Storytelling, belonging and identity in the graphic design classroom: A critical reflection

Stories Worth Telling - crafting stories through the art of design

Abstract

In a diverse student cohort, learning can be designed to encourage belonging and celebrate identity in the classroom. However, in increasingly international student cohorts, international students can find themselves displaced, living and working in new environments, and might struggle to find their voice and express their heritage in the context of their studies. By designing curricula to encourage storytelling, educators can help students to find their voice and identity as designers, and create a space for safety, vulnerability, and belonging in the classroom. As such, this paper is situated in the context of graphic design higher education and takes the form of a critical reflection, comprising a self-evaluation of the use of storytelling in the classroom based on the author’s teaching experience. Rhizomatic learning (Cormier 2008) is discussed in relation to its application in the context of a graphic design classroom and its relevance in a curriculum designed to support storytelling. The critical reflection follows Brookfield’s (2017) model for critically reflective teaching and takes the form of a series of vignettes featuring student projects – part of an editorial design project run annually for final-year students in the BA Information Design programme at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. In addition to these vignettes, the critical reflection references a design research workshop run for students of MA Graphic Design at the University for the Creative Arts in the United Kingdom.