Visualizing research trends and thematic structure evolution of graphic design

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to draw a scientific map and show the evolution of thematic structure of world’s graphic design. This is a scientometric study that uses quantitative and indicative methods of network analysis. To draw a scientific map of graphic design research literature, the data was extracted from the Web of Science database within a 2000–20 time period. The retrieved records were formatted using WC10.exe conversion software and then were mapped using Ravar Matrix, Ucinet, Netdraw, VOSviewer software. The findings revealed a growing trend in the number of articles published in graphic design and the most widely used subject areas in the field of graphic were identified. The field of graphic design was mapped based on the closeness centrality measure and its findings revealed that topics such as graphic sign, computer applications, molecular dynamics, computer architecture and graphics processing have the greatest impact on the map.