Across Disciplines

Abstract

The visual communication of word, meaning and content too often is overlooked in graphic design studies. Graphic design students commonly create designs in which content plays a secondary role while emphasis is placed upon aesthetic and visceral approaches. This predicament derives from the students’ lack of guidance in comprehending, creating and transmitting written information. An examination of common collaborations in undergraduate studies indicates that a range of disciplines other than writing are often combined with graphic design. However, graphic design should be visual communication through word and image. Therefore, words should play an integral role in graphic design education. The question then arises: What kind of words could possibly provide content that stimulates change within graphic design studies? Literature poses great potential. It is an ever-evolving, multi-faceted discipline, which places emphasis on aesthetics. An analysis of the relationships between literature and graphic design indicates that numerous commonalities exist. Key examples of parallelisms occur within the realms of: Imagist poetry, visible words, words in motion, fairy tale animation and digital media. In conclusion, literature offers a valuable and diverse content base with the capacity to inspire and enrich today’s visually oriented graphic design studies.