Teaching Teachers: Learning through Graphic Literacy

What is Communication Design?
The Denmark’s Designskole (Danish School of Design) defines design as a systematic, methodological process of visual and expressive ordering. Others such as Professor Bruce Archer from the Department of Design and Technology, Loughborough University coins the term design as “starting with the general and working down to the particular.” The term communication design has strong ties to both of these statements. Perhaps communication design can also be the transmission of visual, verbal information solved by methods of research? Quite long though… I’m sure most of us at some point or another have been asked what actually is “graphic design or communication design” and at some point we have stumbled on our answers. Still in most dictionaries there is no meaning for communication design and graphic design is humbled to the definition of “the art or skill of combining text and pictures in advertisements, magazines, or books.” (Oxford American Dictionaries) I think the (Danish School of Design) has something when they define the term as expressive ordering. Communication design contains all fields of practice of the visual but the difference could be that this problem solving process is directed towards a professional goal or outcome. More to come on this one as I believe it can be one of many problems in communication design education.

Communication Design Education and Research
Why is research important in design education?
Maybe a better point to start would be how thought processes differ in research, practice and current design learning. Edward De Bono in his writings on Vertical and Lateral thinking explains the key differences to these processes which relate directly to current design education. Vertical thinking is predominately logical, reasonable and careful while Lateral thinking explores different options. He also goes on to suggest that new ideas come from Lateral thinking. In the article “Educating Designers in the Digital Age” Mervyn Kurlansky explains the importance of De Bono’s thoughts in todays digital age of design. Mr. Kurlansky gives a warning to the vertical thinking processes, the computer, and explores alternatives of mix thinking concepts for design educators. This excerpt on vertical and lateral thinking could be a identifiable launch in design education research, curriculum development and how we may use a design approach to communication design education.
(to be continued)