Examining graphic design thinking in Iran: from a cognitive-cultural approach

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Tezin Türü: Doktora

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Tabriz Islamic Art University, Islamic crafts Fakulty, Islamic arts, İran

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2025

Tezin Dili: Farsça

Öğrenci: Maedeh Hosseini Koumeleh

Asıl Danışman (Eş Danışmanlı Tezler İçin): Mahdı Mohammadzadeh

Özet:

The present study, entitled “An Investigation of Graphic Design
Thinking in Iran from a Cognitive–Cultural Perspective,” aims to identify and analyze the
cultural models that shape design thinking among Iranian graphic designers. Drawing upon the
Theory of Cultural Models, the main objective of this research is to uncover the metaphors and
conceptual schemas embedded in designers’ language and to interpret them as reflections of
the cultural structures underlying design thinking.
Method: This research is qualitative and based on an ethnographic approach to analyzing the
discourse of graphic designers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and
analyzed using conceptual metaphor analysis within the framework of the Theory of Cultural
Models.
Findings and Innovation: The results reveal that graphic design thinking in Iran is represented
through three major cultural domains of metaphorical conceptualization:
1. Graphic design as a dynamic cultural action – metaphors such as journey, flow, play,
negotiation, problem-solving, literature, and battle illustrate a process-oriented and
interactive understanding of design.
2. The designer as a cognitive and creative agent – metaphors such as explorer, expresser,
researcher, athlete, and creator depict the designer as an active, experimental, and
meaning-making subject.
3. The graphic artifact as a living entity and cultural product – metaphors such as artwork,
industrial product, film, plant, vehicle, and linguistic message reveal the multifaceted
and intermedial nature of graphic design outcomes.
Conclusion: The study proposes a cultural model of graphic design thinking in Iran that
emphasizes the interconnection between embodied experience, language, and cultural context.
The findings demonstrate that metaphors, as cognitive mechanisms, play a fundamental role in
organizing design thought, and that through designers’ language, one can discern the cultural
patterns governing the act of design.