Graphic Design in Colombia: Complexity, Media Literacy, and New Educational Challenges

Abstract

The professional training in Graphic Design (GD) in Colombia faces the challenge of responding to the social, cultural, technological, and media transformations that shape the global communication ecosystem. This study explores how GD is constituted not only as a creative and technical discipline but also as a platform for media literacy, by articulating theory, practice, and interdisciplinarity within a higher education context that must engage with the labor market and international development agendas. The perceptions of professors, students, graduates, and employers are analyzed regarding the strengths and limitations of training, with the aim of understanding its role in building competencies for critical communication and social innovation. Methodologically, a qualitative approach was employed, grounded in the critical-social paradigm and the theory of complexity, through a multiple-case study of five high-quality accredited GD programs by the National Accreditation Council (CNA) and five nationally recognized companies. Through semi-structured interviews, conceptions linking GD to the production of media messages, cultural mediation, and the integration of emerging tools such as artificial intelligence were investigated. The results reveal three main tensions: the consolidation of GD as a discipline of visual communication with limited social recognition; the gap between the expectations of the productive sector and academic proposals; and the reduction of the profession to advertising functions, which obscures its potential as an agent of media literacy and cultural transformation. The study concludes that, although GD training in Colombia demonstrates strengths in creativity and technical mastery, it requires a clearer educational policy that strengthens research, interdisciplinarity, soft skills, and the appropriation of disruptive technologies. These dimensions, integrated within a complex training model, may position GD as a strategic mediator between communication, education, and global development, contributing a novel perspective to the field of media literacy and to the debate on higher education policies in Latin America.Palabras clave: diseño gráfico, diseño, formación profesional, educación universitaria, interdisciplinariedad, contexto educativo.