Digital Commons Network^™

Visual/Verbal Meaning Collaboration In Redefining Interplay., Susan Hagan

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The study of visual/verbal design has not yet resulted in effective principles of practice and analysis for the designer because our reigning perspectives either recast visual messages as objects to be “read,” reduce textual elements to unexamined “background material,” or remove message interests altogether in order to focus on the “presentation” of ideas separated from the ideas themselves. Given particular goals, these reducibility assumptions can yield reasonable, if incomplete, analyses. This fact explains both the persistence and popularity of these assumptions in light of their limitations. However, these assumptions ignore the status of visual and verbal elements as sui generis …

Profiling The Designer: How Are The Design Professions Perceived?, T W Allan Whitfield, Gillian Smith

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper draws upon the results of two large-scale investigations into the public’s perceptions of the design professions. The first was a comparative study involving matched samples of Australians and South Koreans. Carried out within the framework of occupational prestige assessment (e.g. Daniel, 1983), it sought to position the design professions in terms of social standing relative to a range of other professions and occupations. It also provided a comparison of how designers perceived themselves against how the public perceived them (Chung and Whitfield, 1999; Whitfield and Smith, 2003). The second was the most extensive field survey so far undertaken …

Futuregraduate: The Role Of Assessment Within Design Education., Debra Ehmann

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Do assessment practices within graphic design degree programmes emphasise skills and attributes relevant to a design student that no longer exists? This research questions the nature of assessment tasks in design degree programmes and considers how they shape the student experience. The intention is to put forward a model of assessment practice to support learning for understanding, where students engage in discussion, negotiation and argument (Brew 1999) in order to become independent learners.

Designing In A Multicultural World., Konstantinos Syrmos, John Boult, Ray Holland

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The purpose of this study is to investigate a new paradigm in consumer behaviour, which is a conceptual framework to study how consumers behave through theoretical categories originating within different cultures. As individuals we belong to different cultures, but all of us belong to a cultural group called consumer culture, where design and branding play a major part when it comes to decision making. Today’s consumers are brand weary. They are surrounded by brands; they use brands and in many occasions identify themselves with the brand.

Designerly Research: Towards Design's Own Research Paradigm., Fatina Saikaly

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Design research draws on different research paradigms from both the sciences and the humanities. Two empirical works about design research at the doctoral level demonstrated the emergence of a research paradigm distinct from research in the sciences and the humanities. The first empirical work was a comparative study of ten Ph.D. programmes in design. The selected cases were from different geographical-cultural contexts. The study of each case was divided into three parts: the study of the programme, the study of a selected Ph.D. thesis and an interview with the coordinator of the programme or with a Ph.D. supervisor. The second …

The Panoramic Narrative And The Production Of Historical Consciousness: This Is Australia., Denise Whitehouse

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper takes a cross-disciplinary approach drawing on developments in Australian historical and cultural studies to investigate the role of design in the production of national cultures and more specifically the construction of colonising histories. It argues that in modern settler nations such as Australia, graphic design has had a significant role in the shaping of the public imagination of nationhood. This paper investigates the historical involvement of the graphic designer in constructing the visual vocabulary and communication strategies of the modern panoramic narrative and its origins in 1930s when business and government turned to modern design to bring aesthetic …

Generative Design: A Paradigm For Design Research., Jon Mccormack, Alan Dorin, Troy Innocent

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Generative design offers new modes of aesthetic experience based on the incorporation of system dynamics into the production of artifact and experience. In this paper, we review a number of processes that can be explored by designers and suggest how design as a discipline can benefit from this research. These processes include self-organization, swarm systems and ant colonies, evolution, and generative grammars. We give examples on the application of these processes to creativity and design.

Interpreting Graphic Design: Cultural Imaginaries And Social Productions., Raymond Donovan, Leong K Chan

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Graphic design influences and shapes the production and interpretation of cultural information and visual knowledge. The Australian Socio-Graphic AIDS Project (AGAP) locates graphic design as a social process in the production of epidemic knowledge, applying a textual-visual analysis to the images and messages of public health prevention campaigns, including brochures, posters and videos. It documents the influence of government policies and community-sector ideologies in the formulation of safer sex campaigns: how campaigns shape public knowledge of the epidemic; how graphic images generate social meanings about the epidemic; and how cultural responses influence designers in a morally charged arena. The research …

The Big Brand: Designing A National Identity System. A New Australian Flag And Supporting Ensigns., Russell Kennedy

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The paper tests the Advance Australia National Flag in the context of an extended visual identity program. The colonial flag system used by the Britain to brand its empire has provided an insight into the possible implementation of any new Australian flag design. The flag of the colonising country assumes a position of dominance in the canton or first quarter. The individual symbol or badge of the colony is then positioned in the field (prominent back ground colour) of the flag. If it is important for Australia to retain its state flags then any new Australian flag design should consider …

Hermeneutics And Cross-Cultural Design: Reflections On Community Consultation And Collaboration By Designers In Fairfield, Sydney., Susan Stewart

