Graphic designers – awkward prima donnas, or the nicest people you will ever work with?

Graphic designers often have a public and industry image of being argumentative prima donnas. But what is the truth and where is the research?

Yes, but what kind of design are we talking about?

Every industry from software engineering, to business, to professional services, consultancy and professional development, seemingly uses the word design in some form these days. And that’s aside from its more traditional artisanal and professional disciplinary use – fashion, graphic, product etc. – as well as within educational discourse. Indeed, within industry, asking ‘what do you … Continue reading Yes, but what kind of design are we talking about? →

Graphic design as a specific research discipline

Graphic design has tended to be seen as the poor cousin of the various design disciplines, often being seen as a secondary supplement to wider design practices (Poynor, 2011; Triggs, 2011), or even being treated as simply an aesthetic practice (Jacobs, 2017; Walker, 2017) This seems to be especially the case within academia, where it … Continue reading Graphic design as a specific research discipline →

Practical design thinking

I always liked the story about Philippe Starck and his famous lemon juicer (squeezer?) design. Lloyd and Snelders (2003) discuss it in an issue of Design Studies. They talk about how Starck used his design thinking skills to move from physically drawing a squid on a napkin, as a kind of metaphor, all the way … Continue reading Practical design thinking →