Why is graphic design hiding in plain sight?

Despite a healthy market, graphic design is statistically invisible, complicating the profession‘s research discourse and its adaptability to technological change. The need for clearer definitions and understanding of graphic design remains critical.

When design forgot how to imagine

Abstract image of brick wall with shadow of bush

Design’s most valued qualities – imagination, craft, criticality – are being quietly stripped out as the discipline is sandboxed and packaged up. What happens when design forgets how to imagine?

Neither design nor thinking: the transformation of design into meaningless ritual

Barbed wire on wall with blue sky background

Design has never been more visible – yet rigorous design practice is increasingly absent. This post examines how design thinking and its offshoots hollowed out the discipline, replacing craft, critique, and accountability with process, abstraction, and performative mediocrity.

Design is not going to save the world: we’re good – but not that good

Abstract image of underground railway station.

Design's storytelling is compelling yet can oversimplify its role, risking diluting the practice and reducing its criticality. The belief in universal grand narratives about design can undermine professional practice, while reliance on reductive methods can flatten creativity. Design should focus on its specific, contextual influences rather than claiming to resolve all societal issues, promoting clarity over inflated narratives.

Graphic design & media literacy: exploring design methods?

Upsidedown orange juice bottle on in street - slightly abstract

Design is increasingly used to address societal challenges, engaging with social and cultural issues. Can graphic design contribute to media literacy educaiton by deconstructing narratives, using defamiliarisation methods, to foster critical reflection and enhance media communication understanding?