Abstract
Graphic design is a conceptual activity that draws heavily on acquired design knowledge through practice. The role that designers place on knowledge of social contexts in their conceptual processes is highly variable and often unrecognised or undervalued by them in their practice. The ethnographic study upon which this paper is based used case studies to investigate this question. It considered the relative importance that a number of New Zealand graphic designers placed on bringing contextual knowledge into their practice. Graphic designers in the study had varying experience and worked in different types of firms and areas of the graphic design field. The paper takes the practice of two of the designers in the study to consider the value they placed on social and contextual knowledge relative to their work. Pierre Bourdieu's theories of structure, disposition and practice are used to suggest ways in which the cultural capital upon which designers draw is built up and contributes to the formation of dispositions expressed through practice in their field. Bourdieu's idea of field is discussed as a means of relating varying cultural capital to groups and interests related to graphic design.
Citation
Mauger, S. (2004) Relating Social Contextual Knowledge to Graphic Designers' Practice., in Redmond, J., Durling, D. and de Bono, A (eds.), Futureground - DRS International Conference 2004, 17-21 November, Melbourne, Australia. https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/drs-conference-papers/drs2004/researchpapers/136
Relating Social Contextual Knowledge to Graphic Designers' Practice.
Graphic design is a conceptual activity that draws heavily on acquired design knowledge through practice. The role that designers place on knowledge of social contexts in their conceptual processes is highly variable and often unrecognised or undervalued by them in their practice. The ethnographic study upon which this paper is based used case studies to investigate this question. It considered the relative importance that a number of New Zealand graphic designers placed on bringing contextual knowledge into their practice. Graphic designers in the study had varying experience and worked in different types of firms and areas of the graphic design field. The paper takes the practice of two of the designers in the study to consider the value they placed on social and contextual knowledge relative to their work. Pierre Bourdieu's theories of structure, disposition and practice are used to suggest ways in which the cultural capital upon which designers draw is built up and contributes to the formation of dispositions expressed through practice in their field. Bourdieu's idea of field is discussed as a means of relating varying cultural capital to groups and interests related to graphic design.