Law turns visual. The increasing use of images in a hyperregulated environment

Abstract

The evolution of technology, which has gone through side-by-side with the development of each of the human eras, has conditioned the way in which the Law has communicated with society. The most ancient civilizations attested their norms through the iconography engraved in physical supports such as stones. Egyptians and Phoenicians used the papyrus. And Gutenberg’s printing press multiplied the means of social communication of the norms, with writing as the abstract and visual expression of the message.

However, if technology means made possible for the Law to be fixed in durable supports (adding unity and continuity), such means also favoured reproducibility, which brought the promulgation of numerous statutes. This regulatory fury has resulted, over time, in fragmented regulations where every aspect of our daily life is made subject to the application of a multiplicity of norms.

Regulators are aware of the challenges linked to the regulatory excesses and, through various instances, have been undertaking statutory reforms and promoting public policies which look for Law simplification. It is in this context that the use of the image and of graphic symbols appears as an attractive resource to accomplish closeness of the Law and to favour its understanding.