Research Degree Title
Ambiguous X: a studio-based semiotic analysis of the letter/sign X, its multiplicities of meaning in the field of visual communication.
Supervisor
Prof G Hardie
Research Questions
- Is it possible to define the letter ‘x’ using an absolute set of rules?
- What is the value of ambiguity (and duality) in visual communication?
- (How) can graphic wit and humour be used to elucidate a complex idea?
- To what extent do typographic rules manipulate/define meaning?
- How can the collection/archive be used as a method for analysis/research?
Aims
- To use the recognised format of corporate brand (logo) guidelines as an absolute pocket-sized manual for specific usage of the sign ‘X’.
- To use the familiar form of a manifesto to examine the oppositional duality and ambiguity of X in different contexts using (graphic) wit/humour, and an acknowledgement of play with language in English discourse.
- To examine the role of the typographer/designer in establishing/influencing meaning and the power and delight of graphic/visual wit in the continuously evolving field of visual communication.
- To use artist's books as familiar and accessible graphic artefacts/vehicles with which to catalogue (and classify) the multiplicities of meaning of ‘X’, and so to enhance knowledge and reveal meaning/s.
Biography
Cathy Gale MA (RCA) is a practicing graphic artist and designer working with illustration, typography, moving image and performance (as Mishka the bear in the Friends of Gagarin at Notting Hill Arts Club, London). She is also Senior Lecturer and Lead Tutor on BA Graphic Design and Graphics with Photography at Kingston University, and a regular visiting lecturer on for Advertising BA at LCC, London. Cathy studied Graphic Design MA at the Royal College of Art after a period of creative poverty in Barcelona, Spain and has a large collection of Xs.
