Design and Rhetoric

Visual design and rhetoric have been closely intertwined since antiquity: from ancient visual theories to Renaissance visual programmes and 20th century advertising graphics. However, the explicit study of these connections is relatively recent, beginning in the 1960s when Gui Bonsiepe first presented a modern elocutio of visual-verbal rhetoric. Initially, the focus was on rhetorical figures: Do hyperbole, metonymy or ellipsis exist not only on a verbal but also on a visual level?  

The projects in the research field expand the rhetorical view of communication design to include its diverse modes of action, with rhetoric understood as the art of persuasion in a comprehensive sense: Not only the blatant advertising poster, but also the restrained signage of public transport or the plain stationery of a law firm are considered from the perspective of impact-oriented communication. Another key similarity between design and rhetoric is the close interplay between theory and practice: Both can be taught theoretically, but ultimately, however, expertise comes only with practice. Theoretical knowledge about rhetoric and design is also enriched – indeed can only arise – through the precise observation and analysis of one’s own and other’s practice. The research projects in the field are based on this feedback process of theory, practice and analysis. 

In January 2014, the 1st International Bern Workshop on Visual Rhetoric brought together the most important researchers on visual rhetoric in the German-speaking world. In 2016, the 2nd International Bern Workshop on Visual Rhetoric continued this tradition under the title ‘Terror und Legitimation’. Both symposia are documented in the web journal designrhetorik.de. 

Core Competences

• Rhetorical design analysis according to the Bern model 

• History and theory of visual rhetoric, design rhetoric, media rhetoric 

• Practice-based research in all areas of visual design 

• Empirical observation of impact models and rule aesthetics in design