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Designing Fiction: The Role of Graphic Props in Cinematic Narratives · 3 of 11
Designing Fiction: The Role of Graphic Props in Cinematic Narratives
ARG Design MEDIUM

Defining Graphic Props: Scope and Boundaries

Designing Fiction: The Role of Graphic Props in Cinematic Narratives Federica Pasquini
definition communication-design art-vs-design FUI monstration verisimilitude

Key Principle

A graphic prop is a communicative artefact originating from a communication design process, placed on set to sustain or advance the storyworld. This definition distinguishes graphic props from scenic craft, FUIs, and paratextual elements by grounding them in intentional, structured communicative problem-solving.

Why This Matters

Without a design-grounded definition, the structured methodology and conceptual thinking that distinguish graphic design from manual scenic art become invisible, and the role collapses into craft execution. The definitional vacuum around graphic props reflects the field's practitioner-driven origins -- moving from craft description to design theory is the necessary step for disciplinary legitimacy.

The formal definition chain runs: narrative objects (narratology) become props (cinematic context) because film requires visual representation -- objects cannot remain tacit as in literature. Chatman (1980) observes that objects in film "cannot be visually undetermined, for the intrinsic nature of the filmic medium" (p. 30). Unlike literature, where a newspaper can be mentioned without being shown, film forces every communicative artefact into concrete visual form. This is the foundational logical argument for why graphic prop design is a necessary discipline, not optional embellishment.

Among cinematic props, those requiring deliberate visual and textual composition to communicate meaning within the storyworld are graphic props. They are therefore "the outcome of a design process aimed at organizing verbal-iconic content to convey a message" -- placed on set. This positions the graphic prop designer as a narrative agent, not a service provider.

The scope of graphic prop design aligns with Grimaldi's (2020) seven areas of communication design: visual identity, brand design, advertising, graphic design, typography, calligraphy and illustration for serial reproduction, editorial design, and packaging. All of these appear regularly in film production work.

Good Examples

  • Art vs. design distinction (Munari): "The artist works with fantasy, while the designer uses creativity. Fantasy is a faculty of the mind capable of inventing images that may also be practically unachievable. Creativity is a productive ability where fantasy and reason are connected, so the result achieved is always practically realisable." (Munari, 2017, p. 87). The graphic prop designer must function as a mediator of the message, not an author of personal expression.
  • The profilmic monstrator: Gaudreault (2009) calls the person who dresses the profilmic scene the "profilmic monstrator." The graphic prop designer's communicative act blurs with this role -- someone whose design decisions directly shape how the story is shown, carrying responsibility equivalent to set design or cinematography (Chapter 4, p. 155).
  • Golden ticket comparison: The golden ticket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory -- comparing the 1971 (Stuart) and 2005 (Burton) versions: both use close-ups, but the 2005 version demonstrates superior visual hierarchy and factory logo integration, yielding greater realism and legibility. Design quality directly impacts narrative effectiveness.
  • Fictional branding as design creation: Hill Valley welcome sign (Back to the Future), Zig Zag party flags (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Dunder Mifflin (The Office) -- each required full communication design treatment, created from scratch under narrative constraints.

Counterpoints

  • The "Computer Artist" label problem: The official union title (United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829) bundles graphic designer, screen graphics specialist, and motion graphics artist under an art label. This "flattens the specificity of design as a discipline -- one that is grounded in intentional communication, user orientation, and strategic planning" -- Chapter 4. Industry classifications that lag behind disciplinary reality perpetuate the conflation.
  • Atkins's definition is too broad: Atkins (2020, p. 12) defines a graphic piece as "anything that has lettering, a pattern, or a picture on it" -- intentionally accessible but analytically empty because it conflates any crafted visual element with intentional communicative products of design. Bucchetti (2020, p. 122) identifies the gap: a communicative artefact is not necessarily a product of design.
  • FUIs share traits but differ fundamentally: Both FUIs and graphic props design products similar to reality to make them recognizable. But FUIs are tied to technology and UI/UX design, favor spectacle over function, and represent futuristic/fictional technologies. Graphic props originate from communication design processes and are physically placed on set (Faller, 2019).
  • The scenic art conflation persists institutionally: The scenic art guild (Local USA 829) lists "some graphics" alongside sculpting, mold-making, and painting. The Art Directors Guild only included Scenic, Title and Graphic Artists in 2003 (Art Directors Guild, n.d.; Fischer, 2015, p. 4). Before formalization, graphic tasks were informally split among assistant art directors or set designers.
  • The terminological shift matters: "Graphic design" suggests "pure visual form" and ties the discipline to print-based media. "Communication design" foregrounds the communicative function and releases restriction to a single medium (Degeng, 2022). Retaining old terminology overemphasizes execution while obscuring method, strategic planning, and communicative intent.

Key Quotes

"A graphic prop can be considered any object placed on the set or handled by the actors. Its narrative function is translated from an invisible dimension -- the script -- into a visible artefact. It communicates a message through a variable graphic form, often involving text and image-related content." -- Pasquini, Chapter 4

"Communication design refers to the set of activities involved in designing the mechanisms through which a sender can transmit information to a receiver." -- Grimaldi, 2020, p. 31, Chapter 4

"The artist works with fantasy, while the designer uses creativity." -- Munari, 2017, p. 87, Chapter 4

To design is "to translate the invisible into the visible." -- Frascara, 2006, p. 2, Chapter 4

"The cinematic equivalent of the theatrical monstrator's role in the theatre." -- Gaudreault, 2009, p. 93, Chapter 4

The Monstration Argument

Gaudreault (2009) distinguishes narration (telling) from monstration (showing events). Film operates primarily through monstration. Communicative artefacts on set are monstrative instruments -- they show narrative information rather than having characters tell it. When a prop that should convey plot information (a headline, a ticket, a sign) is poorly designed, the monstrative channel fails. The film must compensate through dialogue or exposition -- a weaker narrative strategy that violates "show don't tell."

Props gain enhanced value in film because: (a) they must be visually present on screen; (b) they maintain the imaginary world's illusion of time and place; (c) the filmic level can amplify their gaze, potentially elevating them to character status via Epstein's (2012) photogenie -- where close-up cinematography transforms objects into characters.

Rules of Thumb

  • If your prop could be removed from the scene without narrative consequence, it is set dressing; if its removal breaks narrative comprehension, it is a graphic prop performing a communicative function
  • Verisimilitude props need to look right without drawing attention; herald props must be legible and narratively weighted because they carry plot information -- know which you are designing
  • The designer is a translator, not an originator: immerse yourself in the language of the fictional world, not your personal style
  • When design draws attention to itself, the audience reads "design" instead of "story" -- invisibility is the success metric for communicative artefacts in film
  • Graphic props exist at the profilmic level but must be designed anticipating the filmic level, since camera choices alter legibility, hierarchy, and narrative weight
  • The auteurist inclination toward personal expression must be supplanted by invisible design: the graphic prop designer functions as a mediator of the message, not an author (Frascara, 2006)

Related References