Call for Submissions: Graphic Design Educators’ Network 2018 Conference, UK

W * * C H C R A F T ? Exploring notions of craft within contemporary graphic design education

By definition, craft describes both the act of making things by hand and the art of persuasion. This double meaning resonates with the discipline of Graphic Design as so much of our practice is wrapped up in how and why we create communication.

New technology has certainly increased our craft and influence, often beguiling our users. However, its dark art also questions our magician’s status as artificial intelligence generates increasingly persuasive autonomous design. By contrast, the ubiquity of technology-driven solutions has also created a greater appetite for bespoke design crafted by the human hand.

Therefore as our field of expertise continues to evolve – fusing, multiplying, specialising – and the mystery and power of its application grows, deciding what to learn and how to study it is a prevalent question for both aspiring and established designers and educators.

From designer-makers to digital strategists let us share, explore and debate the w**chcraft inherent in the practice and education of contemporary graphic design.

We welcome a range of submissions on graphic design education from design practice, research, history, theory and criticism. The formats for submission are as follows:

Display
Short presentations based on teaching activities, projects, assignments and/or student outcomes that loosely fit with the conference theme. Each speaker gets 5 minutes and should use 20 slides automatically advanced after 15 seconds. The session will last no more than 60 minutes, with group discussion facilitated by a chair.

Discuss
A traditional paper presentation of 20 minutes with 10 minutes for discussion.

Debate
Nominate an article, book or report for debate that will be shared in advance of the conference. The nominator should also suggest key questions for discussion to drive and stimulate the debate. Each debate may last no more than 30 minutes.

Discover
A 60 minute interactive workshop activity that shares some form of craft…

Within the structure of submissions, GDEN welcomes presentation of design artefacts, empirical research, pedagogic case studies, provocations, and other rigorous non-standard approaches that draw upon disciplinary practices within graphic design education.

Submissions must be complete by the end of Sunday 17th June 2018.

For further information, please email info@graphicdesigneducators.network