The Social in the Visual

In this blog, we’ve discussed the idea of the ‘rhetoric of neutrality’ before. Now it’s time to look at one of things that rhetoric was not really designed for: humour. While the research going on at this blog has been exploring the special powers of information graphics, it has been informing some of the teaching we do in our day jobs. At ECU we run a vector illustration class with a focus on information design. The image shown here is from one of our students, Mr Scott Malcolm. This is his response to a brief which asked students to map out graphically something they feel strongly about. Most students choose to look at environmental and/or social/health concerns. Such concern for others is heartening to see, of course, and, in fact the reason for our research. Every now and then though, as in Mr Malcolm’s submission, the content breaks the mould and helps to highlight the fact that this form of graphic design is almost exclusively devoted to serious subject matter. We’re intested in these unusual approaches to the form, not just for a good time, but because our research has at its foundation the idea of accessibility. Humour can slip under the guard of many stony-faced conventions to subvert messages and to help make for memorable communication.

Can you help us think of some serious topics that might benefit from this ironic use of information design?