Graphic Design is all around us, from simple advertisement strategies that we may view on the television or in the newspaper, to complex animation designs and or interactive museum exhibitions. This helps to provide an array of different opportunities for completing an engaging and innovative graphic design dissertation, with there being a number of different topic areas that are susceptible to further analysis. Some of the most important topic areas that exist within the field of graphic design include: graphic design and its impact on culture, graphic design in business and marketing, gaming and the influence of graphic design, animation and entertainment, graphic design in historical art, and the mediating role of technology on graphic design.
Contents
- Graphic Design & Culture
- Graphic Design in Business
- Gaming & Graphic Design
- Animation & Entertainment
- Historical Art
- Technology
Graphic Design & Culture
It is evident that graphic design forms a significant role in day-to-day lives, with this instantly highlighting the significance of it on how cultures are created and communicated. From native paintings to bespoke designs to represent specific cultures, it is vital to understand how graphic design is used across the world to represent different cultures.
- The impact of graphic design on culture: A case study analysis of the works of Banksy.
- A critical analysis of how people can use graphic design to communicate their feelings and emotions.
- Graphic design across the globe: A critical comparative analysis of key design elements in North America and South-East Asia.
- A picture shows a thousand words: How can graphic design be used to communicate different elements of international cultures?
- Can graphic design be offensive: A critical analysis of offensive design elements throughout global cultures.
- Supporting the blind: An analysis of how graphic design can be a gateway to further communication for those with visual impairments.
Graphic Design in Business
Organisations are investing more and more of their financial resources into graphic design and marketing to help improve the way in which they communicate with customers and promote positive internal messages. This lends itself to many new study areas that aim to explore how graphic design can be managed in the organisational setting, and what the potential return on investment is for these strategies is.
- An analysis of how graphic design can be used in corporate advertisement strategies to influence purchasing behaviour.
- A critical analysis of the use of graphic design in mass communication strategies.
- Cost-benefit analysis in graphic design: A comparative evaluation between using experienced or novice graphic designers.
- An analysis into the use of costing and budgeting methods to predict if outsourcing graphic design or managing it in-house is the most effective method for acquiring a positive return on investment.
- The use of graphic design to promote internal communication strategies: How can health and safety be improved through innovatively designed posters and bulletins?
- The new core component of marketing: A critical analysis into graphic design and how it can support the marketing function.
- A critical analysis on the use of graphic design to develop innovative and engaging logos.
Gaming & Graphic Design
The gaming industry has grown significantly over the past thirty years, with this resulting in massive advancements in both technology and game development. This includes graphic design, with there being many different ways to graphically represent a game depending on the target audience and genre.
- Graphic design within the gaming industry: A critical review of key concepts, theories, and literature.
- How important is graphic design within the overall gaming experience: A review of graphic design against storyline.
- Can graphic design be used to support game campaign development?
- A critical review of different graphical design elements within the video game industry.
- How can gaming developers use graphic design to engage with their primary target audience?
Animation & Entertainment
Another key industry in which graphic design is firmly rooted is animation and entertainment, with there being significant developments in this industry that has quickly evolved how graphic design is managed. This ranges from moving to more computer-based systems as opposed to drawn-out storyboards and stop-motion capture, with there being opportunity to review what the strengths and weaknesses are of these alternative animative techniques.
- A critical comparison between the process of design animation and motion graphics.
- Is simulated graphic design animations the future of entertainment, or does stop-motion animation still have a future in the entertainment industry?
- An analysis of the importance of the content of an animation in comparison to how aesthetically pleasing the finished animation appears.
- How can animations be created to have an influence on human behaviour and emotions: A review of theme, colour, and aesthetics.
Historical Art
The roots of graphic design can be traced back hundreds of years, with many believing cave-man drawings and hieroglyphics represents humanities first attempt at graphic design. This naturally provides numerous avenues for potential study that aims to contextualise where graphic design came from, and what the future may look like.
- Cave-man drawings and hieroglyphics: An analysis into the most primitive and first discovered methods of graphic design.
- A critical analysis on the history of graphic design between 1950 and 2020.
- Learning from the past: A review of postmodernist graphic design elements and how this may shape the future of contemporary graphic design.
- Graphic design in Roman and Greek periods: Does historical artwork influence modern day graphic design elements?
Technology
Finally, it is clear that technology forms an imperative role in both organisational and social lives, with graphic design also being influenced by the many advancements that have occurred throughout technology. Although there are many technological advancements that are relatively new into the field of graphic design, this does provide ample opportunity to conduct a critical review on the mediating role of technology.
- How has the development of software packages influenced typical typefaces and print styles in graphic design?
- The evolution role of graph design in the 21st century: What is the mediating role of technological advancements?
- Is technology a requirement for innovative graphic design concepts: A comparison between computer-based design and hand-drawn design.
- The use of Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools and the influence they have on the development of graphic design exhibits.
- Designing for interacting e-books: How can graphic design be used to improve the accessibility of online books and learning tools?
