In an age of globalization and connectivity? the idea of 'mainstream culture' has become quaint. Websites? magazines? books? and television have all honed in on ever-diversifying subcultures? hoping to carve out niche audiences that grow savvier and more narrowly sliced by the day. Consequently? the discipline of graphic design has undergone a sea change. Where visual communication was once informed by a designer's creative intuition? the proliferation of specialized audiences now calls for more research-based design processes. "Design Studies"? a collection of 27 essays from an international cast of top design researchers? sets out to mend this schism between research and practice. The essays presented here make a strong argument for performing rigorous experimentation and analysis. Each author outlines methods in which research has aided their design - whether by investigating how senior citizens react to design aesthetics? how hip hop culture can influence design? or how design for third-world nations is effected by cultural differences. This comprehensive reader is the definitive reference for this new direction in graphic design? and an essential resource for both students and practitioners.Paperback | 464 pages147.3 x 226.1 x 30.5mm | 725.76g39057PRINCETON ARCHITECTURAL PRESSNew York? United StatesEnglish