Design is a discipline which works across mediums. Architectural design is concerned with designing spaces for habitation, for commerce and for memorial. Graphic design is concerned with making artifacts (digital and physical) that convey information, ideas and emotions. Art and Design is an expression of human thoughts, desires, and history through various medium. Design makes statements, creates narratives and can offer insight. It is about the conveyance of our thoughts, dreams and history.
Studying Design through the lens of rhetorical criticism provides us with a toolset to peel back the layers of representation and reveal the underlying motives. This approach can be used to examine the architectural elements in a post-modernist structure, highlighting references to previous design histories. This, in turn, gives us a perspective on post-modernism in general. Through examining design artifacts, we can learn how visual arguments are made. We can see the narrative of an architectural space through thoughtful analysis.
The Rhetoric of Design is a course which applies rhetorical analysis and critique to design artifacts and spaces. It uses the duality of visual rhetoric and design thinking to build a synthesis that will equip you will the necessary skills to make meaningful interpretations of the designed objects you encounter. To this end, much of the semester will be spent engaging with the objects, buildings and spaces we encounter every day. We read critical accounts by others of places and things far and near. We are going to do the same with what is here in our own area, applying critical thinking to what is around us. It requires stepping out of the role as a student, and into the role of a researcher. It is not just what is learned, but how it is applied. What we discover will be shared with others in our class, and the public at large.
Course Objectives
- Through readings you will be exposed to several different theories and schools of thought that will help you build a valuable vocabulary in describing and critiquing design elements and artifacts.
- Engage with the world around you to apply readings to real-life situations, where as an observer you capture, analyze and catalog artifacts for others to use.
- Generate research on a chosen topic, utilizing both readings and observation to synthesize critique.