Lecture Week Three – Development (Theresa)

This week’s lecture focused on development and the importance of making progress with our final outcomes. Theresa encouraged us to keep testing and exploring ideas, reminding us that this stage is an opportunity to create something personal. She emphasised the value of taking risks and pushing ideas beyond what feels safe or predictable.

Theresa also discussed the role of clichés in design, which really stood out to me. She explained that just because something feels obvious doesn’t mean we should avoid it. In fact, clichés can be powerful communication tools when used deliberately. They can serve as shared cultural references that bring an audience together through recognition and familiarity. The visual cliché is especially important in graphic design, it allows designers to play with what people already know, subverting or reinterpreting it to make a point.

Theresa explored the history of clichés in design, referencing book covers, emojis, icons, and colours that have become symbols of meaning through repetition. She quoted Alan Fletcher, who said:

“What distinguishes a designer sheep from a designer goat is the ability to stroke a cliché until it purrs like a metaphor.”

I like this idea, that good design doesn’t reject clichés but reshapes them until they say something new.

Using clichés thoughtfully means understanding what resonates with your audience. Researching them can reveal shared values, behaviours, or aesthetics, which in turn can strengthen a project’s message.

In my own work, I can see how this connects to NeuroRoutes. Clichés are deeply rooted in the backpacking world, which is the culture my project sits within. Hostel life, for example, is full of people sharing stories over cheap beer, forming fast but temporary friendships. Then there are the familiar visuals, the jumping photos, peace signs, and yoga poses on the beach. Meals tend to be budget-friendly: noodles, pasta, and street food eaten from plastic containers. There’s also the classic “gap year mindset,” the idea of travelling to “find yourself” or escape routine life. Tattoos of beaches, coordinates, or East Asian writing are common souvenirs, physical proof of experience. Flags and badges stitched onto backpacks signal where someone’s been and how far they’ve travelled. Blogging, posting, and vlogging have become part of the identity too, with many backpackers aspiring to become influencers, turning travel into content.

All of these are visual and cultural clichés that define a shared identity among travellers. For NeuroRoutes, I could use these tropes humorously or playfully, perhaps by twisting them into something self-aware, or using them to comment on accessibility and inclusivity in travel culture. The challenge will be to embrace these clichés without falling into stereotypes, keeping the tone light, knowing, and relatable.