Research on Western advertising design principles and visual structure in advertisements in the gulf countries

Ilze Eklsa has conducted an extensive study in design communication, exploring the impact of globalisation on international visual communication practices in advertising design, and the interaction between design principles and structures.

The thesis explores the extent to which the principles and components of Western visual communication advertising design are adopted by advertisers in countries around the Persian Gulf and how advertising is shaped or adapted to local cultural, social and religious values.

The study demonstrates the changing paradigms of advertising design communication in the gulf countries using Raymond Williams' theory of cultural development, which helped to identify "residual", "dominant", and "emergent" categories in the visual communication of advertising.

Image from Ilze Eklsa's dissertation

In addition, the study carried out an extensive structural analysis of advertising design and an analysis of the compositional systems of advertising to investigate the impact of the above-mentioned shifts in visual communication paradigms on advertising in the gulf countries. 

The study is a valuable addition to the field of visual communication and design studies, providing new insights into evolving design practices. The results of the thesis are relevant for advertising professionals, academic staff, and researchers.

Ilze Eklsa will defend her doctoral thesis “Comparative Analysis of Western Design Principles and Visual Structure in GCC Advertising Design” on 22 March 2024. Read more

RSU dissertation database