Visual Culture and Design in Contemporary Communication Landscapes

In an era dominated by visual media, the intersection of visual culture and design has become central to how we communicate, interpret, and engage with information. This Research Topic focuses on the ways in which visual elements and design practices shape meaning, influence perception, and mediate power structures across various communicative landscapes. Its aim is to illuminate how visual culture and design not only reflect but actively construct social realities, shaping both personal identities and collective ideologies.

The rapid advancement of digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and immersive media has introduced new challenges and opportunities for visual communication. These developments mean that fresh theoretical perspectives and methodological innovations are required to critically analyze how design influences the way information is produced, distributed, and consumed.

This Research Topic seeks contributions that critically examine the role of visual culture in constructing narratives, facilitating discourse, and fostering inclusivity across diverse cultural and technological contexts. We aim to address the growing need for interdisciplinary scholarship on visual culture and design as essential components of contemporary communication. As visual media increasingly serve as the dominant mode of meaning-making, understanding the interplay between design, representation, and perception has never been more critical.

This article collection explores how design practices and visual elements contribute to shaping social, cultural, and political realities, influencing public discourse, branding, activism, and even policymaking. By fostering critical dialogue across disciplines, we aspire to:

• advance theoretical and methodological frameworks for studying visual communication
• examine how digital technologies transform visual design and cultural narratives
• investigate the role of visual culture in identity formation, accessibility, and inclusion
• address ethical considerations in the production and dissemination of visual content.

We aim to provide scholars, practitioners, and educators with new insights into the evolving landscape of visual communication, equipping them with the knowledge to navigate its complexities.

We welcome interdisciplinary perspectives and encourage submissions employing qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method approaches. Articles may engage with a range of theoretical and methodological approaches to interrogate the sociocultural, political, and ethical dimensions of visual communication and design in contemporary media ecosystems. Manuscripts may take the form of empirical research articles, theoretical essays, case studies, or methodological reflections.

Possible topics for submission may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• visual storytelling and narrative construction in digital and traditional media
• the role of visual rhetoric in political discourse, activism, and journalism
• information design and data visualization in science, health, and policy communication
• digital media aesthetics and user experience in interactive and social media
• algorithmic curation and artificial intelligence in visual communication
• identity, representation, and inclusivity in visual design practices
• ethical challenges and media literacy in an era of misinformation and deepfakes
• pedagogical innovations in teaching visual communication and design.

Information and Instructions for Authors

This Research Topic accepts any of the article types listed below, except for Editorial (Editorials are submitted exclusively by the Topic Editors).

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: design education, digital media design, ethics in visual communication, information visualization, interface design, sustainable design, visual literacy, visual storytelling, social media, visual culture

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.