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Sabatelli_MFA Thesis.pdf (25.48 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Navigating the Design Process Through Writing: An Ethnographic Study of Academic Design Studios

Sabatelli, Madison
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5291-1784
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1595270362820823

Abstract Details

2020, Master of Fine Arts, Ohio State University, Design.
The ways thoughts are externalized is a difficult one met with many choices, first and foremost being the mode in which an idea is conveyed. While design is often thought of as visual fields defined by renderings, models, and sketches, the use of writing can be just as pertinent and necessary. This thesis sparks an investigation into how design students use writing to effectively move through the design process. Utilizing an ethnographic approach, this study examines three interdisciplinary design studios at The Ohio State University, one at the beginner level and two at the advanced level. Classroom observations of students at work, informal chats and formal interviews with key participants, and documentation of students’ process work (notes, sketches, models, and other forms of documentation used to inform a final design) all serve to paint a complete picture of the manner in which writing is used in design education. These varied means of data gathering serve to create a corpus that references the many ways in which students use writing as a part of the design process. Understanding designers’ writing aims to inform better ways of designing, suggest how to effectively communicate across disciplines, and aid in formulating a process for formally incorporating writing in design education and practice. By reflecting on a compilation of student writing practices, this study presents the modes in which we communicate design textually while reconsidering the possibility for new ones that incorporate interdisciplinary values and verbiage.
Mary Anne Beecher (Advisor)
Rebeka Matheny (Committee Member)
Laurie Katz (Committee Member)
150 p.
Design; Education
design writing, design pedagogy, design process, ethnography

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Sabatelli, M. (2020). Navigating the Design Process Through Writing: An Ethnographic Study of Academic Design Studios [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1595270362820823

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Sabatelli, Madison. Navigating the Design Process Through Writing: An Ethnographic Study of Academic Design Studios. 2020. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1595270362820823.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Sabatelli, Madison. "Navigating the Design Process Through Writing: An Ethnographic Study of Academic Design Studios." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1595270362820823

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1595270362820823
109
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.