: goods, commodities, services, and experiences. Building on this model, creative workers divided the process of transforming texts into products into the following four steps: (1) setting the scene; (2) telling a story; (3) writing a script; (4) and designing a product or thing [32,39,40,41]. Based on the literature review and above methodological research, the research framework of this paper was formed (see Figure 6).

3.2. Case Overview

Since China is a vast country with abundant resources, selecting regional cases with different cultural characteristics contributes to a broader verification of the feasibility of transforming cultural sustainability with environmental graphics in various contexts. Therefore, we selected two different directions of vernacular culture generation: material and immaterial culture. In this study, we chose three representative cases of cultural tourism spaces in three different regions of China: (1) Kam Grand Choir Museum in Guizhou, set against the background of traditional ethnic culture; (2) Puyang Daji Ancient Town in Hebei, represented by the intangible cultural heritage of acrobatics; and (3) Yongding Earth Building Exhibition Space in Fujian, featuring the architectural cultural heritage of the Hakka earth buildings.

4. Case Analysis and Discussion

4.1. Kam Grand Choir Museum in Guizhou

Tongguan Village, located in Yandong Town, Liping County, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, is a village dominated by the Dong ethnic group. It is one of the birthplaces of the world’s intangible cultural heritage Kam Grand Choir, also known as the Grand Song of the Dong, and is famous as the hometown of Dong Songs. Against the backdrop of rural modernization challenges, the Tongguan Kam Grand Choir Eco-Museum was established to showcase the natural and the Kam Grand Choir cultures of Tongguan Village to visitors, serving as an essential medium for visitors to understand the cultural spirit of the Dong ethnic group.

In the cultural creativity stage, the environmental graphic design of the Kam Grand Choir Eco-Museum was based on authentic Dong life scenes, integrating the humanistic geography and expressing the ethnic characteristics of the Dong people. In the creation stage, the design of decorative graphics combined elements of the Dong characteristic architecture drum tower, unique fabric patterns, local representative food elements (fish), and local totem elements representing the Big Song (sun). These elements were symbolized through modern geometric design techniques. Considering the museum’s building was primarily made of raw wood materials, the environmental graphic system used locally sourced materials, opting for more natural wood, stone, and earth materials, following the integration of humans and nature. In terms of creative connotation, the practicality and recognizability of environmental graphics served as mediums to enrich the detailed experience of the tour, bringing an active and authentic cultural and living atmosphere to visitors from outside the village. The appearance of different traditional patterns in the environmental graphics echoed and contrasted with the ethnic elements of the Dong people that visitors learned about during the museum viewing process. In terms of sustainability, the environmental graphics, expressed in modern language, were considered to be fully integrated with the local architectural style, adding a simple and natural visual experience and better spreading the concept of “rural nature culture and restoration of cultural conservation”. In the experience stage, as the environmental graphics system met the demand of the information guide function of visitors, it led visitors to form a deep memory of the unique Dong-style patterns and feel the long history of Dong culture. It finally formed an interesting service loop in which visitors actively learned about Dong culture during the exhibition and, at the same time, compared the environmental graphic symbols in the space (see Figure 7).

4.2. Puyang Daji Ancient Town in Hebei

Located in the Dongbeizhuang Acrobatics Industrial Park in Hualong District, Puyang City, Daji Ancient Town has a long history. Relying on the acrobatic skills passed down from generation to generation, the people here have made a unique path of industrial development, going from performing on the streets and struggling to make a living, to rising to fame on the international stage, and to now relying on the brand of acrobatic culture and developing a tourism economy. As early as 2008, Dongbeizhuang Acrobatics was listed in the national intangible cultural heritage directory. Local acrobatics are no longer limited to circuses. The Puyang Water Show International Acrobatics Theater, completed at the end of 2013, has elevated Puyang acrobatics to the world’s top level. This acrobatic variety show aims to integrate the essence of Chinese traditional culture, apply modern creative concepts, infuse various art forms, and merge with acrobatics, attracting many tourists to appreciate and experience this.

In the cultural creativity stage, Daji Ancient Town’s brand, as part of Dongbeizhuang Acrobatics Town, chose the intangible cultural heritage characteristic of acrobatics as the conceptual element, avoiding the repetition and similarity of Chinese traditional ancient town design elements. In the creation stage, representative acrobatic movements were selected and turned into static images, combined with environmental graphic installation materials, creating unique and interesting features (for example, replacing the props lifted in acrobatics with directional signs). The original dwellings in the ancient town were mostly made of blue bricks and tiles, with brick eave line structures. To echo it, the environmental graphic installation materials were blue stone slabs with ancient bronze borders, which blended better into the spatial environment. In terms of sustainability, the choice of materials and the decoration of environmental graphics effectively reflected the ancient town’s long history while demonstrating the intangible cultural spirit of acrobatics with a long-standing local history through creative dynamic modeling elements, showcasing its ongoing vitality. In the experience stage, visitors not only enjoyed the wonderful acrobatic performances in the ancient town, the static environmental graphics system in the space also provided a good supplement and reminder for the instant acrobatics performance. After watching the acrobatics show, contact with these environmental graphics deepened the memory of the acrobatic movements, allowing visitors to profoundly feel the everlasting vitality of the local acrobatic art (see Figure 8).

