CONCEPTUALIZATION OF THE DESIGN OBJECT IN DIGITAL CULTURE: FROM VISUAL PRODUCT TO PROCEDURAL SYSTEM

Abstract

The article provides a theoretical conceptualization of the graphic design object in the context of digital culture, characterized by the growth of procedurality, interactivity, and network mediation of visual communications. Purpose. The purpose of the article is to rethink the established interpretation of the graphic design object as a completed visual product and to substantiate its understanding as a procedural system that is formed in interaction with the environment, user, infrastructure, and temporal dynamics of functioning. Methodology. The methodological basis of the study is the approaches of design research, the concepts of semiotic and activity analysis of the design object, and the interpretation of digital culture as a context in which the modes of production and perception of visual messages change. Theoretical analysis of scientific sources in the field of design research, media theory, and cultural studies is supplemented by a comparative analysis of educational and professional design practices. Results. It is demonstrated that the traditional object-product paradigm does not reflect the modern nature of design activity, since digital media transform the design object into a dynamic configuration of interactions that includes usage scenarios, adaptability, algorithmic modifiability, and user participation in constructing meaning. It is proven that the graphic design object cannot be adequately described outside the processes of its formation, functioning, and interpretation; it requires conceptualization as an open structure that unfolds in time. Attention is paid to the educational dimension of the problem: it is substantiated that the preservation of the product understanding of the design object in pedagogical practice limits the development of students’ conceptual thinking and narrows the assessment criteria. The procedural vision of the design object enables the integration of research strategies into the educational process, the development of student reflection, and the formation of the ability to work with complex communicative environments. Scientific novelty. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the formulation of a theoretical model of a graphic design object as a procedural system of interactions, which allows combining the semiotic, technological, and activity dimensions of design practice. Practical relevance. The practical significance of the results lies in creating conceptual foundations for transforming the content of professional training of future designers and developing new approaches to the formation of educational tasks and assessment criteria.