Deparment of Design

Our understanding of how we perceive the world around us has changed a great deal in the last two decades. The concept of the eye and brain as passive receptors of visual stimulation has been replaced with the knowledge that perception requires a constant interaction between the mind and the environment. Many of these new discovers are not taught as part of existing curriculum though they form the basis for many projects that student are required to do. The goal of this paper is to educate designers and students on how perception functions and more importantly the way it ties into existing theories and practices used to create engaging design.

This lecture examines my attempts over the previous five years at using (Peircean) semiotic taxonomies in undergraduate graphic design classes to improve student outcomes. This includes the use of taxonomies to help expand visual diversity among student work, to bring better understanding and greater nuance to visual messaging, and to reinforce basic understandings of how perception functions. This examination will include examples of student work generated from past assignments and proposals for future projects. It will also cover the basics of how semiotic information is introduced to students, and how it is reinforced through a variety of assignments with varying degrees of success. Along with the semiotic theories of Charles Sanders Peirce, students are introduced to Umberto Eco’s thoughts on abduction, basic competing ideas from Ferdinand de Saussure, and a simplified version of John Dewey’s theory of aesthetics.