本研究利用文獻探討的方法，把與圖像傳達相關的學問:符號學、認知心理學、傳播學以及設計學等之基礎理論進行探討，藉此對於圖像成為訊息時的結構要件、人們如何解讀圖像、圖像的傳達歷程及其與文化的關係、圖像的設計表現與時代的關係等等有所理解，以作為後續有關圖像傳達系統建構實驗研究的基礎。研究結果為:(1)圖像是由符號具和符號義所組成，兩者透過身分、等同、j寅譯、推論等關(系，將圖像轉化成某種意義。(2)人們認知圖像的過程為眼睛接受圖像後，擷取圖像的特徵，由視神經傳至大腦視皮質進行圖像特徵與結構比對後產生理解。(3)圖像的傳播歷程為設計者透過形、色、材質等將圖像進行編碼，利用媒介將圖像傳給接收者，接收者接收後即對圖像進行解情，其中，文化背景是傳播成功與否的重要關鍵。(4)在設計學的領域，隨著時代的變遷，I時代性」成為設計表現重要的考量條件，透過通用設計概念的 加入，讓圖像設計產生更大包容性。此外，本研究經由上述各學問間的探討發現，認知心理學所提出的四種形態辨識理論與「完形心理學」所強調的大致相似，而認知心理學領域中「既有知識」、「脈絡」分別與傳播學中的「框架」、「冗贅性」不謀而合，可以體會學問問殊途同歸的現象。

The study investigated the basic theories concerning pictogram communication， including semiotics， cognitive psychology， communications， and design science， with literature review in order to explore the elements of pictogram messages， pictogram interpretation， the correlations between pictogram communication process and culture， and the correlations between pictogram design and trend; in addition， to provide a reference for laboratory researches on pictogram communication system construction. Results indicate that (1)a pictogram consists of a signifier and signified which translate the pictogram into meaning by means of identification， parallelization， deduction and inference; (2) the process of pictogram cognition is that eyes capture the feature of pictograms， transfer to the visual cortex by optic nerve for feature and structure matching， and comprehension; (3) the pictogram communication process includes pictogram encoding with shapes， colors and materials; media; receiver; and pictogram decoding， where cultural background is the pivotal key to communicate successfully; (4)“trend" becomes a central design concern as time goes by，and by applying universal design concepts， pictogram design can be made more tolerant. Additionally， the study via the discussion of above categories indicates that the 4 identification theories of cognitive psychology resemble what is emphasized in Gestalt psychology， and "prior knowledge" and “trace"in the field of cognitive psychology coincides with the“frame" and “redundancy"in the communications， and the idea that“all roads leads to Rome" is also true in academics.