The second volume of the comprehensive three-volume academic series entitled “Current Research in Graphic Design from an Academic Perspective” examines the discipline of graphic design within the framework of “Design Thinking: Theoretical Debates and Analytical Approaches”, drawing on a variety of perspectives. Prepared within this context, the second volume brings together academic studies that examine design thinking through various theoretical perspectives, discussing the conceptual structure of graphic design and the possibilities for analytical evaluation. Compiled with contributions from leading academics in the field, this book features theories that form the intellectual backdrop of graphic design, approaches that facilitate the analytical examination of design processes, and research that opens up a discussion on the conceptual development of the discipline. In this regard, by bringing together the approaches and areas of inquiry of various researchers regarding design thought, it aims to contribute to the theoretical dimension of the graphic design discipline and to establish a common intellectual ground for academic discussions in the field.

In the first chapter of the book, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Merve Yıldırım, under the heading “A Critique of Digitalism, Simulation and Artificial Intelligence Designs in Graphic Design”, examines the transformation of graphic design and digital art in the context of new technological developments such as artificial intelligence, the metaverse and NFTs, and discusses the effects of blockchain technology on production, originality and the functioning of art and design. The author emphasises that digital technologies are transforming art and design production processes, thereby opening up new avenues for creative expression.

In the second section, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Öznur Işır, in her study titled “Research Methods in Graphic Design: Data Collection Techniques”, examines the role of research in the graphic design process and systematically reviews the data collection methods used in design research. The study discusses primary research methods such as observation, interviews and surveys, as well as secondary research approaches based on literature reviews, highlighting the importance of these methods in understanding design problems and developing user-centred design solutions.

The third section features Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bayram Bozhüyük’s paper entitled “Suprematism as a Non-Objective Language of Space: The Potential of Geometric Forms to Construct a Cosmic Imaginary”. The author re-examines Suprematist aesthetics within the context of graphic design and illustration; he discusses how the Suprematist approach, based on geometric abstraction, can be interpreted particularly in space-themed illustrations. Within this framework, the study demonstrates that Suprematism is an approach that offers new intellectual and visual narrative possibilities alongside an aesthetic orientation. It also demonstrates that graphic design can be regarded not merely as a practice-oriented field of production, but also as a critical and conceptual research area.

In the fourth section, Asst. Prof. Dr. Seyit Mehmet Buçukoğlu, discusses the transformation of organisational structures in the field of graphic design within the framework of the concept of adhocracy in his paper titled “Organisational Structure in Graphic Design within the Framework of the Concept of Adhocracy”, examining the effects of elements such as flexible team structures, horizontal decision-making processes and interdisciplinary collaboration on creative design processes.

In the book’s fifth and final chapter, Lect. Ayşen Balcı Çınar examines the position of graphic design within visual culture under the title “The Position of Graphic Design in the Context of Visual Culture”, exploring the role of graphic design in the formation of contemporary visual culture in the context of processes such as visual representation, the production of cultural codes, and the direction of meaning. The study discusses how design constructs signs and contributes to the formation of social perception, in line with Stuart Hall’s understanding of representation and Nicholas Mirzoeff’s approach to visual culture.

In this context, this book serves as an important reference source for researchers, postgraduate students and educators engaged in academic work in the field of graphic design; it is aimed at all readers seeking to deepen the intellectual foundations of graphic design, to examine design thought from its theoretical, critical and analytical dimensions, and to strengthen interdisciplinary theoretical perspectives.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all the authors who contributed to the preparation of this book.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Seyit Mehmet Buçukoğlu