4.3. Yongding Tulou in Fujian

Hakka Tulou, also known as Fujian Round House, is a collective architecture with the most significant feature being its massive and unique shape. Its architectural style is a self-defense style of residence adopted for the safety of ethnic groups. Under the circumstances of external invasion and internal strife, the Hakka people chose Tulou as their architectural style, which is conducive to family reunions and defense against war. Yongding Tulou stands out in the world of residential architecture art for its long history, unique style, large scale, and exquisite structure. It is also known as the Chinese Hakka Museum without doors. Nowadays, Yongding Tulou has been adapted by locals to establish guesthouses and museums within, attracting numerous tourists from home and abroad.

In the cultural creativity stage, the unique shape of Yongding Tulou itself had a strong recognition, so it was good material for conceptualization while taking into account the hidden appearance of the Tulou in the local climate of Fujian, where it is always rainy and misty. In the creation stage, prevalent Tulou forms were transformed into geometric shapes, while the black and white color scheme drew inspiration from the building’s inherent architectural palette. The incorporation of modern ink gradients effectively captured the picturesque beauty of the Tulou shrouded in clouds and fog. In the environmental application phase, the design approach acknowledged Tulou’s extensive history and the unsuitability of drastic spatial alterations. Consequently, graphic symbols were ingeniously applied to doors, windows, and walls, fulfilling both decorative and indicative functions. In terms of creative content, the design preserved traditional elements and rhythm while simultaneously contemplating harmony with the modern architectural styles present within Tulou.

Regarding sustainability, the integration of modern geometric graphic language into the icon design enhanced the acceptance of historical architectural symbols by contemporary audiences. The fusion of modern ink expression techniques effectively conveyed the region’s unique environmental language. During the experiential phase, as tourists navigated the Tulou and engaged with environmental graphics, they could appreciate the distinct cultural atmosphere fostered by the Hakka people in their local environment. Despite the impact of modern culture on traditional lifestyles, the design encapsulated a progressive and collaborative spirit, which is essential for the preservation of cultural heritage (see Figure 9).

4.4. Discussion

Based on the model of this study, we investigated the role of environmental graphic systems in promoting cultural sustainability in rural cultural tourism spaces. Combining the above case studies and methodologies, we analyzed the three cases in terms of cultural extraction, graphic creation, environmental application, cultural sustainability, and cultural experiences of visitors, comparing the similarities between the cases and the differences brought about by different cultural attributes (see Figure 10).

4.4.1. Analysis of Similarities

Although the three cases were from different cultural backgrounds, they shared similarities in design presentation. In the process of transforming the vernacular cultural elements into graphic design, they all took into account the aesthetic concept of contemporary visitors pursuing simplicity and fashion. The creators of the cultural tourism space, through the current popular design language, selected from the representative local vernacular cultural elements, extracted the most representative cultural symbols, and depicted them through modern art techniques, such as geometric graphitization and abstraction of line contours. As a decorative pattern or icon element of environmental graphics, visitors can intuitively feel the relevance of the design elements of the graphics to the cultural tourism space they are in. At the same time, in the process of setting up environmental graphics in the space, the creators took into account the concept of adapting to local conditions. The materials and installation forms were used to restore the characteristics of the era or environment behind the vernacular culture, such as imitating the popular architectural materials of the past. This restoration was not just a copy but a reflection of the durability of the materials used in the installation and the acceptability of the old era to visitors.

By combining distressed materials with modern ones or by editing the typography of instructional patterns and texts on the installation materials to be closer to the requirements of modern aesthetics such a series of operations further upgraded the interaction between environmental graphics and the space in which they were located. In the above design considerations, although the cultural nature was different, in maintaining the cultural sustainability of the rural cultural tourism space, they all took into account the current visitors’ pursuit of a simple and fashionable style of experience and created environmental graphics in a suitable scale space so that tourists can receive the communication of the local culture while going through the practical and emotional experience.

