Graphic Design

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Introduction

Education has long been a passion of mine, and any form of design has always caught my attention. In my eleven years of teaching graphic design at Tshwane University of Technology, I gradually have come to realise that graphic design education must be more than teaching students the fundamentals, more than illustrating techniques and demonstrating new technology in order for students to create graphic design products. When I looked at how graphic design influences the world we are living in – for the better and for the worse -­‐ I realised that, besides enhancing the professional development from student to professional graphic designer, graphic design students’ personal development from adolescent to young adult in our contemporary world has to become a major consideration. I, therefore, wanted to ensure that my educational practices would challenge my graphic design students to acquire the essential characteristics – or more profoundly, the essential human qualities -­‐ required for a contemporary graphic design career through which the quality of life for all could be enhanced. Grant-­‐Broom (2009:2) closely associates graphic design with visual communication. We are continuously bombarded with graphic design, and since the impact of visual communication on society is vast, her research emphasises the enormous responsibility of graphic designers and, inevitably, of the graphic design educators responsible for their education. © University of Pretoria I conducted this study in order to ensure that my educational practices will enable students to fulfil their social responsibility. Therefore I start by describing the social dimension of graphic design. 1.2 The social dimension of graphic design According to research done by Tan (2012:2) the idea of designing for social good has become prominent, especially since the beginning of the twenty-­‐ first century, amongst design communities worldwide. A reason for this is that: “[g]raphic design is a powerful medium that generates awareness and dialogue through its ability to communicate, educate, and inform” (Bryant, Schönemann & Karpa, 2011:155). Graphic design is driven by social, political and commercial messages; therefore graphic designers have the power to inspire social responsibility in the community through visual communication. Thus, a general reason why graphic design is important relates mainly to the effect it has on society. Designers have influenced social behaviour for a long time, according to Girling (2012a), either through the visual communication of information or interesting, coherent brand stories. Thus, graphic design concerns itself with changing attitudes as well as emotions. Berman (2009:2) adds: “[d]esigners have far more power than they realize: their creativity fuels the most efficient (and most destructive) tools of deception in human history.” However, in contradiction with the previous statement, Buchanan (1998:10) states that, “[d]esigners have struggled and lost more often than they have won in trying to influence their clients and the general public.” According to him this made many designers uncomfortable with their role in society. Tan (2012:8) agrees with Buchanan because she found many critical voices towards the limits of design for social good in her research. For example, Mulgan states the following weaknesses of design for social good (Tan, 2012:8): • “The designer’s lack of economical and organisational skills.” • “Their inability to drive the implementation process.” • “The cost of design consultants.” • “The ignoring of evidence and field experiences.” These are accurate criticisms according to Tan (2012:8) due to the fact that there is still a significant amount to learn about this emerging area of design for social good. It is obvious from these paragraphs that graphic designers have a great responsibility towards society, but it is not an easy road. According to Berman (2009:111), “[s]ocial responsibility is good for design because it will protect the profession” as well as the consumer. The consumer, according to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, is “a person who purchases goods and services for personal use” (Soanes & Stevenson, 2008:307). According to sociology, just about every society can be clustered into classes determined by things like wealth, income, occupation, education, achievement, seniority and many more. However, research has shown that no single variable, such as age or income for example, could truthfully forecast consumer purchases. According to research done in the United States of America by the Bureau of the Census, the nature of the family life cycle of buying behaviour has changed drastically over the past 20 to 30 years. For example, people wait longer to get married, thus childbirth is postponed, there are many more single-­‐parent households and more adults are living with their parents than in the past (Russell & Lane, 1992:439-­‐441). SRI International, a research company, has divided the population into clusters of consumers. Each cluster can be identified by distinct behavioural and decision-­‐making patterns (Russell & Lane, 1992:443-­‐445): • Actualisers Actualisers, in short, “are successful, sophisticated, active, ‘take-­‐charge’ people with high self-­‐esteem and abundant resources”. • Fulfillers and Believers: Principle orientated Principle-­‐orientated consumers, in short, “seek to make their behavior consistent with their views of how the world is or should be”. • Achievers and Strivers: Status orientated Status-­‐orientated consumers, in short, “have or seek a secure place in a valued social setting”. • Experiencers and Makers: Action oriented Action-­‐oriented consumers, in short, “like to affect their environment in tangible ways”. • Strugglers Strugglers, in short, “are constricted. Their interests are narrow, their actions and dreams limited by their low level of resources”. These behavioural and decision-­‐making patterns will undoubtedly have a significant influence on consumer culture.

