1. conventional exploratory
PURE RESEARCH IN
COMMUNICATIONS DESIGN:
Expanding Professional
Dialogue and Practice
Through Exploration

2. HYPOTHESIS
The conventional approach to communications
design is to elevate practice over theory; it is
pursued with a commodified end result in mind.
However, communications design would benefit
from a greater emphasis on pure research outside
the constraints of commodified production.
Free exploration of materials, methods and context
would allow practitioners to make profound discov-
eries such as new visual languages, new substrates
and new mediums.

3. conventional exploratory
practice over theory
template

4. conventional exploratory
commodified end results

5. Commodification relies
on quantifiable approaches
—basing conclusions on
proven, measurable results:
what has worked in the past
will continue to be effective.

6. conventional exploratory
Designers rely on ... “abductive reasoning—
the logic of what might be.”
1
http://www.good.is/post/method-founders-to-win-integrate-design-and-business/
2
http://www.archithings.com/flux-chairs-by-douwe-jacobs/2010/11/11

7. MOTIVATION:
EXTRINSIC INTRINSIC
driven strictly by the promise driven by the “joy of discovery
of external rewards such as and the challenge of creation”
money or accolades. or attaining mastery of self
initiated goals.
1 Pink, Daniel H. Drive, The Surprising Truth About What motivates us.

8. conventional deductive extrinsic
methods reasoning motivation
typical
results <
intrinsic abductive exploratory
motivation reasoning methods
< Innovation

9. conventional exploratory
PURE RESEARCH:
• Observation of the natural world soley for
the purpose of discovering unknown laws
• Driven by curiosity
• Motivated by the desire to expand knowledge.

10. Free exploration allows
practicioners to make
profound discoveries...

11. conventional exploratory
Pure Research:
Science
LOUIS PASTEUR

12. conventional exploratory
Pure Research:
Sociology:
EMILE
DURKHEIM

13. conventional exploratory
Pure Research:
Design
ANNIE ALBERS
“Unburdened by any considerations
of practical application, [...] unin-
hibited play with materials resulted
in amazing objects, striking in their
newness of conception in regard
to use of color and compositional
elements—objects of often quite
barbaric beauty.”

14. conventional exploratory
Pure Research
in Art:
JACKSON
POLLOCK
“Action Paintings”

15. conventional exploratory
Pure Research:
in Art & Music
JOHN CAGE
“IChing
Compositions”

16. conventional exploratory

17. THE TIES THAT BIND:
chance = the x factor

18. NEXT STEPS
To demonstrate the possibilities inherent in pure
research, I propose a series of exploratory projects
both independent and collaborative, the findings
of which will be published online and in scholarly
journals in order to share the knowledge gained
with other practitioners.

19. PROJECT
1
I propose to use I Ching to determine spatial
intervals for the creation of grid systems, leading,
and page layout for a book. This determination
could be drawn either from the random number
generated or by using the hexagram drawn as
a structural basis.
2
Randomly generate imagery via online solici-
tation and create a montage, in which timing
intervals are determined by IChing.
3 Twitterparticipants one sentence a hash tag
Invite
on providing a
to respond to
narrative
with a photo. I will collect the narratives and
use the I Ching to determine their order to create
a new narrative. The piece would then be
produced as a non-linear book.