Fifteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

By returning to basic principles this research identifies three items as contextual analogies for the purpose of generating a study about imagination, social systems, and graphic symbols. Consider the concept of campfires as a scenario for generating both visual and spoken language. The fire itself does not contain a specific message but enables our vision and subsequently the subconscious imagination that fuels creativity. Such wonderment can be a catalyst for greater social understanding by generating novel ideas, but also through the community connectedness that contributes to social capital development. Totems are visual systems symbolizing a society’s unwritten order with overall responsibility to the clan. Totem cultures have appeared independently of each other throughout the globe with their presence signaling an intrinsic human need for order, respect, and connectedness to the world around them. Battle flags are symbols that lead the charge and foster our allegiance. They provide visual direction during times of chaos and uncertainty – and if lost, they can signal defeat. Visual branding is an equivalent of the battle flag in that employees and customers alike seek out confidence and trust through their visual presence and experiences around them. By examining these three fundamental subjects analogically, the author discusses conceptual possibilities for combining creativity, community, and symbology for designing events as the catalyst for building social capital in communities.