Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Designer as Cultivator: An Exploration in Critical Making for the Care of Interdisciplinary Culture

Hammond, Ryan M

Abstract Details

2016, MFA, Kent State University, College of Communication and Information / School of Visual Communication Design.
Alongside design's growth as an interdisciplinary field of study and practice throughout the last century, debate has arisen as to its role in the cultivation of society. At a fundamental level, it can be considered a method of action that determines successful communication of an idea, whether that idea is forthright or implicit. As a multi-faceted field that encompasses several concentrations of specialized study, it has historically played the role of mediator between the arts and sciences—an interdisciplinary approach to communication that shares notable similarities with classical rhetoric. Because of this similarity, it has been considered a part of the new rhetoric movement that emerged in the middle of the 20th century. If designers are to be considered rhetors, they must comply with the implied responsibilities of authorship by producing work that edifies the culture in which they design. This thesis asserts that design is the space between disciplines: an interdisciplinary connector within a society of disciplinary specializations. The designer must bear responsibility for care of the culture within which they work by nurturing these commonalities—even by making evident their existence. To explore this assumption, a mix of qualitative design methods are used to locate commonalities in design thinking—these primary research findings are used in turn to create a series of prototypes that further examine the disciplinary relationships of study participants through codified audio-visual representation. As an exploration in Critical Making and Speculative Design, this study seeks to investigate the question: how might design study better facilitate interdisciplinary culture?
Ken Visocky O’Grady, MFA (Advisor)
Jessica Barness, MFA (Committee Member)
Nate Mucha, MFA (Committee Member)
68 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Hammond, R. M. (2016). Designer as Cultivator: An Exploration in Critical Making for the Care of Interdisciplinary Culture [Master's thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1470045585

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Hammond, Ryan. Designer as Cultivator: An Exploration in Critical Making for the Care of Interdisciplinary Culture. 2016. Kent State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1470045585.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Hammond, Ryan. "Designer as Cultivator: An Exploration in Critical Making for the Care of Interdisciplinary Culture." Master's thesis, Kent State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1470045585

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)