Pecha Kucha

Preparing the Pecha Kucha was a really easy way of figuring out how to determine what I thought design writing as a mode of writing should be. The presentation was also a good challenge in articulating my research question and my reason for pursuing the research. After giving the presentation and thinking more about what I think design writing as a mode of writing is, I still feel that my 'ingredients' are valid. No, I don't want to be prescriptive, but I do think that as a mode of writing, design writing does have distinctive characteristics.

I've found that thinking about how I approach art direction is a good starting point for thinking about how to approach this mode of writing. Art direction is about problem-solving, innovation, collaboration and visual storytelling within the boundaries of a publication. What separates it from just 'design' is that art directors oversee a publication — they have to make sure it all flows and that it links.

As a mode of writing, design writing can work with this model:

Design writing should address problems within the subject area the mode is tackling. I think that writing is definitely part of design writing, but there should be a visual element to it, that really elevates the critique — this, to me, is innovative. Design writing should really be linking ideas to address the problem at hand.