Research project (’lectoraat’): Communication in a Digital Age
Communication in a Digital Age is a four-year research programme financed by the Stichting Kennisontwikkeling (SKO) and Rotterdam University.
The project researches the future of communication design in the light of radical changes in the technology and common use of media: What, for example, are the implications of the web taking over papers as primary news media, and Internet video sharing becoming the major audiovisual medium? What does it conversely mean that print has become the long-term medium of electronic documents? How does this affect the work and education of designers? Still the research project is not exclusively about ‘new media’, but broadly covers media media and audiovisual, graphic and editorial design, and advertising. Rather than reinforcing these boundaries and differentiations, we are questioning conventional divides. Key points of departure for the project are:
- The blurring difference between personal communication and mass media – from phones as audiovisual production devices to personalised print-on-demand, to scratch only the surface;
- The blurring difference between ‘old’ and ‘new’ media.
Structure and activities research fellowships
Every year, we invite two visiting researchers, each for a period of five months. These fellows typically have professional backgrounds in publishing and communication design, and research new developments within their work field:
All research of our fellows will be published as books and online.
Conferences
Every year, the research project organises a two-day thematic, international conference on a subject linked to our research and the projects of our visiting fellows. All conference proceedings will be published as books and online.
Associated research (’kenniskring’)
Two Ph.D. candidates conduct their research on user-generated design and community-based Open Source media within the research project. Staff teachers and graduate students of Willem de Kooning Academy Rotterdam University contribute individual research work.