This study is a holistic investigation that examines the influence of cultural context on the graphic design process from both the designer’s and the audience’s perspectives. While the existing literature predominantly focuses on either how culture affects audience perception or how it shapes the designer’s individual preferences, this study aims to fill the existing gap by comparing the approaches adopted by designers from Turkey’s medium-context culture and Palestine’s high-context culture as they design film posters targeted at low-context Western audiences. The theoretical foundation of the research is based on Edward T. Hall’s high-/low-context communication model and Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory. The design outputs produced by the participants, their project briefs, persona documents, observational notes recorded throughout the process, and expert evaluations were systematically analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The findings indicate that designers from high-context cultures tend to employ more symbolic, emotional, and indirect forms of expression, whereas designers from medium-context cultures prefer more explicit, balanced strategies with a stronger focus on adapting to the target culture. In both groups, it was observed that designers either consciously or unconsciously reflected their own cultural codes in their designs when producing work for a low-context audience. This study emphasizes that in cross-cultural design processes, it is essential to consider not only the cultural background of the target audience but also the designer’s own cultural framework. The results are expected to contribute to strengthening cultural awareness in graphic design education and professional practice.

Authors:
Liali Abdulhaq, Doğuş University, Tuerkiye
Çağri Bariş Kasap, Doğuş University, Tuerkiye

About the Presenter(s)
Born in 1980, Çağrı Barış Kasap is an Associate Professor at Doğuş University, serving in the Department of Graphics (English) within the Faculty of Arts and Design.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Thursday Schedule

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