(1897)VISUAL DESIGN FOR NON-DESIGNERS. A PARTICIPATORY EXPERIENCEBASED ON WEB 2.0 TOOLS IN A MULTIDISCIPLINARYMASTER DEGREE PROGRAMME.

摘要

The need for specialist multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary training, continuing education and thenew learning dynamics supported by digital technology are reshaping the methods and tools, especiallyin hybrid disciplines such as visual design.This challenge requires the coexistence of multiple cultures, disciplines, methodologies and theoreticaland training approaches that need to find a meeting point even if from different bases.Starting from the experience gained from teaching in different cultural contexts – mono-disciplinary,extra-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary – the research project explores the potential of participatoryeducational training.Starting from a constructivist pedagogical perspective, the Visual Communication and Interface Designcourse – held inside the Theory and Technology of Communication a technological master DegreeProgramme at Milano-Bicocca University – was designed and improved, exploiting the potentialityof collaborative dynamics of web 2.0 & social networks. Classe’s activities were focussed on retrieving,discriminating, elaborating, discussing, sharing, producing and disseminating cultural content onbasic visual design main issues.Students – divided in team working on monographic issues like: the grammar of visual design, digitaltypograpy, the language of colors, use and meaning of images and so on – were supported in a selfdevelopmentand self-teaching process trohught a collaborative approach.The students were allowed to grasp the methodological approach in order to learn theoretical aspectsand metodologies.In this approach, the role of didactics was to coach and to enable the learning process based on theexperience, to gain the ability to disciminate between internet sources and materials, or to proposetheorical or disciplinaty point of views.The class was supported by a FaceBook Page to post links, videos, images and other stuff, whereinvited practictioners and experts shared in an open dialog the knowledge and professional experience.Seminars and interviews were other supports to discover, from leading contributors of the field therecent history of graphic design.The final assignement was to edit and publishing on a print-on-demand platform and ePublishing freedistributors a professional – althought User Generated – essay to direclty implement in a real projectthe learned and shared principles and notions.Learning in practising really allowed students to confront from the beginning a sequence of relevantaspects of the professional procedure, that will remain otherwise unexplored if the learning will be directedonly to the theoretical acquisition of the research methodologies;;in addition students were applyingat the same time inside the project knowledges and methodologies from different disciplinesand cultural contexts.