Table of Contents :

• CHAPTER Introduction
  • 1.1 Introduction
  • 1.2 The social dimension of graphic design
  • 1.3 The social challenge of graphic design: The ethical imperative
  • 1.4 The challenge for graphic design education
  • 1.5 Problem statement and motivation for the study
  • 1.6 Research question
  • 1.6.1 Subsidiary questions
  • 1.7 Layout of the study
  • 1.8 Recapitulation of comments
• CHAPTER Literature Study
  • 2.1 Introduction
  • 2.2 Background
  • 2.3 A history of design
  • 2.4 Humanity and design
  • 2.5 Design
  • 2.6 Graphic Design
  • 2.6.1 A history of graphic design
  • 2.6.2 What is graphic design?
  • 2.6.2.1 The elements of graphic design
  • 2.6.2.2 Graphic design as communication
  • 2.6.2.3 Functions of graphic design
  • 2.6.2.4 The use of graphic design
  • 2.6.2.5 The relationship between the graphic designer and the client
  • 2.6.2.6 Globalisation and graphic design
  • 2.6.2.7 The demands placed on a graphic designer as a person
  • 2.6.2.8 Graphic design ethics
  • 2.6.2.9 The professional responsibility of the graphic designer
  • 2.6.2.10 Who is a graphic designer?
  • 2.6.2.11 Implications for educating the graphic designer
  • 2.7 Graphic design education
  • 2.7.1 Arts education as foundation of graphic design education
  • 2.7.2 The relationship between arts education and graphic design education
  • 2.7.3 Consolidation of graphic design education
  • 2.7.4 Educating the post-­‐modern student
  • 2.7.4.1 The physical world has changed
  • 2.7.4.2 The world of work has changed
  • 2.7.4.3 The post-­‐modern student has changed
  • 2.8 Requirements for graphic design education
  • 2.8.1 Intelligence
  • 2.8.2 Creativity and imagination
  • 2.8.2.1 Creativity in young children
  • 2.8.2.2 Creativity at adolescence
  • 2.8.2.3 Improving creative skills
  • 2.8.2.4 Creative thinking skills
  • 2.8.2.5 The visual brain
  • 2.8.2.6 Teaching that hinders creativity
  • 2.9 Traditional teaching methods
  • 2.9.1 Analysing art
  • 2.9.2 Education by means of movement
  • 2.9.2.1 Goal setting
  • 2.9.2.2 Drama, theatre and role-­‐plays
  • 2.9.2.3 Energisers
  • 2.9.2.4 Cross-­‐laterals
  • 2.9.2.5 Stretching
  • 2.9.3 Using dialogue in education
  • 2.9.4 Utilising emotions in education
  • 2.9.4.1 Expression
  • 2.9.4.2 Movement
  • 2.9.4.3 Stakes
  • 2.9.4.4 Novelty
  • 2.9.4.5 Sharing
  • 2.9.4.6 Apprenticeships
  • 2.9.4.7 Think big
  • 2.9.5 Picture books as educational tool
  • 2.9.6 The role of the community of inquest in education
  • 2.9.6.1 Shared thoughts
  • 2.9.6.2 Impartiality
  • 2.9.6.3 Challenging as a procedure
  • 2.9.6.4 Reading
  • 2.9.6.5 Questioning
  • 2.9.6.6 Discussion
  • 2.9.7 Education through entertainment
  • 2.9.8 Learning from the experience of others
  • 2.9.9 The teaching of drawing techniques
  • 2.9.10 Education and comprehension
  • 2.9.11 Education and concentration
  • 2.10 Facilitating authentic lifelong learning
  • 2.10.1 Learning – a constructivist epistemology
  • 2.10.2 Authentic learning
  • 2.10.3 Facilitating learning
  • 2.10.4 Human qualities
  • 2.11 Recapitulation of comments
• CHAPTER Research Design
  • 3.1 Introduction
  • 3.2 Research premises: delineating paradigmatic assumptions and perspectives
  • 3.2.1 Ontological assumptions
  • 3.2.2 Epistemological assumptions
  • 3.2.3 Assumptions about human nature
  • 3.2.4 Methodological preferences
  • 3.2.5 Delineating a mode of inquiry
  • 3.3 Research sites
  • 3.4 Research design
  • 3.4.1 Research methodology
  • 3.4.1.1 Action research
  • 3.4.1.2 Participatory action research
  • 3.4.1.3 Case study research
  • 3.4.2 Describing the population
  • 3.4.3 Describing the sample
  • 3.4.4 Data collection techniques
  • 3.4.4.1 Literature study
  • 3.4.4.2 Observations, field notes and a reflective journal
  • 3.4.4.3 Interviews
  • 3.4.5 Data analysis strategies
  • 3.4.6 Data interpretation
  • 3.5 Quality assurance: data verification
  • 3.5.1 Crystallisation
  • 3.5.2 Peer examination and member checks
  • 3.5.3 Collaborative research and long-­‐term observation
  • 3.5.4 Clearing researcher bias – a community of graphic design education researchers
  • 3.6 Possible contributions of the study
