Pure Research in Communications Design:

Expanding Professional Dialogue

and Practice Through Exploration

The conventional approach to communications design is to elevate practice over theory; it is pursued with a commodified end result in mind.

However, communications design would benefit from a greater emphasis on pure research outside the constraints of commodified production.

Free exploration of materials, methods and context would allow practicioners to make profound discover-ies such as new visual languages, new substrates and new mediums.

Hypothesis

The conventional approach to communications design is to elevate practice over theory;

Practice Over Theory

1 http://graphichive.net/index.php?theType=templates

Design is pursued with a commodified end result in mind.

Commodified End Results

Commodification relies on quantifiable approaches —basing conclusions on proven, measurable results.

The logic is: what has worked in the past will continue to be effective.

“designers rely on [...] abductive reasoning—

the logic of what might be. This is the art

of creating something that’s never been

before. The vocabulary isn’t important,

but the underlying concept is:

Designers don’t copy, they create.”

citation: Good Founders

1 Pink, Daniel H. Drive, The Surprising Truth About What motivates us.

Motivation driven by the “joy of discovery and the challenge of creation”

Intrinsic Motivation

• Observation of the natural world soley for the purpose of discovering unknown laws • Driven by curiosity • Motivated by the desire to expand knowledge. • In contrast to applied research, which is research investigating a specific, defined problem for the purpose of practical application

Pure Research:

Free exploration allows practicioners to make profound discoveries...

Pure Research in Science:Louis Pasteur

Pure Research in Sociology: Emile Durkheim

Pure Research in Art: Jackson Pollock’s Action Paintings

Pure Research: in Art and Music John Cage

“Unburdened by any considerations of practical application, [...} uninhibited play with materials resulted in amazing objects, striking in their new-ness of conception in regard to use of color and compositional elements––objects of often quite barbaric beauty.”

Pure Research: Design Annie Albers

• Identify specific parameters for a series of exploratory projects

• Execute the projects

• Write a series of essays describing the outcomes

• Publish the findings in hopes of sharing the knowledge gained with other professionals.

Next Steps