Iberoamerican Visual Design Culture

Studies on Iberoamerican visual design culture in the 20th century: convergences, contrasts and conflicts between modernisms and local traditions

During the 20th century, design evolved into a complex field responsible for what design historian Victor Margolin defined as the configuration of the artificial world. The establishment of design cultures —or of shared sets of references, meanings and values related to design— has gone through different stages in different parts of the world, affecting how modernist ideas and local traditions are perceived. This research network aims at conducting exploratory investigations on various aspects of visual design —a field of practice responsible for the configuration of relevant elements of visual, material and print cultures, such as visual identity and signage systems, books, magazines, and typefaces. Through a series of case studies, we expect to shed light on the relationships between modernisms and the local traditions that shaped Iberoamerican visual design cultures, influenced and still influence the world of design today.

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