Information
Design matters: Simple & yet sexy - Research, design & plain language
Designer Sabina Sieghart and illustrator Juliane Wenzl @wenzlj give an insight into design research and show practical applications of accessible communication.
Visual design, images and typography play a decisive role in the communication of information and its rapid absorption. This is especially true where 'easy language' is required: 7.5 million people with reading difficulties live in Germany. However, studies on the contribution that user interface design, well-designed typography and comprehensible images can make to accessibility and participation have long been neglected. It is only recently that design research and practice has begun to look at how the sometimes dysfunctional guidelines of accessible communication can be improved to enhance the reading experience and understanding for the target group.
What could good design and suitable illustrations for 'plain language' look like? Which creative solutions encourage people to look and read?
Short bios
Sabina Sieghart is a designer, lecturer and design researcher. She worked as a corporate designer for renowned brands and studios for 25 years. She has been teaching typography and editorial design since 2003. She has been conducting design research for 7 years and is currently working on her doctorate with Prof. Dr. Ann Bessemans (READSEARCH) in Hasselt, Belgium. As a member of the DIN committee of the German Institute for Standardization, she is significantly involved in the formulation of the visual guidelines of DIN SPEC 33429 Easy Language.
Dr. Juliane Wenzl is a visual scientist, draughtswoman and illustrator with exhibition, lecture and publication activities. She has received numerous grants for her graphic work. She has been teaching illustration, design and visual studies since 2006. Together with Prof. em. Ulrike Stoltz, she published the book "superILLU. Towards a theory of illustration" in 2022. She researches the history and development of illustration as well as accessible illustration in the context of plain language.
Organizer
Location
Aula Design (Room 135)