4.4.2. Analysis of Differences

Environmental graphics in different cultural contexts also have their reflections in the application case of cultural sustainability. In the process of transforming vernacular cultural elements into graphic design, the material and immaterial natures of culture need to be considered, and different treatments are made in the context of cultural sustainability. Material cultures, such as the elements of clothing, food, housing, and transportation of the Dong ethnic group in the case and the image design of the architectural elements of the Tulou capture the most recognizable characteristics of the depicted objects for design, such as the geometric decorative patterns of the interwoven patterns of the Dong ethnic cloth and the Hakka Tulou in the spiral structure of the Hakka Tulou building in the overlooking angle. As for the intangible cultural heritage, such as acrobatics, the designer needs to write a script and create images to visualize the intangible culture. Dongbeizhuang acrobatics is represented by the marriage of two local acrobatic troupes and by drawing the acrobatic form of a golden couple to symbolize its skill and power.

From the perspective of the sustainability of local culture, the traditional ethnic culture of Dong is relatively unfamiliar to the general public and integrates material and immaterial cultures. The design of environmental graphics captures the most representative totem symbols and costume patterns to perpetuate the cultural characteristics of Dong, while Dongbeizhuang acrobatics, which is an intangible cultural heritage, constructs a character image in the environmental graphics scene to participate in the presentation of the intangible cultural heritage. Dong acrobatics, as an intangible cultural heritage, constructs a character in an environmental graphics scene to participate in the presentation of the intangible cultural heritage, making the communication of intangible culture more vivid and contemporary. In addition, since the information about the architectural and cultural heritages of Hakka Tulou are not so unfamiliar to the visitors, this case offers new ideas to the design of this kind of environmental graphics: whether the architectural and cultural heritages have been used or are being used, through the expression of bold modern abstract concepts, the figurative architectural and cultural elements reflect the humanistic spirit of keeping up with the times.

Moreover, in the process of setting environmental graphics, different cases chose different ways of setting environmental graphics because of the differences in their environmental conditions of cultural and tourism spaces, which also reflects the diversity and richness of environmental graphics.

5. Conclusions and Suggestions

In summary, we can see that although the concept of environmental graphics originated from abroad, it has been emphasized and promoted in China in recent years. However, the cases in the rural cultural tourism space selected in this paper do not just imitate the foreign forms but explore design concepts that belong to the case’s vernacular attributes. According to the audience’s cognitive acceptance of different kinds of vernacular culture, the designers consider the effect of vernacular culture sustainability in the design of environmental graphics in the regional revitalization of Chinese tourism spaces: how to refine the presentation style of vernacular culture and integrate it into the expression system of environmental graphics, how to express the characteristics of vernacular culture through design language in the limited space of environmental graphics, and how to restore the sense of the times of local culture through the integration of environmental graphics and building materials. These are the criteria to be considered for the future sustainability of the environmental graphics culture of the local cultural tourism space.

At the same time, upon further consideration, many valuable vernacular cultures are not valued, compared to the familiar cultural classics, due to the limitations of the regional space, and gradually disappear in the modernization stage. Therefore, it is worth encouraging the environmental graphic design for such vernacular cultures to transform the cultural elements in the direction of decorative patterns, indication icons, color schemes, installation materials, and spatial presentation in the environmental graphics to keep the fading valuable culture with the times. As for the small part of the vernacular cultural tourism space, due to its strong communication in the past, the environmental graphics of such a relatively mature cultural tourism space need to consider the future development trend of the cultural tourism space and try to combine the design with modern technology or abstract art methods to explore more possibilities for the sustainability of culture.

Due to the constraints of this study, only three cases with cultural differences were selected for analysis, so the sustainable role of environmental graphics for local culture needs to be further explored in the future. Research and other skills need to be used to investigate visitors’ attitudes toward the application of environmental graphics in rural cultural tourism spaces: (1) the role of the modern design language in eliminating the unfamiliarity between local culture and visitors; (2) the influence of the relationship between formal and functional designs in the design of environmental graphics in rural cultural tourism spaces on the sustainability of local culture; and (3) how the different means of transforming material and non-material cultural elements into environmental graphic elements in the countryside differ in terms of visitors’ perceptions.

Cultural tourism spaces serve as a display medium for rural culture, influencing tourists’ sensory and emotional perceptions of rural culture and affecting consumers’ judgments of rural tourism value. With the development of modernization, China’s rural areas are gradually losing some high-quality cultural aspects. In the process of rural revitalization, China has learned from the development models and ideas of other countries, but conventional methods are not universally applicable. It is necessary to consider the specific development conditions of different regions, and the same applies to rural revitalization design. Genuine rural revitalization design lies in excavating and awakening the deep cultural connotations of different regions, as only in this way can the revitalization of the entire nation’s culture be achieved.