Running head: Major Project Three 1

Ivan Berrio

ENC 1101

Professor C. Pierson

4/16/2019

Introduction

It has become an indispensable ability of the man of the twenty-first century to be able to

adapt to the environment he finds himself in. This trait shared among most living things stands

out in the face of adversity or introduction to a previously unknown setting. When it comes to

writing and the transition from one discourse community to another, what writing scholars refer

to as enculturation is of utmost importance (Johns, 1997). However, these transitions can often

be drastically assimilated since most people who find themselves in them, don’t appeal to

metacognition and try to identify the aspects they need to master. According to Anne Beaufort’s

research, “writers use five overlapping but distinct context-specific knowledge domains to gain

expertise in new situations: discourse community knowledge, subject matter knowledge, genre

knowledge, rhetorical knowledge, and writing process knowledge” (2002). Through this paper I

will delve into the written tasks of a graphic designer and argue that all of Beaufort’s domains

share the same importance when it comes to completing these tasks except for writing process

knowledge.

Graphic Design Overview

To say that graphic design is one of the most representative exponents of the 21st century

would be an attenuation, making its immense demand no less than unsurprising. The

requirements of graphic design are largely the most important qualities that the ideal

contemporary man should possess in his daily life as well as his professional life.
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For starters, curiosity. In this Age of Knowledge, it is essential to constantly learn. A

graphic designer must always try to improve their techniques and knowledge about the area in

which it operates. We live in times where information is more accessible than ever, so it should

be used to the fullest. Not learning fast enough or not keeping up with relevant knowledge

implies a high risk of obsolescence. In addition, a graphic designer must have knowledge about

the requirements and state of the market to perform correctly in their work. The wonders of

globalization mean that virtually everyone is connected through different economic, political,

social, or cultural ties, facilitating the collection of information in such a way that it would be

incredible for our ancestors.

Another of the vital characteristics that a graphic designer must possess is creativity. In

the past, a large part of society remained in a comfort zone performing in traditional jobs where

monotony generated results. There were fields such as science and art where creativity was

evident, but it is with graphic design that one can truly speak of it as a requirement. As obvious

as it may seem, to be creative is the essence of a graphic designer, this aspect gives a

differentiating spark that marks each project developed. With the passage of time it becomes

more difficult to be innovative, but it is crucial not to despair since this profession is one of

constant growth and learning. Being original is part of what makes us human and graphic design

perfectly embodies this characteristic serving as a means for each person to manifest their

individuality.

Discourse Community Knowledge

In order to carry out market/concept research, one needs to immerse themselves within

the graphic design community and understand the conventions that serve as its foundation. This

communities takes pride in being able to determine what the best approaches are regarding usage
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of concepts to achieve desired goals, making the understanding of their essence paramount to the

success of a project. The origins of the art community can be retraced all the way to the

fourteenth century and even further back to the primitive origins of art. It is one of those aspects

of humanity that has accompanied it throughout most of its history. The extensive nature of the

conventions created by the art community throughout the years might be intimidating to some,

but also reassuring since they provide more information to research.

Identifying all of Johns’ (1997) defining characteristics within this discourse community

is undoubtedly vital to complete the tasks of a graphic designer from sales pitches to

market/concept research. The common goals of this community involve constructing a creative

and methodical plan which aims to achieve determined objectives based on a client’s needs with

the use images. Moreover, the members of this community seek to influence a target audience in

a certain way and enact reactions that will alter their behavior or thinking.

The mechanism of intercommunication can be whatever tool could be used to express

ideas visually ranging from websites to billboards. Given graphic designers are part of almost

every industry, they have acquired a variety of mediums to spread their messages. However, it

takes a great understanding of said mediums in order to use them effectively. The reason being

the target audience and nature of the project. For instance, advertising products such as

skateboards which are used by a younger audience wouldn’t be advertised on newspapers, given

they are mainly purchased by an older one. The first instances of participation within this

community since the boom of graphic design taught the members how to react to different

situations depending on a series of factors including: target audience, client requirements, market

needs, and other societal aspects.

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This discourse community has specific genres used and shared by all members depending

on the tasks to be performed. Given the extensive variety of alternatives and concepts graphic

designers could put in practice, it would be difficult to bestow specific names to these genres.

When narrowed down to writing tasks however, it becomes more manageable. If a graphic

designer were to be tasked with doing a sales pitch for a product or perform conceptual research

to back their approach during a project, these genres would have clearer characteristics.

Finally, when it comes to attaining membership there is an argumentative element to be

discussed. While some might argue that graphic designers require at least a bachelor’s degree to

be considered part of this community, other might say consider it enough to be able to satisfy

client needs. In my opinion, it is imperative for one to have researched the conventions and

history of the community in order to attain full membership.

Genre Knowledge

Foss (2009) defines genre as “commonalities in rhetorical patterns across recurring

situations” (p. 137). This genre seeks to understand the current state of either the market or how

society reacts to certain concepts by delving into past successes within this community. A

graphic designer needs to understand the evolution of these two aspects in order to design an

effective campaign for a determined client. This genre rose from the necessity to target a specific

group of society and satisfy a need the may or may not now they have. The desire of someone to

provide and someone else to have that provided for is what birthed this genre and established the

origin of publicity. It goes all the way back to Medieval Times in which trade affluency was

greatly affected by the quality of the advertisement that that specific business decided to invest

in. Tailoring a project to the specific needs of a client requires extensive research and

understanding of concepts that may prove useful to the correct development of said project. A
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graphic designer needs to find a link between a client’s requirements and the conceptual basis to

carry those wishes into success.

