GRC 320 Design Methods & Research Fall 2015
Syllabus 3 credits Online Instructor Eileen Medinger, Ph.D. Eileen.Medinger@UNLV.edu 203-770-8463 Office hours: by appointment
Getting Started Before beginning the first research project in Module 1, please: • Review the Syllabus and post one comment or question to the designated discussion forum • Introduce yourself and include your expectations for the class in the designated discussion forum
Introduction Research is essential to all professional practice. Its methods are used to determine and solve relevant problems in a field of knowledge and to contribute to the specialized discourse and theoretical foundations of professional disciplines. In academic terms, the discipline of graphic design is relatively young and, consequently, its position within academia and the roles and standards of its professional designers as researchers, theorists, and ethical practitioners are still being defined. Stakeholders seek to define graphic design from within and beyond the discipline. Interdisciplinary perspectives and the adoption and application of research methods that distinguish academic disciplines support the acceptance of graphic design within the wider academy. As you will see, the processes and concepts of research, particularly qualitative research, are interdisciplinary and broadly applicable. Research methodologies are often specific to a discipline, reflecting its particular nature, structure, and intentions, but in general most research begins with a question or problem that is open to investigation, an intentional procedure or plan for its investigation, with an expectation of new knowledge that can transform or synthesize existing theories and practices, and a means of communicating and sharing its outcomes. When we think about graphic design as a profession, it is more than the study of technique and technology, more than form and function; its practitioners are more than visual problem solvers, content packagers, and experts in aesthetics. Although visual design has is often undertood to be based on intuition and talent, historically, its professional practice has included the testing and implementing of theories and principles of visual perception. These activities are foundational to visual research. Through this research, graphic designers confirm the replicability, reliability, and effectiveness of the concepts, principles, and strategies of professional practice that they use to create the visual ideas, products, and experiences that describe, communicate, or persuade as required. Research is integral to sustaining and developing design practice and process and requires graphic designers to learn and develop abilities to research and analyze. The emergence of postmodern ideas has impacted most aspects of culture and society, changing the way we understand, communicate, and generate knowledge. We will explore ideas of the postmodern as they relate to visual design (particularly in Module 3), graphic design as a professional practice, and their influence on our assumptions, the questions we ask, and even the methods we use to test and explore. Technology has had its own impact, enabling us to perceive new kinds of information and making the invisible perceptible. It has allowed us to manipulate and process large volumes of complex and diverse data and present information in relational, dynamic, and multimedia formats. Researchers/practitioners are developing the methodological tools that leverage the richness and complexity of new frameworks and practices. This is the context in which practice-led research is developing and responding. The first 3 modules of the course focus on the subjects of our visual research: Research about Design, to understand the context, history, perspectives, criticism and practitioners in the field; Research in Design, to test design principles and practices, and to experiment to discover new possibilities in processes, tools, materials and principles; Research through Design, or the development of new artifacts to communicate new knowledge, in new ways, using graphic design principles and practices to investigate and design information, and visualize data.