Basics Design: Design Thinking

Words and language

Puns

A pun is a joke that exploits the different possible meanings of a word or image

or the fact that a word or image has different possible meanings.

The pun essentially substitutes one meaning for another within a context, to

give an alternative meaning. For a pun to be effective, a certain level of shared

knowledge or culture is required in order for the viewer to recognise the

alternative meaning. If not, it will appear incongruous and may even look like

an error. Polymath author and journalist Arthur Koestler defined a pun as ‘two

strings of thought tied together by an acoustic knot’, or in the case of a visual

pun, a visual knot.

The word pun

A play on words using alternative meanings of words and word sounds to form

new meanings.

The visual pun

A play on words substituting images for words to form new meanings.

The rebus

Using images to form words based on the nouns they commonly represent.

The word pun

This logo designed by Wolff

Olins features a word pun

whereby ‘Q8’ represents the

oil-rich country, Kuwait.

The visual pun

This visual pun is Milton

Glaser’s classic mark that

substitutes a heart symbol for

the word ‘love’.

The rebus

This IBM poster by Paul Rand

features a rebus; images that

represent the letters of the

company’s name.

Design Thinking

Refinement

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 OK While every effort has been taken to carry out instruction to customers satisfactionNO RESPONSIBILITY liability will be accepted for errorsCUSTOMERS ARE THEREFORE URGED TO CHECK THOROUGHLY BEFORE

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DALIMHE-DTP^1

Title: Basic Design-Thinking

Client: QPL Size: 160mmx230mm

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