Defining creativity as problem solving in graphic design education

Creativity is a complex phenomenon. It intersects with multiple areas of knowledge: art, education, and cultural studies, to name a few. Defining creativity always involves novelty and appropriateness, yet it is difficult to find a definition of creativity that suits all fields. This paper argues that creativity in relation to graphic design education can be defined as problem solving. This paper aims to test this account of 'creativity' within the graphic design education context. It is part of a PhD research project that investigates creativity enhancement and assessment from socio-cultural perspectives and within the graphic design education context. In order to test this account of 'creativity', international and local graphic design lecturers were asked to complete a questionnaire and interviews. The collected data mostly confirms that it is rational to argue that creativity can be defined as 'problem solving', being explained as a cultural production, at least within the graphic design education context. The contribution of this paper is that it advances the idea of creativity in graphic design as problem solving, by investigating the location of creativity in graphic design, specifically in the Omani context: also this research gives a snapshot of differing views regarding creativity in design education as perceived by international lecturers versus Omani lecturers.