Knowing by Drawing: Sketchigram as Exploratory Approach to Studying Urban Brandscape


Jeongwon Gim, University of Alberta

In contemporary social research, drawings are often perceived as subjective and considered less credible compared to mechanically produced data, such as statistics or photography. However, there has been a recent increase in scholarship that examines the potential of employing drawing as a crucial part of the research process including data elicitation, analysis, and dissemination of findings. Despite this, the contemporary visual method toolkits overlook the significance of researcher-generated drawings, which involve both in-situ and post-situ modes of production. Besides, when examining modern urban brandscape, relying solely on the logic of “scientific” method prove insufficient for perceiving and comprehending the underlying intangible forces, including branding strategies and the deliberate creation of sensory experiences. This study aims to fill this gap by investigating how drawing can empower researchers to deeply engage with and obtain fresh perspectives in understanding the problem, focusing particularly on inquiries into the urban brandscape. The study presents Sketchigram as an alternative approach to drawing, incorporating conventions of in-situ observational sketches, cartoons, cartography, and diagrams, including infographics. It involves an iterative process between in-situ observational vignettes of the place and annotated cartographic diagrams produced in the studio. These two modes of drawing operate as a set, essential for conceptualizing drawing as both a documentative and a thinking tool. This exploratory research specifically investigates how the practice of ‘Sketchigram’ (re)shapes the way researchers think about the urban brandscape. The theoretical perspectives to line, drawing, and arts-based methodology largely inform the study. This encompasses the discussions on the production of subjectivity, the reconsideration on the nature of social inquiries, the affordances of drawing, and the idea of drawing as correspondence. These concepts help theorize Sketchigram as an anticipatory and exploratory practice, shifting from viewing knowledge as a ‘report on the world’ to perceiving it as a way of being in the world’ that is open for modification and experimentation. The research first identifies the features Sketchigram shares with other visual methods techniques. This will be followed by a discussion on insights gained from the three ethnographic case studies on the residential brandscape in South Korea. Last, the study outlines the distinctive characteristics of Sketchigram that prove beneficial for researchers studying the urban brandscape. The study demonstrates that Sketchigram, as an anticipatory and explorative approach to drawing, provides a unique way to interact with the built environments and reflect on the researcher’s own involvement in the research process. Thus, Sketchigram is a reflexive approach presenting a way of ‘knowing by doing.’ Its distinctive characteristics, such as multimodality, decentralized reading, and meticulous and satirical annotations, afford powerful tools for capturing, understanding, and communicating invisible and multi-dimensional significance—for instance, functional, visual, material, and symbolic aspects—of the urban brandscape.

This paper will be presented at the following session: