Department Member, Coventry School of Art & Design
Thesis Title: Identification of competencies for sign designers
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Prof. Andree Woodcock
Kollete Super Cherie Lebbon |
About
In 2007, Greater Amman Municipality introduced regulations to reduce visual clutter and improve the urban environment in Amman, Jordan. Following these regulations, a largely haphazard and piecemeal approach to commercial signage was adopted by sign design firms and businesses, resulting in only a partial reduction in visual clutter.
It is argued that regulation alone will not lead to improved quality in the production and sitting of commercial signage without multi-stakeholder buy- in and the dedicated training of those working in this field. There is a need for practitioners to develop specialised skills and knowledge in sign-design, as opposed to applying only generalised graphic design techniques to sign production. Such skills include problem-solving, visual communication methods and competency in the application of the latest multi- media technology. By developing and incorporating sign-design competencies within the graphic design curriculum, practitioners will be better able to work effectively in the field of signage. This project will contribute to the furthering of design practice by identifying the additional knowledge and competencies that graphic designers need to design appropriate commercial signs.
Method
Following the literature review, four individual studies were undertaken: a survey of stakeholders in Amman’s signage; a cross-cultural photographic study of McDonald’s corporate signage; a case-study of the development of Coventry University’s corporate signage; a study of the teaching of sign design as part of graphic design courses taught in institutions in Jordan and in the UK.
Analysis
In order to validate these competencies a Delphi method of analysis will be used. This is a technique by which a reasonable level of consensus on a decision/ issue is gained from a panel of experts, in this particular case the competencies required by a sign design. Such competencies may be lacking in many current graphic design-training courses.
Conclusion
This study is demonstrating that regulation alone is insufficient to create improved commercial signage in an urban environment. This has been found in Jordan, where the introduction of regulation on the type and placement of urban signage produced only partial improvement in the urban environment. This study argues that such regulation must be supported by both educators in sign design and by trained, practising designers.
It is anticipated that the competencies will contribute to the development of improvements within the sign industry, as designers become better equipped for the task of sign design. It is also hoped that the involvement of stakeholders in both education and industry will provide support for the regulations introduced by organisations such as Amman Municipality to improve the urban environment.
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