Repositioning Graphic Heritage
What new perspectives can graphic design contribute to design for urban heritage? How can participatory design approaches enhance urban graphic heritage for greater social cohesion?
Read further about our response to these questions.
This Newton Fund project, co-ordinated by the Arts and Humanities Research Council in co-operation with the UNESCO Creative City (Shanghai) Promotion Office, explored the integrative process through which people experience and are informed about urban heritage through graphic images.
Its ongoing focus is to establish a clearer understanding about the core knowledge that heritage professionals must grapple with when they need to communicate with the public about the heritage experience. The initial research, undertaken by Loughborough University School of Design and Creative Arts with Tongji University College of Design and Innovation, provided new insights for creative industry practitioners concerned with enhancing cultural development in China and the UK.
Through the prism of graphic design, the project explores different facets of the heritage experience. It involves a combination of field visits, practice-led and practice-based approaches, participatory design, public events and exhibition, and digital archival practices, to establish new approaches for recording, archiving and interpreting graphic images of urban heritage for the benefit of researchers and practitioners working in countries wanting to develop their heritage visitor experience.