Critical and artistic dimensions of graphic design : a case study of Sulki and Min's practice as graphic design research

Abstract

The subject and purpose of research in graphic design, or “graphic design research”, is often framed under dominant definitions of “graphic design” within the profession. This is generally defined as “the production of visual solutions to communication problems” (Bennett and Vulpinari 2011) and is closely tied to commissioned-based, mass-produced, or market-based requirements or demands (see Walker 1989, 29), measured and validated through quantifiable outcomes (Bennett 2006, Noble and Bestley 2005, Skaggs 2017, etc.). However, the larger field of “design research” (Simon 1969, Schön 1983, Cross 2007a, etc.)—where graphic design research could be considered a part of—is moving away from its pragmatic and instrumentalist past towards diversified approaches. This is to search for an epistemological foundation for research rooted in design activity (Glanville 2015, Jonas 2016, Rodgers and Yee 2015, etc.). With this move, the field presents an opportunity to consider alternative forms of graphic design practices that do not reflect the dominant characteristics specified above and are seldom studied in academic literature due to their difficult classification. Specifically, this research posits and examines critical and artistic forms of graphic design practices as “graphic design research”. Provisionally, such practices can be defined as alternative forms of design practice that involves research and critique either towards conventions of the discipline and profession or towards broader cultural or societal issues (Dunne 2008, Laranjo 2017a, Malpass 2017, etc.). In arguing for critical and artistic graphic design practice’s position and contribution as graphic design research, this dissertation first reviews scholarly literature in “design research” and “graphic design research” to find points of convergences between the two fields. It then surveys a range of academic and para-academic materials (Laranjo 2017a, Bailey 2014, Malpass 2017, etc.) surrounding critical and artistic graphic design practice to theoretically arrive at key characteristics of such practices. Finally, this research identifies the practice of Sulki and Min as one that is critical and artistic and examines it in relation to the findings from the earlier two sections. This is presented as an in-depth case study of their ideas, works, and broader engagements. Overall, this research arrives at insights on how critical and artistic graphic design practices can be considered forms of research and how they contribute to the growing graphic design research discourse, hence arguing for its broader relevance in the graphic design discipline. These insights present useful points of departure for developing other specific understandings (i.e., methodological, pedagogical, etc.) of critical and artistic graphic design practices in future research.