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This study examines the artistic output in the diocese of Grosseto, which was part of the Sienese controlled territories in Medieval and Renaissance times, and sheds light on the artists who worked there, the works they produced, the purpose of these works and the way these were shaped by local patrons, popular beliefs and long-standing traditions.  It encompasses a period in the history of Siena that starts in c.1380 with the political turmoil that followed the fall of the government of the Nine in 1355, and ends in c.1480, around the time of Pandolfo Petrucci’s exile from the city. A contextualised overview of the activity of artists from Siena and beyond, such as Matteo di Giovanni, Sassetta, Vecchietta Francesco di Giorgio, Giovanni da Ponte and Andrea Guardi in the diocese of Grosseto is provided by means of visual examination and new documentary evidence.  Relevant case studies offer a new perspective on the development of local visual imagery, the style and iconography of panel paintings, sculptures and fresco cycles and how these related to local devotional practices and patronage.  The study shows that the development of independent taste in commissioning and acquiring artworks transcended geographical boundaries and political influence, and that original developments took place alongside the imitation of imported models. This research contributes to a new understanding of the relationship between Siena and Grosseto and proposes that notwithstanding Sienese influence, other cultural models were available, and that these were adapted to suit local requirements. A thorough investigation of local patronage establishes that this involved civic, religious and lay sources and that these shaped civic rituals and devotional responses to the cult of patron saints. It brings to light a vivid, yet complex image whereby all the realms of society interacted and benefited from cultural exchange.

This thesis explores the question of the patronage of the thirteenth-century Trade Reliefs of San Marco in Venice, and it connects their production less to the artisans and traders they depict than to the Procuratori de supra San Marco, the governmental officials who organised the running of building and improvement work at the Basilica of San Marco and in the Piazza and Piazzetta by way of active connections to trade and commerce. Drawing upon archival research and historical and iconographical analysis, I argue that the considerations underlying the creation of the Trade Reliefs were deeply rooted in the political state trajectory during and surrounding their production.

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Network diagrams of ecological cycles, eg, carbon and nitrogen cycles, are a common feature in science textbooks for 14-18 years age groups. From an information design perspective these diagrams raise a particularly interesting challenge; that of categorising up to six types of biological information using two graphic syntactic roles – nodes and connecting arrows – whilst ensuring an efective and unambiguous message. This practice-led thesis reviews the precision of information categorisation in 209 network diagrams collected from UK and Danish science textbooks (1935-2009). Visual content analysis and graphic syntax theory (Engelhardt, 2002) is applied to review the existing information categorisation in relation to four types of graphic inefectiveness: 1) implicit nodes, 2) imprecise relative spatial positioning of graphic objects, 3) polysemy, and 4) inconsistent visual attributes or verbal syntax. This review finds 29 types of ineffective graphic tactics, which may result in ambiguous messages due to illogical linking sequences, implicit circulating elements, and confusion about chemical transfer and transformations. Based on these analysis indings, the design process in educational publishing is investigated. This identifies the rationale informing the transformation of information into network diagrams, based on semi- structured interviews with 19 editors, authors, designers, and illustrators in six publishing houses (3 in UK , 3 in Denmark). The rationale is mapped using phenomenographic analysis method and existing theories on the design process, namely brief development and translation stages (Crilly, 2005), choice points and the problem setting process (Schön, 2006), problem- solution co-evolution (Dorst and Cross, 2001), and design constraints (Lawson, 2006). The curriculum purpose of the ecological cycle network diagram is found to tightly constrain the identiied rationale and the graphic decision-making based mainly on tacit knowledge. In a final discussion the research indings are integrated by identifying models of design activities (Dumas and Mintzberg, 1993) present in investigated professional practice. This reveals how design decisions may inluence the occurrence of inefective graphic tactics. Recommendations for alternative information transformation strategies are then presented, centred on integrating graphic syntax knowledge into the current processes. These recommendations are anchored in suggestions by the interviewed participants.

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