Counter-Rhetorical Design: Using Political Rhetoric as a Design Framework

Houldsworth, Austin and Peralta, Carlos (2024) Counter-Rhetorical Design: Using Political Rhetoric as a Design Framework. In: P/References of Design. Cumulus conference proceedings series, 1 . Cumulus Association, Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest, Budapest, pp. 1051-1066. ISBN 978-952-7549-02-5

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Abstract

Rhetorical discourse within the political sphere appears evermore meaningless and impotent to the complex challenges within contemporary society. This is partly due to the influence of social media, changing the dynamic of communication, and the limitations of traditional rhetorical devices to persuade and communicate new or original ideas. Through this research, we explore how speculative and critical design methods might be utilised within political discourse to communicate the unfamiliar by co-opting the familiar rhetoric from the past or present. We term this approach counter-rhetorical design, a subgroup of speculative design that utilises past failed rhetorical arguments as a framework to propose implementable solutions based on the original objectives represented by the rhetorical device. The results from this research project consist of two case studies created using the counter-rhetorical design approach. It concludes with an outline of future opportunities and further research which might enable new modes of political persuasion, or methods to bring specificity and content to the future political discourse.

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