#28035
Can Designers Save the World (and Should They Try?)
Designers are clearly more self-conscious about their social role today than they have been at any time in the last 20 years, yet the lack of substance of the critics who have come to the fore, and the issues on which it is chosen to take a stand, reflect a political agenda that is set elsewhere. There are many areas of life in which designers can make a real difference, but we need to look first at why they are taking themselves so seriously in the noughties.
Macdonald, Nico. uiGarden (2006). Articles>Graphic Design>Cultural Theory>Politics
#21614
Tendemos a considerar al color como un hecho objetivo: rojo es rojo y no puede ser visto de otra forma. Pero eso no es así. El color que percibimos depende de cosas como las palabras de que disponemos en nuestro lenguaje (nuestra cultura) para describirlos, los otros colores que lo rodean y lo que el cerebro espera ver.
Dursteler, Juan Carlos. InfoVis (2003). (Spanish) Design>Graphic Design>Cultural Theory>Color
#28036
Politics is commonly thought of as the activities of political organizations--from which the majority of designers (if not majority of people) feel disassociated. But there is a missed opportunity here: at base, politics is about values, and design is nothing if not a means of embodying values.
Winhall, Jennie. uiGarden (2006). Articles>Graphic Design>Cultural Theory>Politics
#21277
Postrel's new book, The Substance of Style, explores the economic, cultural, social, personal, and political implications of the growing importance of aesthetics in business and society.
MacLaughlin, Steve. Boxes and Arrows (2003). Articles>Graphic Design>Cultural Theory>Visual Rhetoric
#30248
Writing for Other Cultures: Cultural Associations of Color and Graphics 
When writing for cultures that are not your own, you must consider the powerful cultural associations that color and graphics have. Understanding and leveraging these associations leads to documentation that is strong and usable, while not understanding them leads to cultural miscommunications and misunderstandings that can render your information useless.
Coe, Marlana A. STC Proceedings (1996). Design>Graphic Design>Cultural Theory>Color
