When a colleague-friend asked me recently about collaborating on a long-term collage project, it took me a few seconds to gather my thoughts. I mean, obviously, YES, count me in! But it got me thinking about collage and my research. It’s part of how I think and process information — even if a visual collage isn’t the outcome. I suggested that “collage mindset” is a real thing. It’s non-linear, but also a fantastic way to think about parts coming together in ways that are emergent, convergent, and divergent too. And, it need not result in a visual artifact.
During my last content analysis study (photo above), I kept track of the eight steps I took. I became curious about a few things: What are the benefits of thinking like a collage artist (collagist?) while doing qualitative thematic analysis? How might I teach this technique to others? This practice eventually led to pages of writing — leading me to position this as part of a research and writing process, not toward creating visual work.
Scissors, Glue, and Research too
Though I often discuss research in this space, it’s occurred to me that I rarely share any specifics about my work here. When I started The Quiet Design Scholar, my goal was to write about things at the edges of my scholarly work — mostly because I didn’t want this to be an extension of my CV!
Of course, research collage can also lend itself to compelling visual forms. A year ago, I was making collages with visual snippets of research material I was working with at the time (see archived post above and scroll for the photos). One of these will be exhibited as part of Faculty + 1: Educators in Focus at the UNI Gallery of Art in Cedar Falls, Iowa! The exhibition runs from October 3 – November 7, 2025, and will be up during the Iowa Art Educators Conference taking place on campus. I was delighted to be tapped as a “+1” educator alum for this show by my design education colleague, Tom. It felt strange to be shipping off a collage that was never meant for a frame — or a wall, for that matter — but I’m happy with how it turned out. This particular piece, “Designers Discuss Posters for Japan in March 2011 (Blog Analysis #1),” played an early, significant role in my book project. I may do more of these.
Furthering my research-through-collage approach, I also have a new journal article to announce. Last month, the article I co-authored with Steven McCarthy, “Dancing with Scissors: Collage as Visual Design Scholarship,” was published in Visual Communication Journal. The link above goes directly to the journal’s website; if you don’t have subscription access, please do email me and I can sort out a pdf for you. Here’s the abstract:
Collage is a formal art genre, a medium of expression and communication, and a teaching tool. But what is the potential of collage as a methodological process in visual design scholarship? This article provides theoretical and practical frameworks for ‘design scholarship through collage’ and ‘collage as design scholarship’ through historical precedent, heuristic practice and examples of four collage projects by two practitioners of the medium. The works demonstrate a hybrid form of visual design scholarship.
I’d welcome any thoughts from you all about a “collage mindset” — toward things like research, life, anything!