Loughborough University
Browse
2. VisualArgument-KarelvanderWaarde-2019.pdf (617.71 kB)

Graphic design as visual arguments: does this make a reliable appraisal possible?

Download (617.71 kB)
chapter
posted on 2020-09-16, 14:01 authored by Karel van der Waarde
The article shows how assessments of graphic design can be made more reliable when graphic design is approached as a visual argument. Each designed object makes a claim that it is improving a situation thereby implicitly stating that a current situation was not satisfactory. This article uses two warning pictograms as examples to show how visual information can be assessed. The pictograms warn against the risks of taking medicines while pregnant, and the potential affect of medicines on driving cars. These pictograms claim that they warn effectively about possible unwanted effects of a medicine. Toulmin’s diagram describes the relation between a claim and its supporting evidence and reasons. An application of this diagram to both pictograms shows that just assessing the claim is not sufficient, and that it is necessary to question the available evidence and reasons too. At least six different fields provides rules and principles that can be used to assess the evidence and reasons. Designers, clients, legislation and standards, professional peers, people/patients, and society can all legitimately assess the design of pictograms. One of the major challenges for graphic design is to find relevant evidence and reasons, and to consider these in such a way that a balance between the different fields is achieved.

History

School

  • Design and Creative Arts

Department

  • Design

Published in

Perspective on Design: Research, Education and Practice

Pages

89 - 101

Publisher

Springer

Version

  • AM (Accepted Manuscript)

Rights holder

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Publisher statement

The final authenticated version is available online at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32415-5_7.

Publication date

2019-11-24

Copyright date

2020

ISBN

9783030324148; 9783030324155

Book series

Springer Series in Design and Innovation; vol. 1

Language

  • en

Editor(s)

Daniel Raposo; João Neves; José Silva

Depositor

Dr Karel Van Der Waarde. Deposit date: 15 September 2020

Usage metrics

    Loughborough Publications

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC