Date
1-13-2023
Department
School of Communication and the Arts
Degree
Master of Fine Arts in Graphic Design (MFA)
Chair
David Wayne Meyer
Keywords
Design, Graphic Design, Communication, Collaboration, Productivity
Disciplines
Art and Design
Recommended Citation
Tebo, Haley Constance, "Cultivating Collaboration: Optimizing Communication Between Designers and Non-Designers" (2023). Masters Theses. 954.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/954
Abstract
Clients and designers, having different tacit knowledge, fail to effectively communicate with each other during the design process. These inadequacies risk relationships, reputations, and project success. This issue has long been recognized in the field of design, often as a concern with client involvement. This research aims to identify these complications in the design process and inform how they might be amended. Specifically, it investigates how the relationship between designers and clients can be improved in order to garner better communication and greater project success. In this context, clients are defined as non-designers that commission design professionals. A literature review as well as several case studies and visual analyses conclude that collaboration, empathy, and project structure improve communication and project outcomes. These findings will inform a proposed visual solution that aims to provide knowledge and structure to client-designer partnerships in order to facilitate these benefits.