Spatial construction for ideational meaning: An analysis of interior design students' multimodal projects

Multimodality is an inter-disciplinary approach that considers communication to be more than just language. Multimodal studies focus mostly on the analysis of two-dimensional printed, digital, and screen production. This paper explores a multimodal pedagogic approach used to teach students to create interior design projects as three-dimensional ensembles, which we reflect upon to contribute to the framework of multimodality. This qualitative research begins with a review of multimodal discourse establishing language as a system of choice, and a relationship between spatial design and language. A case-study of students' multimodal ensembles reveals how the design choices of mode, semiotic resource, modal affordance and inter-semiosis led to students producing rich and inclusive meaning, supporting a reproductive health mandate. An interpretive semiotic framework based on Hallidayan principles of Systemic-functional linguistics is developed for spatial meaning-making analysis for future projects. The findings offer a narrative metalanguage for spatial meaning-making, contributing to broader interior design discourse