Visual Communication in Urban Space: Perception of the Sign-Boards in Pedestrian Areas in Moscow

The thesis aims to give a comprehensive analysis of several theories of the perception of the city and present the cultural and value changes in its assessment by modern citizens. These days a great deal of attention has been paid to historicity and the search for authenticity. These requirements are particularly applicable for the site improvements of the urban environment, which is intended to be the historical landmark of the city. Regarding Moscow, the possibilities of visual communication within these zones are already regulated to some extent in the light of the emergence of the request to reduce "visual noise". The only legal way of the interaction between commercial and other actors with residents of Moscow in pedestrian zones is signboards. Having studied the visual component of signage with a territorial survey and visual analysis on the basis of the sensory walk method and collected information about its perception by citizens using the go-along method, we come up with multiple conclusions of presumable prospective steps towards the aestheticization of Moscow's urban space in pedestrian zones and finding a balance between participation in the rivalry of commercial companies and the search for a pristine experience of perception of the city.