Thinking beyond circles: Developing visual research methods for circularity in design education

This paper presents a case study of a material-lifecycle design project developed between educators, researchers and industry. Communicating and conceptualising circularity presented an opportunity to expand the reach of the research into a curriculum intervention. The project invited graphic design students to visualise a product lifecycle for a circular textile industry client - Piñatex. This paper explores the challenges of communicating circular lifecycles to non-expert audiences. It is acknowledged that there is a need for new kinds of designers in practice-based research. Therefore, the paper presents examples of new knowledge that visual communication methods, more traditionally taught in graphic design programmes can bring to research. Drawing on practicebased iconic research methods, which in contrast to theory-driven research enabled the production of images as a means producing knowledge about visual communication. Through an after-action review, the research demonstrated three surprising approaches to communication of circular processes that typically creates diagrams with icons in a circular shape. Through working with non-experts, the research exposed the client and the research team to range of visual approaches, namely, symbolic, non-circular and quantitative visuals. The research found that visual communication methods have the potential to play a pivotal role in development of new visual languages for circularity. It concludes that visual research methods can bring different design disciplines closer and build a stronger educational base for the transition to a circular economy.