An activity theory focused case study of graphic designers' tool-mediated activities during the conceptual design phase

Search Swinburne Research Bank

Home

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/88481

Title: An activity theory focused case study of graphic designers' tool-mediated activities during the conceptual design phase
Author(s): Tan, Stella; Melles, Gavin
Abstract: Similar to other design disciplines, graphic design employs a range of symbolic and material resources through the conceptual design phase. Personal, social and technological resources are used as tools to interpret a design brief and work towards a solution. This study investigates the problem-solving process of graphic design practice within an activity theory framework, focusing on data collected using ethnographic methods concerning tool-mediated activities and strategies undertaken by three mid-weight freelance graphic designers. Employing a theory that explicitly acknowledges and diagrams the interplay between subjects, tools and tasks offers new insight into the design decision-making process, particularly the significance of tool mediation for the realization of tasks during design work.
Publication type: Journal article
Research centre: Swinburne University of Technology
Source: Design Studies, Vol. 31, no. 5, pp. 461-478
Publication year: 2010
FOR Code(s): 1203 Design Practice and Management
Keyword(s): Activity theory; Design activity; Graphic design; Problem solving
Publisher: Elsevier
ISSN: 0142-694X
Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.destud.2010.05.002
Peer reviewed