RESEARCH < posted November 5, 2001 >

THE ROLE OF DESIGN
Quotes and other relevant research finding related to the topic of the role of design in news mediums.


"The horrendous events of 9/11 ushered in a new age of semiotic warfare, laying low not only countless lives but those very symbols that had been assumed- perhaps arrogantly, certainly naively-invulnerable. Amidst the telegenic blur of images that has forever marked this point in history-from the endlessly repeated snapshots of horror to the proliferation of red-white-and-blue everything-it is more important than ever for designers to understand the responsibility they have as authors and translators of the world's symbolic lingua franca. Image making, it turns out, is not ethically neutral territory..."

"Indeed, history bears witness to numerous instances in which designers, photographers and illustrators have aided and abetted tyranny. On a strictly aesthetic level, Goebbels' Nazi propaganda machine produced "good" design: clean, well-kerned typography, innovative use of imagery, balanced compositions."

[source: AIGA Design Forum article titled "The Significance of Symbols." Accessed online on 11.2.2001 at: http://designforum.aiga.org/content.cfm?CategoryID=6 ]

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"Readers respond to familiarity. A newspaper that shifts from black and white to color in one fell swoop will probably turn off its reliable readership. However, the gradual introduction of color in feature stories, entertainment, travel and food pages can grab readers' attention and pull them through a story."

"Readers assign significance to color. If a story has color in the background the reader sees it as more important. Color is an eye mover, it guides you," says Dr. Mario Garcia, an affiliate of the Poynter Institute, a non-profit media research and educational institution.'

"...readers 'take in color subliminally, but that they are aware of branding. If a paper uses green for a logo the reader would miss it if it wasn't there.'"

"Pegie Stark Adam, also an affiliate at Poynter, in her extensive research on color use in print journalism has concluded that the tone of a piece can be altered by its use of color. 'Color is not decoration, it is information, giving readers clues and emotions and responses whether they are aware of it or not.'"

"According to Adam, 'Color can be used as an information device in very specific ways, such as a punctuation device to help the reader travel through the journey of the page. Color can be used to unify elements in a package.' It is the job of writers working jointly with editors and designers to visually enhance a story to fit its journalistic intent. The use of color should provide balance and stability, it shouldn't draw the reader away from the content of a print journalism."

"Garcia says, 'readers love color and it does attract, especially for younger readers.' He says that the use of color behind a small brief will draw in more readers than a black and white column."

[source: Garcia, Mario R. "What Color Means in the Daily Press" posted on the Resources > Archives section of Garcia Media's web site. Accessed online on 11.2.01 at: http://www.mariogarcia.com/resources/colortip.html ]