Beyond the Canon: Expanding the Field of Graphic Design
Harshvi Shah
This thesis examines forms of graphic design that exist outside the traditional canon, focusing on practices that emerge organically from communities, environments, and cultural contexts. These works—often created by individuals who do not identify as designers—function as powerful modes of visual communication shaped by lived experience rather than formal training. By exploring culturally embedded design, vernacular visual language, and other community-generated aesthetics, the project analyzes how these practices challenge dominant narratives within design history. It also investigates the systemic omissions produced by existing archival structures and the limitations of formal documentation, highlighting the need for more inclusive methods of recording design’s diverse expressions. Through this study, the thesis argues for a broader, more equitable understanding of graphic design that recognizes the significance of everyday visual culture and the value of alternative, non-canonical practices.
