“Visible Language” has been existing for almost 50 years and, according to Poggenpohl and Zender, change is a natural consequence of this long history. The journal was founded in 1967 – you can see one of its cover pages – and back then it was called “The Journal of Typographic Research.” The first editor, Merald Wrolstad was the one to establish the journal, change its name, and guide it through 20 years of successful publishing with “a focus on reading and writing, the processing of visible language (reading) and its construction” (Poggenpohl and Zender 6).
The second generation in the life of “Visible Language” was marked by the appointment of a new editor, Sharon Poggepohl. Sharon Poggenpohl was the one to introduce the journal to the digital age with the help of the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Authors, consultants, designers, and other people who were concerned with the fate of the journal were unanimous in their belief that its knowledge should be disseminated, and the introduction of “Visible Language” to the modern technologies served this purpose.
For twenty-six years, Sharon Poggepohl guided the journal while attempting to build an inclusive platform for research and “various forms of scholarship” as well as “bridge the gap between research and art” (Poggenpohl and Zender 6). As a result, the works of both broad and narrow scope related to theory as well as practice conducted through various classic and more innovative methods could find a place in the journal that managed to unite the major polarities of Western thought.
The two covers presented on the slide could serve to illustrate the diversity that the Journal has been advocating throughout these years. The materials that the editor chooses to single out of the second generation of “Visible Language” include those devoted to visual communication research in general as well as more narrow topics like, for example, the cultural dimension of communication design or communication design failures.
Now, as the third editor, Paul Michael Zender begins to work with the Journal, “Visible Language” appears to be preparing for the change again. The University of Cincinnati is becoming the new institutional support of the Journal. The University demonstrates an acute interest in research and practices cooperative education that is based on the inclusion of academic and practical experiences. Similarly, Mike Zender expresses the intention of “advancing design through research”; understanding visible language through the study of icons, pictograms, and symbols are of particular interest to him (Poggenpohl and Zender 9).
These factors – the interest of the editor and the specifics of the new institutional platform – might shape the new form of “Visible Language”, but the particular features of the new generation of the journal will only be distinguished with time.
As Poggenpohl and Zender point out, for a design journal, transition and change are only natural. The journal has changed its name during the first period and went digital during the second; the new editor, now doubts, will change and improve “Visible Language” further. As demonstrated by these pages from issue 45.3 that was still edited by Poggenpohl, change is one of the journal’s goals pioneered by the previous editor and now assisted by the transition period. And yet, “Visible Language” promises to stay “true” to its traditions by keeping to its topic of visual communication, including “perception, symbols, 3-D objects, user experiences, contexts and interactive systems” (Poggenpohl and Zender 10).
The editors believe that the inclusive nature of the journal will be preserved as well as its role in encouraging research in the field of visual communication and design. In general, the editors believe that, given the importance of visual information, “Visible Language” has a bright future that can only be compared to its rich history.
Works Cited
Poggenpohl, Sharon, and Paul Michael Zender. “Visible Language in Transtition.” Visible Language 47.1 (2013): 5-10. Print.