Department of Design

Are images more inclusive than texts? Karin Seiler immediately starts discussing her favourite topic: «Images are not more inclusive per se, but they are open-ended, more than spoken or written language. They can also be coded and decoded given the necessary visual literacy.» She will be offering a minor in visual literacy for the first time this autumn semester. «Images have their own language. They are not governed by rules and laws, but by patterns.»

Images, images, images: in public spaces, on social media, or in traditional media. Silent and yet quite palpable. Artificial intelligence adds even more content to the existing flood of images. When Seiler talks about the fascination of images, it becomes pleasantly calm and nuanced. She also recalls the orange lily that she watercoloured as a first-semester student at Zurich’s School of Art and Design. At the age of eleven, she discovered scientific illustration on television, which eventually led her to watercolouring.

«Closely examining and representing an object or idea is a form of appreciation. It reflects our astonishment when we observe nature and give it form.» After graduating, she worked as a freelance illustrator, visualizing the past and the future. «Everything that eludes us, that we can’t really perceive and that happens in the hidden. Today, many imaging techniques help us do this. Still, the tools and devices can’t do what humans can: Prioritize. Omit. Order.»

After qualifying as a scientific illustrator, Seiler first earned a higher education teaching certificate and then a master’s degree in art education. At ZHdK, she now heads the BA Major in Knowledge Visualization at the Design Department (DDE). She teaches on the BA Design and in the DDE’s interdisciplinary modules. She enjoys communicating: «I like fathoming students’ creative process. I can quickly articulate my observations and spark ideas in students.»

Seiler also experienced this fundamental humanistic approach at home. Her parents made documentaries. In the mid-sixties, they began artistically exploring societal issues such as the influx of Italian migrant workers into Switzerland or people who were fostered. Her parents’ work is part of the canon of Swiss documentary film. «They gave disenfranchised people a voice and an opportunity to share their stories.» Back then, artists and political figures came and went to the Seiler’s home to discuss the state of the world at her family’s kitchen table. «Standing up for others was very important to my parents. I inherited this attitude from them.»

What can design achieve?

Seiler has taught on the DDE’s interdisciplinary modules since 2011. She treats her students as equals. In 2016, at the height of the Syrian war, many refugees fled to Switzerland. Seiler taught an interdisciplinary BA module on «Design Activism.» Together with her co-lecturer Antonio Scarponi, Seiler developed the project «Hic et nunc» (i.e., «Here and now»). «We said at the time: if activism is our topic, let’s not confine it to campus.»

So they took students to a refugee centre at Messehalle 9 in Oerlikon and to the Fogo container settlement at Altstetten station. Asking themselves, «How can design have a positive impact here?», they established a library, initiated a project that adopted a playful approach to teaching German, and created a city map for refugees. The «Hic et nunc» project was awarded a Golden Bunny by Hochparterre magazine. Today, the award stands in Seiler’s office.

Enabling self-empowerment

While her teaching initially focused mostly on craftsmanship, Seiler has recently become increasingly interested in working methods. «I want to empower students to overcome a purely academic mindset and think for themselves.» Seiler talks about exposure, which makes us sensitive to the world. She strives to help her students consider what they have created both pragmatically and affectionately. What annoys her about university life, which she has now been involved in for 17 years? «I wish the many reforms were completed and consolidated, so that I can focus on content and teaching.» Saying that, she recounts the Monty Python scene where a group of doctors indulges in their operating equipment until they realize that the patient is missing.

The ultimate wormhole

Seiler also began working with digital tools early on and has experimented with AI with her students. How is this technology changing the demands on visual literacy? «Being able to identify the technological nature of an image is becoming more important. We need to ask ourselves more than ever: How has this image been created? The ethics of images will become increasingly pressing: What is declared and how? What about copyright?»

Seiler is aware of her students’ fears. Will AI soon replace their work? For her, the focus is once again on empowerment. «As a designer, how can I use the potential of AI for my professional expertise? We are still a long way ahead of AI: Why would I want to look at or read something that no one has bothered to write themselves? AI will never be able to work with its head and heart. As long as we allow ourselves to be touched, I will remain quite relaxed. I believe that designers, design processes, and inspiration all have great potential. Mind you, this work also comes at a price. AI is the ultimate wormhole.»

Minor in Visual Literacy

In autumn, Seiler’s Minor in Visual Literacy will launch for the first time. It teaches designers from all disciplines visual intelligence in dealing with images disseminated by the media. It also teaches students to argue objectively about images and to actively and responsibly negotiate their social significance. «Even musicians will benefit from learning these skills. They also need to communicate visually: 'What is my visual identity and how can I present myself through images?'»

Seiler’s experience in scientific illustration serves her well in this respect: «We have partners from the world of science, often from the natural sciences. Two worlds come together. The need to communicate with and through images has increased significantly since the advent of digitalization. We are also translators. Our role is to translate human needs into visual language. It’s a great challenge to keep pace with AI and hone our design skills. And to discover people at ZHdK who can contribute to this undertaking and with whom we can work together.»