  • 3.7 The role of the researcher
  • 3.8 Ethical considerations
  • 3.9 Delimiters of the research
  • 3.10 Possible additional limitations and challenges with proposed solutions
  • 3.11 Recapitulation of comments
• CHAPTER Empirical Study
  • 4.1 Introduction
  • 4.2 Cycle 1: Exploring the current graphic design education and professional landscape
  • 4.2.1 Identify
  • 4.2.2 Plan
  • 4.2.3 Action
  • 4.2.4 Observe
  • 4.2.5 Reflect
  • 4.2.6 Review
  • 4.3 Cycle 2: Improving my educational practices to ensure the acquisition of the essential artistic quality of creativity
  • 4.3.1 Identify
  • 4.3.2 Plan
  • 4.3.2.1 The learning task design
  • 4.3.3 Action
  • 4.3.4 Observe
  • 4.3.4.1 Learning task execution through authentic learning, metalearning and co-­‐operative learning
  • 4.3.4.2 Learning task feedback and consolidation, as well as associated action research actions
  • 4.3.5 Reflect
  • 4.3.5.1 The learning task presentation
  • 4.3.5.2 The learning task execution through authentic learning, metalearning and co-­‐operative learning
  • 4.3.5.3 Learning task feedback and consolidation, as well as associated action research actions
  • 4.3.6 Review
  • 4.4 Cycle 3: Improving my educational practices to ensure the acquisitionmof the professional quality of continuous, independent, increasing expertise in creativity within an interdependent, co-­‐operative, value based community of graphic design practitioners
  • 4.4.1 Identify
  • 4.4.2 Plan
  • 4.4.2.1 The learning task design
  • 4.4.3 Action
  • 4.4.4 Observe
  • 4.4.4.1 The learning task execution through authentic learning, metalearning and co-­‐operative learning
  • 4.4.4.2 Learning task feedback and consolidation, as well as associated action research actions
  • 4.4.5 Reflect
  • 4.4.6 Review
  • 4.5 Cycle 4: Improving my educational practices to ensure the acquisitionmof the essential personal quality of maximising human potential
  • 4.5.1 Identify
  • 4.5.2 Plan
  • 4.5.2.1 The learning task design
  • 4.5.3 Action
  • 4.5.4 Observe
  • 4.5.4.1 The learning task execution through authentic learning, metalearning
  • and co-­‐operative learning
  • 4.5.4.2 Learning task feedback and consolidation, as well as associated action research actions
  • 4.5.5 Reflect
  • 4.5.6 Review
  • 4.6 Cycle 5: Improving my educational practices to ensure the acquisition of the essential leadership quality of an enlightened change agent
  • 4.6.1 Identify
  • 4.6.2 Plan
  • 4.6.2.1 The learning task design
  • 4.6.3 Action
  • 4.6.4 Observe
  • 4.6.4.1 The learning task execution through authentic learning, metalearning and co-­‐operative learning
  • 4.6.4.2 Learning task feedback and consolidation, as well as associated action research actions
  • 4.6.5 Reflect
  • 4.6.6 Review
  • 4.7 Recapitulation of comments
• CHAPTER Conclusions and Recommendations
  • 5.1 Introduction
  • 5.2 Conclusions regarding the action research cycles
  • 5.2.1 Conclusions: Exploring the current graphic design education and professional landscape
  • 5.2.1.1 Most dominant and preferred teaching method
  • 5.2.1.2 Preparedness for career
  • 5.2.1.3 Your view of the ideal world in which quality of life is enhanced
  • 5.2.1.4 Role of graphic designer to create an ideal world
  • 5.2.1.5 Human qualities that are essential for a graphic designer to possess
  • 5.2.2 Conclusion: Improving my educational practices to ensure the acquisition of the essential artistic quality of creativity a graphic designer should possess
  • 5.2.3 Conclusion: Improving my educational practices to ensure the acquisition of the essential professional qualities a graphic designer should possess
  • 5.2.4 Conclusion: Improving my educational practices to ensure the acquisition of the essential personal quality of maximising human potential
  • 5.2.5 Conclusion: Improving my educational practices to ensure the acquisition of the essential leadership quality of a lightened change agent that a graphic designer should possess
  • 5.2.6 A final conclusion regarding the acquisition of essential human qualities
  • 5.3 Suggestions for future research
  • 5.4 Shortcomings of the study
  • 5.5 Conclusions

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