Mapping Graphic Design Scopus Database Framings: A Scoping And Delphi Review

Ginn Assibey Bonsu ORCID iD, Rahman Adam ORCID iD & Agnes Decardi-Nelson ORCID iD 

Issue: Vol.6 No.15 Article 19 pp. 4473 – 4489
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202561519| Published online 30th December, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Although academic work on graphic design has made significant advancements, its framing by articles in journals may hinder the further development of research in graphic design. Previous studies attribute the slow further development to methodological difficulties triggered by the inappropriate application of scientific methods in design. However, the authors hold the view that the struggle is due to how researchers have framed the focus of graphic design in academic research. The study employed a scientometric review to examine trends in graphic design research from 2000 to 202 in Scopus. VOSviewer was used to analyse co-author, co-citation and co-word maps.  The study employed a scientometric review to survey graphic design research from 2000 to 2023, selecting 263 articles based on predefined criteria using the Scopus website from a total of 883,640 articles between August and September 2023. VOSviewer was used to analyse coauthor, co-citation and co-keyword maps. The results were sent to two experts for Delphi review. The results showed that the focus of graphic design was visual communication, design layout, typography, design processes and design education. However. Delphi review points out that the key areas framing graphic design are not representative and give an incomplete picture of graphic design. The study unveils the limitations of the design journals based on their published focus on graphic design articles and recommends the need for the journals to consider the underrepresentation for special issues.

Keywords:  Graphic Design, Delphi, Scoping Review, VOSviewer.

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Dr Ginn Bonsu Assibey holds a doctorate in Design Technology from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa. He is currently a senior lecturer in the Department of Communication Design at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. His research interests include exploring challenges to sustainable graphic design, systems design for sustainability, and emerging advertising strategies. He works mostly in two research paradigms – interpretivism and pragmatism – which are driven by learning through participation.

Dr. Adam Rahman is a Senior Lecturer and the Head of the Department of Communication Design at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. With over 16 years of experience in higher education, he coordinates the technical production of Open Educational Resources (OER) at KNUST and plays a key role in advancing design-led education in Ghana. Dr. Rahman’s research focuses on packaging design, interaction design, and visual culture, particularly in the context of consumer behaviour and sustainable branding. He has published widely in peer-reviewed journals and presented at both local and international conferences. He was a recipient of the University of Michigan African Presidential Scholarship (UMAPS) and has earned several awards from academia and industry. Dr Rahman is the Ghana Chapter Leader of the Interaction Design Association (IxDA) and a member of the Institute of Packaging, Ghana (IOPG), Design Ghana, and the Ghana Design Network (GDN). He serves on multiple academic and industry-related boards and has extensive experience collaborating with international agencies, design professionals, and packaging experts

Dr Agnes Decardi-Nelson is a Research Scientist in Packaging Graphics and Graphic Design with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – Institute for Scientific and Technological Information (CSIR- INSTI) with (15) years’ research experience. She holds a Ph.D. Degree in African Art and Culture, Specifically Packaging Graphics and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (Hons) in Graphic Design, both from KNUST. She is a member of the Ghana Institute of Graphic Arts (GHIGA), Research Staff Association (RSA) and the Ghana Publishers Association (GPA). She is currently working in the areas of packaging graphics, printing and publishing, gender issues and entrepreneurship.

Bonsu, Ginn Assibey , Rahman Adam, and Agnes Decardi-Nelson. “Mapping Graphic Design Scopus Database Framings: A Scoping And Delphi Review,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no. 15 (2025): 4473 – 4489, https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202561519.

© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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