An exploration of South African visual culture and identity : case studies in graphic design

Abstract

As a result of South Africa's democratic socioeconomic and political transformation, graphic design processes have become multicultural and multilingual, bringing together designers, users, and stakeholders from different cultural backgrounds. Working in diverse cultural contexts is the current reality for South African graphic designers. Subsequently, designers are challenged to recognise and understand cultural heterogeneity in design. This study examines how South African graphic designers adapt their methods when working in unfamiliar cultural contexts. The concept of culture and how it relates to graphic design in post-apartheid South Africa is examined through interdisciplinary perspectives from Postcolonial and Indigenous theory and Cultural Studies. The central premise of this research is founded on Edward T. Hall’s (1959) theory that “culture is communication and communication is culture.” The contribution of postcolonial perspectives in the seminal writings of wa Thiong’o (1986) reinforces the dual nature of language – as a means of communication and a vehicle of culture. This study contends that graphic design, a visual form of communication that operates through semiotic representation systems, cannot disregard cultural contexts. A transformative paradigm is chosen to highlight the researcher's transformation and discuss transformative practices within the South African graphic design industry. A qualitative multiple-case study methodology was employed to analyse the data collected from three case studies. The findings reveal that sociocultural knowledge is equally important as design skills and expertise when designing for a culturally diverse audience. Visual communication sensitive to the varying needs of culturally diverse audiences is required for successful and effective visual communication in post-apartheid South Africa. The study recommends Intercultural Knowledge for graphic designers working in heterogeneous communities.