Technologies and innovations in contemporary design
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34142/27091805.2026.7.02.24Keywords:
contemporary design, graphic design, digital technologies, innovation, generative artificial intelligence, visual communication, design processAbstract
The purpose of the study: to clarify the role of digital technologies and innovations in the transformation of contemporary design, with an emphasis on graphic and exhibition design and visual communications, as well as to identify the criteria by which a technological innovation acquires specifically design value rather than merely technical or decorative value.
Methods: the research combines systemic and comparative approaches, literature review, visual-compositional and functional analysis, and the case-study method. The empirical material consists of three visual objects presented in the article: a hybrid portrait composition, an album-cover design, and an international exhibition poster. They are compared by function, mode of technological integration, visual language, and communicative outcome.
Scientific novelty: a four-level model of technological integration in design is proposed: instrumental, generative-algorithmic, interactive-environmental, and systemic-communicative. Three criteria for assessing innovative design are substantiated: functional relevance, transformation of the design process, and enhancement of communication and interaction.
Results: digitalization is shown not to be synonymous with innovation. The mere use of software, neural networks, or multimedia does not make an object an example of contemporary design unless it performs a clearly defined project function. The most productive model treats technology as a design material and a means of iterative prototyping while keeping conceptual, ethical, and communicative control with the designer.
Conclusions: contemporary design is moving from the use of digital tools toward systems of human–machine co-creation. The professional value of innovation is determined not by the quantity of technological effects but by its capacity to improve function, visual hierarchy, adaptability, and user communication. This requires combining technological competence with critical thinking, ethical responsibility, and a distinct authorial position.
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