research statement
My research lies at the intersection of visual communication and political advertising, with a specific concentration on how design aesthetics impact perceptions of political candidates. I am particularly interested in understanding differences in audience visual tastes and how they may influence the appeal of political advertising. To explore these questions, I primarily employ quantitative methodologies, such as content analysis, surveys, and experiments, to examine various design elements in political campaigns, including candidate branding, logos, signage, and typographic choices.
One of my notable research contributions in this area is the paper titled "You're Just Not My Type: The Relationship Between Fonts, Political Ideology, and Affective Polarization," which earned the prestigious Top Faculty Paper Award in the Visual Communication Division at the 2022 annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference. This study delved into the nuanced connections between font choices, political ideology, and affective polarization and will soon be in publication.
Among my recent studies, "Beyond 'Good' and 'Bad' in Design Education: Insights from an Experimental Study Evaluating Design Aesthetics" sheds light on the significance of embracing diverse perspectives in design education, challenging conventional notions of design aesthetics. The study advocates for a decolonization of design education to foster inclusivity and creativity within the field.
Building upon my previous work, I plan to delve deeper into the influence of generational differences on design preferences in political advertising. Moreover, I continue to create a comprehensive database of political design elements in the U.S., with a plan to extend this research to Europe and Africa. By employing content and network analysis, I will examine connections between candidates' visual choices and their impact on voter perception.
Additionally, I am exploring the implications of AI-informed visual taste and algorithmic taste-building on design preferences. My research will investigate how AI technology may contribute to greater homogeneity in design aesthetics. Furthermore, I am currently conducting in-depth research on the increasing news coverage of political candidates' visual design choices.
I enjoy fostering fruitful collaborations with faculty and students, involving them in cutting-edge research projects that extend my work. I am actively seeking external grant funding to support innovative research initiatives that align with my institution's academic goals. Additionally, I am always excited to develop new courses that integrate my research findings, providing students with practical knowledge in visual communication and political advertising. Through experiential learning opportunities, students gain valuable insights into the impact of design aesthetics.
My research journey in visual communication and political advertising has been driven by a burning curiosity to understand how design aesthetics shape political communication. By exploring the appeal of diverse design aesthetics, I strive to contribute to the field's knowledge and promote an inclusive design environment
PUBLICATIONS
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Zenner, S. (2019). It Costs a Lot of Money to Look This Cheap: A Survey to Understand Preference for Differing Levels of Design Quality in Advertising. Visual Communication Quarterly, 26(1), 22-31. https://doi.org/10.1080/15551393.2019.1577076
Invited Articles
Kreiss, D., Barker, J.O., and Zenner, S. (2017). Trump Gave Them Hope: Studying the Strangers in their Own Land. Political Communication, 34(3), 470-478. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10584609.2017.1330076
Book Reviews
Yang, X., & Zenner, S. (2017). Social networks and popular understanding of science and health: Sharing disparities, by Brian G. Southwell [Review of book Social networks and popular understanding of science and health: Sharing disparities, by Brian G. Southwell]. The Communication Review, 20(1), 70-71. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10714421.2016.1271657
REFEREED PAPER PRESENTATIONS
Zenner, S. Beyond "Good" and "Bad" in Design Education: Insights from an Experimental Study Evaluating Design Aesthetics accepted for presentation at the 2023 annual American Institute for Graphic Arts LENS Conference for Design and Education in New York City, NY.
Haenschen, K., Zenner, S., Collier, J. You’re Just Not My Type: The Relationship Between Fonts, Political Ideology, and Affective Polarization presented in the Political Communication Division at the 2022 annual National Communication Conference in New Orleans, LA.
Zenner, S. Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign: The Typography and Design of Local Political Yard Signs presented at the 2022 annual American Institute for Graphic Arts SURFACE Conference for Design and Education in Seattle, WA.
