KEYWORDS carry some of the most important meanings that will open doors to vast amounts of information. You can develop keywords by searching reference sources, books, websites, and thesauri, among other materials.
Creating KEYWORD lists are important in that you will use these terms to search library tools such as the library catalog and article research databases.
Design is a very broad term! Be sure to use quotation marks to make the search engine find what you're looking for. Try these search terms, with the quotation marks:
It is important to gather background information on a topic (or object, in this case) before diving into doing research. It can supply context information to give a better understanding of a topic, and it can also be a great way to start developing keywords to use during the research process. Background information on a topic can be gathered from a variety of sources, including textbooks, books, reference materials like encyclopedias, and reputable websites.
Look in the call numbers NC-NK!
Based on a visual analysis of the selected object from Special Collections and some additional background research conducted on the object and the time period surrounding the object, here are some preliminary keywords I'll consider using when searching for secondary sources:
kw:modern* OR kw:"graphic design" = 5,100,000 results
kw:modern* OR kw:bauhaus AND kw:"graphic design" = 2,600 results
(kw:modern* NOT kw:bauhaus) AND kw:"graphic design" = 2,400 results
kw:modern* AND kw:"graphic design" = 1,900 results
su:modern* AND su:"graphic design" = 206 result
AND = combines two search terms, making the search narrower
OR = includes synonyms and broadens the search
NOT = narrows the search by eliminating portions of the search
kw: = keyword search
su: subject heading search
modern* = look for words with the root word (i.e. "modern" "modernists" "modernity")
"graphic design" = searches the phrase, not the two separate words (i.e. "graphic design" not "graphic" AND "design")