In 2020, Parsons asked us to give a short presentation explaining the role of research in graphic design. We were supposed to shed light on our process, and perhaps inspire students working on their final projects. In this video, you will see that we rarely do any direct research for specific jobs, but instead draw upon an archive of memories and objects already in our possession. Sometimes solutions are reached spontaneously as we chat with clients; in other instances ideas are repurposed versions of unrelated projects which never came to fruition. In this sense, our ‘design process’ is about the singular flourish, the one-liner and the instant reaction, yet it also fits within a gradual continuum of long-term interests. 

Problem Solving

A graphic design project begins with a client’s brief: a summary of parameters that describe the task at hand. These restrictions will not be found in our class, for you are the author of your brief, occupying the roles of both commissioner and designer. You are a problem solver, but not in the way that phrase is commonly understood since the problems you are negotiating in a Thesis class are often personal or societal. In this lecture I will argue that it is your task to — if you will forgive the Post-Modern jargon — problematize graphic design itself, and in doing so perhaps rehabilitate it. Clarifying the scope of the study would be a helpful place to start.