Visible Signs: A Brief Exploration of Visual Language

A lecture by Professor David Crow, Pro Vice Chancellor at University of the Arts London (UAL)
9 March 2017

Malaysia Design Archive co-hosted this public lecture with University of the Arts London. David Crow’s Visible Signs lecture is a brief exploration of visual language in an attempt to explain how artists and designers deconstruct visual signals and how the fundamentals of visual communication works.

Using a series of examples, this lecture explored some of the principles that underpin the intuitive decisions that artists and designers make. The lecture began the visual journey by looking at the fundamental building blocks of visual language and move onto looking at how meaning is formed, how we read visual signals and how we generate creative surprise.

About David Crow

Professor David Crow is Pro Vice Chancellor and Head of College for Camberwell College of Arts, Chelsea College of Arts and Wimbledon College of Arts at UAL.

David started his career as a Graphic Designer working in London for the design group Assorted Images before moving to a post as an Art Director at Island Records and later running his own freelance consultancy in London. David has worked mainly in the cultural industries and in particular in music, working with clients such as Virgin Records, Phonogram, Sony, Rolling Stones Records and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Prior to his Head of College role at UAL, David taught Graphic Design at a number of institutions before becoming Head of Design, then Dean at Manchester School of Art. He has lectured on design at conferences in a number of European cities as well as in the USA, Middle East and China. He has published books on visual theory, most recently a third edition of ‘Visible Signs’ published by Bloomsbury.

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