Subject Matter Knowledge

Mankind has become an important figure of study, consistent with the inevitable

convergence and evolution of both knowledge and its own nature. In "modern" terms, it could be

said that with the passage of time the tendency to analyze those determining aspects of our

existence was adopted. However, the conversation about man is incredibly diverse, unpredictable

and above all infinite. Infinitude is a word that curiously appears close to man very often but

certainly encapsulates its essence in a singular way; from evolution to knowledge, it

distinguishes its existence in an extraordinary way. Accompanying mankind under its mantle of

influence, art has undergone many changes as folds are created. Its trajectory and transformation

are well known within a historical context beginning with his primitive beginnings in rock

painting. A simple look at the history of art serves as an indication for many that today we

observe a concept whose meaning has been totally altered.

As it has been previously highlighted before, to grasp the history of art and the reactions

it has provoked within society along its trajectory is to ensure the tasks required from this

profession will be performed with efficiency and competence. One cannot underestimate the

importance of understanding concepts that have shaped the conventions of art centuries ago. The

documented successes and failures born from trial and error through this widely utilized aspect

of society are will essentially determine the outcome of the projects graphic designers develop

today. Beaufort (2002) also highlights that exploring subject matter will determine the growth in

the other domains of writing knowledge. This domain could be interpreted as the main priority

for designers to explore when first introduced to this community.

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Rhetorical Knowledge

According to Grant-Davie (1997), “rhetors need to consider who they are in a particular

situation and be aware that their identity may vary from situation to situation” (p. 495). The

relevance of this concept in a graphic designer’s tasks is rather obvious, given they are required

to analyze their role depending on the situation that arises. When the main goal of a profession is

to understand, analyze and influence the behavior of a specific audience, the fact that rhetorical

knowledge is vital becomes clearer. As it was previously stated, the nature of this job requires

one to guide their actions whilst thinking of the audience. The success of a project depends

largely on the reactions our choices cause. The approach we take when advertising a product will

succeed only if its compatible with our target audience.

Understanding exigence is also a required skill for a graphic designer as well as the

ability to comprehend societal context. Simply because the only way to satisfy the needs of an

audience is to understand what those needs are to begin with. It is only then that we can start to

determine how to advertise or sell what have been tasked to do. As Grant-Davie (1997) states, by

obtaining insight into exigence we can then accomplish or satisfy the needs the situation calls

for.

Writing Process Knowledge

Acquiring knowledge of the a newly found writing process can prove a tough task when

encountering yourself in a new discourse community. It is only through practice and studying of

such that one can hope to ever feel comfortable making use of a new writing process. Stacey

Pigg (2014), when discussing distributed work, highlights the importance of looking at writing

on a specific genre and shaping our own to be similar thus becoming more and more familiar

with said genre. The idea that writing is a collaborative effort should be present at all times when
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adapting to a new discourse community, genre and writing process. In the line of work of a

graphic designer when tasks like reports, sales pitches and market research are required by a

client, it is necessary to look back on previous examples of such.

The main reason for my argument against writing process knowledge being as important

as the other domains Grant-Davie (1997) mentions, is that the writing that characterizes the tasks

of a graphic designer doesn’t require as much meaning in order to be considered satisfactory or

acceptable. While thinking of one’s writing process is needed in order to write in a specific genre

or setting, it will have an effect that simply is not required of a graphic designer. When it comes

to sales pitches, for instance, one needs to focus less on the process and more on the information

that will guarantee success for the project we find ourselves working on. Moving on to market

research, it is merely a statement of a compilation of facts that will decide whether the task was

performed successfully or not. Understanding the writing process while a very important skill for

a writer, does not share as much importance as the rest of the knowledge domains for a graphic

designer; whose skills will shine through their visual work and not their written.

Conclusion

Much like Beaufort (2002) states, the process of enculturation and understanding a

discourse community’s domains requires significant time. All of the domains she describes in her

article are important when it comes to attaining full membership within a new community. The

fact still remains, however, that writing process knowledge holds less relevance compared to

other domains when it comes to a graphic designer’s tasks. The other domains are simply much

more embedded within the nature of the profession that without them, the quality of their work

would suffer immensely. The requirements expected of a graphic designer will continue to

evolve as they have been since the birth of this now infinitely important task. With the progress
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of capitalist society and the dominance of post-modern trends, graphic design will continue to

serve closely to the goals of mankind.

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References

 Beaufort, A. (2002). Writing in the real world: making the transition from school to work.

College Composition and Communication; Dec 2002; 54; Social Science Premium

Collection pg. 312

 Foss, S. K. (2009). Chapter 6. In Rhetorical criticism, exploration and practice (4th ed.,

pp. 137-140). Long Grove, Illinois: Waveland Press.

 Grant-Davie, K. (1997). Rhetorical situation and their constituents. In E. Wardle & D.

Downs (eds.), Writing about writing: A college reader. (pp. 484-511). Boston,

MA: Bedford/St. Martins.

 Johns, A. (1997). Discourse communities and communities of practice: membership,

conflict and diversity. In E. Wardle & D. Downs (eds.), Writing about

writing: A college reader. (pp. 319-342). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins.

 Miller, C. (1984). Genre as social action. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 70, 151-167.

 Pigg, S. (2014). Coordinating constant invention. In E. Wardle & Downs (eds.), Writing

about writing: A college reader (pp. 711-737). Boston, MA: Bedford, St. Martins