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper looks at design as cultural activity and cultural production. Specifically, it looks at design of the built-environment within the context of culturally diverse communities, especially those communities within which both recent migrants and more established residents are in the process of negotiating new, cross-cultural, local identities. What is the role of the designer within such contexts? As bearer of an authoritative western professional tradition, the designer is a powerful figure within any cross-cultural negotiation. Where do the responsibilities of such professionals lie? Traditionally the answers to such questions have been guided by conceptions of the designer as either …

Bathing The Dog: Research-Based Practice At The Experimental Nexus Of Art And Design., Darragh O'Brien, Jo Dane

DRS Biennial Conference Series

There is much academic debate on the idea of design practice as research; Dickey (2002), for example, refers to research as “a fact-based activity” and design practice as “a series of subjective commitments”. Langer (1942) suggests that although objects may express ideas, those ideas are not presented as a legitimate form of language, thus cannot be compared with the discursive properties of the written word. For over fifty years, such comments have polarized academic opinion, suggesting that research and design practice are somehow mutually exclusive. The intention of this paper is to examine design research as a liminal pursuit where …

Indigenous Knowledge And Visual Philosophy., Norm Sheehan

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper presents Indigenous Australian knowledge as a visual philosophy founded in a relational patterning ontology that is enmeshed at all levels within the mutual, living knowledge of the world. Visual design methodologies related to Indigenous Philosophy are then applied as an explanative visual ‘text’ that examines the nature of the appearances of things to visual perception. Then the visual artefacts of Aboriginal Australia are positioned as the philosophic texts of these many diverse and individuated yet related cultures. Visual Philosophy is then applied to contemporary understandings of design and human perception as a basis for further possibilities.

Creating A Space For Practicing Designers To Intellectualise; Bringing Theory To Life For Designers., Richelle Harun

DRS Biennial Conference Series

A number of barriers exist to engaging professional designers with discussions of theory, the industry is relatively young and design practice is both time pressured and fast changing, with designers moving rapidly from project to project. This is coupled with a lack of substantive provision of continual professional development which can isolate designers from contemporary debate. Additionally, designers have a preferred learning style that can disconnect them from theory, having a tendency to favour exploratory or trial and error methods rather than seek academic models. The remit of this research has been the integration of theory and practice focusing in …

Re-Viewing The Heart: Making Sense Of Building Babel., Dorita Hannah

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The 'Heart of PQ' was the central thematic exhibition in the 2003 Prague Quadrennial (a four yearly international exposition on stage design and theatre architecture) that focussed on the senses-in-performance. As a site-specific installation within the Middle Hall of Prague's Industrial Palace it sought to challenge, disrupt and eliminate the borders that traditionally exist in theatre, so new relationships could be explored between the body and the built. The notion of gathering performers from a number of continents and placing them in a shared space to explore the limits of built form and their own bodies is, on one hand, …

Designing Text For The Screen: Setting Out The Criteria For The Legibility Of Type Designed To Be Read From The Computer Screen., Stuart Gluth

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The legibility of text on the computer screen appears to be one of the most important problems that designers have currently, or any communicators perhaps. It may be that the paperless office has not come about largely because of the difficulty of reading text on the screen. More forests of paper than ever seem to be being consumed just so that people can read the vastly increased amount of information that their computers give them access to. Nor are high tech solutions such as greater screen resolution or non-screen presentations a solution for the majority of users because of cost …

Leading Business Pioneer Shares Secrets To Success, Grant Brashier

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss – Bill Rayburn, CEO of the nation's leading provider of software products for the collateral industry shared with University of Mississippi students several insights to running a successful business and revealed the company's plans for a campus recruiting session to fill job openings.

Meeting Notes 2004-11-17 , Joint Policy Advisory Committee On Transportation

Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation

No abstract provided.

Women, War And Peace: Mobilizing For Security And Justice In The 21st Centruy, Noeleen Heyzer

Joan B. Kroc Distinguished Lecture Series

Table of Contents:

Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice--p.4.
Joan B. Kroc Distinguished Lecture Series--p.6.
Biography--p.10.
Interview--p.12.
Introduction by Dr. Dee. Aker--p.24.
Lecture--p.27.
Questions and Answers--p.44.
Related Resources--p.52.
About the University of San Diego--p.58.

Willy Porter To Play At Iwu, Leslie Boelter

News and Events (Discontinued Series)

No abstract provided.

The Eastern Echo, November 17, 2004, Eastern Michigan University

EMU Student Newspaper: The Normal News & The Eastern Echo

No abstract provided.

The Advocate (Vol. 2, Issue 6)

Student Newspaper (Amicus, Advocate...)

No abstract provided.

