Visual ResearchGathering references so that they inform the work rather than replace it.Art & DesignWide first, narrow later, and sourced the whole way through.Go widePrimary sources: drawings, photographs, objectsMaterial from outside your own disciplineMuseums and archives, not only search resultsWritten sources as well as imagesThings you dislike, and whyRecordWhere each image came fromMaker, date, medium, dimensionsWhat you took from it, in one lineKeep the link and the file togetherUseDraw from a reference; do not trace itCombine sources rather than follow oneNote what you changed, and whyAvoidA board of other people's finished workOne image-sharing site as the only sourceReferences that already look like your outcomeIf the research board and the outcome look alike, the research wasdecoration. It was supposed to change the outcome.Visual Researchlearnposters.com
Visual Research — printable design wall chart from LearnPosters. Free vector PDF, US Letter and A4.

What’s on the Visual Research poster

15 entries in 4 groups.

Wide first, narrow later, and sourced the whole way through.

If the research board and the outcome look alike, the research was decoration. It was supposed to change the outcome.

Questions about the Visual Research poster

What’s on the Visual Research poster?
15 entries in 4 groups. Wide first, narrow later, and sourced the whole way through. Go wide: Primary sources: drawings, photographs, objects, Material from outside your…; Record: Where each image came from, Maker, date, medium, dimensions, What you took fr…; Use: Draw from a reference; do not trace it, Combine sources rather than follow one,…; Avoid: A board of other people's finished work, One image-sharing site as the only so…. If the research board and the outcome look alike, the research was decoration. It was supposed to change the outcome.
Who is the Visual Research poster for?
Visual Research belongs to the Art & Design section rather than to a school year, because design is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning practice & portfolio can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
When should you use the Visual Research poster?
Use it at the start of a project, before the first idea has hardened. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so Visual Research belongs on the wall where that design work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
What other posters go with Visual Research?
The Artist CV, Artist Statement and Copyright & Credit sit alongside Visual Research in the Art & Design section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.The Artist CVArtist StatementCopyright & Credit
Is the Visual Research poster free to download and print?
Yes. Visual Research downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Art & Design section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
What size does the Visual Research poster print at?
Visual Research is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of Visual Research loses nothing.Printing guide

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