Zenner, S., Haenschen, K., Collier, J. You’re Just Not My Type: The Relationship Between Fonts, Political Ideology, and Affective Polarization presented in the Visual Communication Division at the 2022 annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference in Detroit, MI. WINNER: First Place Faculty Paper, Visual Communication Division
Zenner, S. That’s a Good Sign: The Typography and Design of Political Yard Signs presented in the Visual Communication Division at the 2021 annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference in New Orleans, LA. (virtual).
Zenner, S. The Political Appeal of Nostalgic Television: A Textual Analysis of the TV drama Blue Bloods presented in the Television Division at the 2019 annual Mid-Atlantic Popular and American Culture Association conference in Pittsburgh, PA.
Zenner, S. It Costs a Lot of Money to Look This Cheap: A Survey to Understand Preference for Differing Levels of Design Quality in Advertising presented in the Visual Communication Division at the 2018 annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference in Washington, D.C. WINNER: First Place Student Paper, Visual Communication Division
Zenner, S. It Costs a Lot of Money to Look This Cheap: A Survey to Understand Preference for Differing Levels of Design Quality in Advertising presented in the Visual Communication Division at the 2018 annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Southeast Conference in Tuscaloosa, IL. WINNER: First Place Student Paper, Visual Communication Division
McGregor, S., Zenner, S., & Kreiss, D. An Emergent Public: Journalistic Representation of Social Media as Public Opinion presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication 2017 Conference in Chicago, IL.
Lazard, A., Holton, A., Wilner, T., Zenner, S., & Cannon, A. Cancer Selfies: Implicit Representations of Cancer and Gender on Instagram presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication 2017 Conference in Chicago, IL.
INVITED PRESENTATIONS, PANELS, & INTERVIEWS
Interviewed by D. Hunter Schwarz for Fast Company in “For moderate political candidates, minimalism is the new patriotism.”, November 7, 2022 https://www.fastcompany.com/90806528/for-moderate-political-candidates-minimalism-is-the-new-patriotism
Interviewed by D. Hunter Schwarz for yello.substack.com in “Sometimes, the best graphic design is worse.”, August 17, 2022 https://yello.substack.com/p/sometimes-the-best-graphic-design
Interviewed by D. Hunter Schwarz for yello.substack.com in “Why I think it’s time to rethink what constitutes “good” and “bad” design.”, August 17, 2022 https://yello.substack.com/p/why-i-think-its-time-to-rethink-what
Moderator for research panel The Future of Visual Research: Shaping Our Tools, Techniques, and Partnerships accepted for presentation at the 2022 annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference in Detroit, MI co-sponsored by the Visual Communication and Communication Theory and Technology Divisions in partnership with Julian Kilker, Ph. D. of University of Nevada Las Vegas.
Invited discussant in a session entitled Conflict, Ideology, and Memory presented by the Visual Communication Division at the 2022 annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference in Detroit, MI.
Moderator and organizer of Visual Communication division luncheon with speakers Kiana Wenzell, Director, Detroit’s Month of Design, Design Core Detroit for the College for Creative Studies, and Kristi Tanner, Computational Journalist, Detroit Free Press presented by the Visual Communication Division at the 2022 annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference in Detroit, MI.
Invited discussant in a session entitled Visual Framing in Visual Communication Practices presented by the Visual Communication Division at the 2021 annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference in New Orleans, LA. (virtual).
Invited research lecture on my paper, It Costs a Lot of Money to Look This Cheap: A Survey to Understand Preference for Differing Levels of Design Quality in Advertising for Dr. Matthew J. Haught’s Visual Media Theory and Practice graduate class at the University of Memphis in September 2020 (virtual).
Invited discussant in a session entitled Visual Communication Top Papers presented by the Visual Communication Division at the 2020 annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference in San Francisco, CA. (virtual).
Invited panelist in a session entitled Reflecting on Integration - Challenges in Research and Practice presented by the Public Relations and Advertising Divisions at the 2019 annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference in Toronto, Canada.
Invited panelist for Master’s seminar critique of visual communication projects at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (virtual) in 2018.
Invited talk entitled “Social Media Monitoring and Verification for Electionland” in MEJO 244: Talk Politics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 2016.