The Research-Exhibition: Some Useful On-Line Media For This Alternative Publication Format Of The Design Research Community., Alec Robertson

DRS Biennial Conference Series

There is occasional discussion and studies done on the nature of design research and the success of its publication formats (1)(2)(3)(4). The topic was pursued by Rust and Robertson (5), who explored the notion of the ‘Research- Exhibition’ as an alternative to the research-paper at the DRS Biennial 2002 Common Ground Conference. This paper builds upon the experience of work on the on-line record of the experimental DRS Common Ground Exhibition 2002 (6), and reminds us of some of the general background issues identified by Rust and Robertson, its co- organisers. It provides further modest pointers as to possible use …

Deconstruction Sites: An Interpretive Case Study Of The Design Of The Emerging Cultural Landscape., Vince Dziekan

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper will critique museum spaces as an “institution” of artistic practice and evaluate the designed relationship of art to space and its predispositions. The research will investigate how artworks are not only accommodated by the architectural realization of physical spaces but also by the way that their design (acting as a “framework”) structures types of resulting art practices that can be supported and privileged by those spaces. Recognizing the intertwining of such design concerns has implications that extend to artistic practice, curatorship and art history.

The London Coffee Bar 'Problem' Of The 1950s - An Eclectic Design Challenge To The Universalism Of Modernism., Matthew Partington

DRS Biennial Conference Series

In his 1957 article, ‘Shoes, Hair and Coffee’, Toni del Renzio identified London coffee bars as one of the places where, ‘a real and genuine popular modern architecture is being created, as outstanding and as anonymous as the gipsy baroque of the fairground used to be. It is in undeniable opposition to the timid, dull and understated pretentiousness that does duty for modern English architecture.' This paper will compare this description of a ‘genuine popular modern architecture’ with other articles about coffee bars in the design and architecture journals of the mid nineteen fifties4.

Circa (Computer Interactive Reminiscence And Conversation Aid): The Collaborative Research Process In Context Challenge., Gary Gowans, Jim Campbell

DRS Biennial Conference Series

There are estimated to be more than eighteen million Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) sufferers worldwide. Other dementia related clinical condi tions would significantly expand this estimation, and with human populations progressively becoming older, the incidence of age-related cognitive impairment is set to grow proportionately. Quality of reminiscence therapy can vary enormously depending upon many variables e.g. availability of resources, location, type of care environment etc. Current practice often relies upon physical props, e.g. old photo-albums.

Embodied Interaction - Designing Beyond The Physical-Digital Divide., Pelle Ehn, Per Linde

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The physical and digital worlds are wide apart. Each has its own design professionals: product designers and human-computer interaction experts. However, as computers are becoming ubiquitous, embedded in our everyday objects and environments and embodied in the way we experience them in our everyday lives, this divide becomes problematic. This dilemma is accentuated by the parallel threat of demassification, the potential loss of material and social properties when artefacts become digital. In this paper we argue for embodied interaction as a useful stance for designing beyond this physical-digital divide. This term has been coined by Paul Dourish in the phenomenological …

Romanticism Reinforced: The Construction Of Nature Through 'Green' Advertising And The Implications For Ecodesign., Marie Sierra

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper makes a critical assessment of the construction of nature through advertising. Like any other subject, the complex and rich subject of nature can be portrayed metaphorically. Due to its complexity, the idea of nature is often depicted obliquely in advertising, rather than through direct pictorial representation. There is fertile ground for this approach in the advertising of home appliances – particularly appliances designed to be ‘green’, or what is referred to in design culture as ‘ecodesign’.

Kinds Of Anthropomorphic Form., Carl Disalvo, Jodi Forlizzi, Francine Gemperle

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper is a report on ongoing basic design research into anthropomorphic forms in design. With this research, we are building a core of design knowledge to inform both design studies and design practice. Our intention is to present an understanding of anthropomorphic forms that can be used for the interpretation and critique of existing forms and provide guidance in the use of anthropomorphic forms in new products. Towards these ends we are interested in three fundamental questions; what are the kinds of anthropomorphic forms, how are anthropomorphic forms created, and how are anthropomorphic forms used. In this paper we …

Models Of Design Intervention., Gisele Raulik

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The paper investigates National/Regional design initiatives and specifically those aimed at the small and medium business sector (SMEs)a. The role of such SME organisations is generally seen as critical to both economic and social development of their countries. The term ‘Design Intervention’ has been coined to express that area of ‘Design Initiative or Advisory Activity’, which actually delivers or acts as what we believe can be easily comprehended as a “bridge” between companies and design resources. The aim of this study is to understand how this bridge has been set up by various initiatives, what key issues are common faced, …

Design, Drawing And Dialogue Interaction In Computer-Supported Collaborative Work (Cscw) In Design., Phebe Mann

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Most research studies looking at computer-supported collaborative design have focused on either synchronous or asynchronous modes of communication, but near-synchronous working has received relatively little attention. Yet it could be argued that near-synchronous communication encourages creative, rhetorical and critical exchanges of ideas, building on each other’s contributions. Although many researchers have carried out studies on collaborative design protocols (Cross, 1997; Gabriel and Maher 1999; Peng, 1994), argumentation and constructive interaction (Baker, 1999), but little is known about the interaction between drawing and dialogue in collaborative design. This research explored and established the needs of design students engaged in collaborative design …