Archives

  • Evolving and Reinventing: Changes and Challenges in Education, Strategic Design, and the Media
    No. 19 (2025)

    A quarter of the 21st century has already passed, and it is evident that the creative industries, communication, strategic design, and marketing are no longer what they once were: they have evolved. This issue highlights some of these transformations, including the return of the reality show genre within a transmedia ecosystem where television, social media, and streaming platforms converge to generate conversations that extend beyond the media sphere; the emergence of new internet celebrities; the integration of artificial intelligence into educational processes; and the role of information and communication technologies in the acculturation processes of exchange students. The articles and essays featured in Issue 19 demonstrate through concrete examples that these industries are not static but are instead in a state of constant evolution.

    ISSN: 3106-0234 (Online) 

  • Design and communication for innovation and social change : creative solutions to complex challenges
    No. 18 (2024)

    Issue 18 of Revista Abierta explores how design and communication can drive social change in contexts marked by inequality. From innovating “with what you have” to integrating artificial intelligence with sentient and community-based approaches, this edition showcases methodologies and case studies that demonstrate that effective solutions do not require vast resources, but rather new ways of thinking and approaching problems. The issue also launches a new review section, beginning with a review of the relevance of the Bauhaus. This issue invites us to reimagine design and communication as drivers of social change and innovation.

    ISSN: 3106-0234 (En línea)

  • Use of AI in university classrooms
    No. 17 (2023)

    Revista Abierta explores the impact of artificial intelligence on higher education, featuring studies on how AI enhances creative and communication skills, and a set of guidelines for its ethical use in academic writing. It also features an analysis of political narratives on TikTok during the 2024 Salvadoran elections and a thesis examining how commercial cinema romanticizes emotional abuse among young people. A timely, critical, and essential issue for understanding the phenomena that shape our daily lives.

    ISSN: 1999-4044 (Printed)

     

  • Special Strategic Design
    No. 16 (2022)

    In this issue, we present a special section dedicated to strategic design, highlighting its contribution to social and professional development in El Salvador. It brings together research on the labor market for strategic designers, the management of creative capital in social innovation projects, and the historical influence of schools such as the Bauhaus and HfG Ulm. It also includes a study on the role of fashion designers as custodians of local culture. This issue brings this discipline closer to new audiences and deepens its relevance in the region.

    ISSN: 1999-4044 (Printed)

  • Think digital
    No. 15 (2021)

    Revista Abierta explores how the pandemic continued to transform communication, design, and business in 2021, from the rise of digital marketing and online shopping to the growth of entrepreneurship. It includes studies on the influence of social media, expectations for Salvadoran e-commerce, the characteristics that drive university entrepreneurs, and an analysis of hate speech against women on Twitter. This issue offers a clear and up-to-date look at the changes accelerated by the health crisis in El Salvador.

    ISSN: 1999-4044 (Printed)

     

  • Pandemic special
    No. 14 (2020)

    The 14th edition of Revista Abierta presents a special feature dedicated to the impact of COVID-19 in El Salvador, analyzing it from the perspective of communication and strategic design. It includes studies on the communication response of large companies, the president's digital discourse during the emergency, organizational adjustments to the new normal, and teleworking skills in advertising agencies. From different perspectives, this edition offers a clear overview of how the pandemic transformed practices, discourse, and social dynamics.

    ISSN: 1999-4044 (Printed)

  • Design for change or social innovation
    No. 13 (2019)

    The 13th edition of Revista Abierta stands out for including, for the first time, studies funded by the Mónica Herrera School research fund. The publication presents works on design for social innovation, cell phone use in the leisure time of university students, and the spread of misinformation in El Salvador. It also includes one of the most notable theses of 2019 on the relationship between brands, emojis, and consumers. This edition brings together current and useful research for understanding social, communication, and design phenomena in the country.

    ISSN: 1999-4044 (Printed)

  • Digital connections in campaigning: political communication in elections viewed from the perspective of data analysis
    No. 12 (2018)

    This issue of Revista Abierta brings together research conducted in 2018 by faculty and students at the Mónica Herrera School of Communication. It includes a joint study with the UCA on political figures and memetic content during the 2018–2021 campaigns and the 2019 presidential pre-campaign. It also features two notable theses: the work experience of young people in advertising agencies and the factors that turn a photoblogger into an Instagram influencer. The publication highlights the institution’s commitment to applied research and academic collaboration.

    ISSN: 1999-4044 (Printed)

  • At the service of coffee cutters
    No. 11 (2017)

    This issue features research related to interuniversity projects and the best graduation theses of 2017. It begins with an overview of the ECMH + UDB project, designed to improve tools used in coffee harvesting and presented at the ICFF in New York. It also includes an analysis of Pope Francis’s discourse during institutional crises within the Catholic Church and a strategic design project that develops training tools to strengthen the capacities of Salvadoran microentrepreneurs.

    ISSN: 1999-4044 (Printed)

  • Transversal competences
    No. 10 (2016)

    This edition brings together academic research conducted in 2016 by faculty, students, and alumni in the fields of design and communication. It includes an analysis of the student’s journey through design processes and the challenges involved in transforming research into tangible proposals. It also features notable theses on brand building inspired by The Little Prince and the success factors of creative ventures.

    ISSN: 1999-4044 (Printed)

  • Emerging solutions
    No. 9 (2015)

    This issue addresses social issues and cultural dynamics from the perspective of digital communication. It includes a discourse analysis of gang-related comments on Facebook, revealing public perceptions of violence. It also features a study on marketing for nonprofit cultural organizations and another on the growth of virtual Catholic communities, exploring their influence and global reach.

    ISSN: 1999-4044 (Printed)

  • Design of a didactic vegetable garden
    No. 8 (2014)

    This issue examines how technology is transforming communication and digital behavior. It includes a study on “digital immigrants” and their relationship with brands, revealing new patterns of interaction in online environments. It also analyzes cyberbullying among seventh- through ninth-grade students, exploring how the dynamics of Facebook influence their behavior and need for a sense of belonging.

    ISSN: 1999-4044 (Printed)

  • Cyberspace: threat or refuge?
    No. 7 (2013)

    This volume explores social issues and consumer decisions in digital contexts. It presents research on the evolution of bullying into cyberbullying, as well as a study of participatory communication that analyzes citizenship in Apaneca. It also includes an analysis of the technology purchasing process among adolescents and the design of a digital tourism platform for Playa El Tunco.

    ISSN: 1999-4044 (Printed)

  • Medical multimedia: Radiosurgery
    No. 6 (2012)

    This issue explores contemporary phenomena in digital and cultural consumption. It analyzes how users are transitioning from passive consumers to active prosumers on social media and examines piracy as a cultural practice that transforms access to information. It concludes with a strategic design project that develops a multimedia tool to support medical education.

    ISSN: 1999-4044 (Printed)

  • Design thinking: a new way of looking at design
    No. 5 (2011)

    This issue brings together research on consumer behavior, communication, and design. It includes studies on the sensory perception of blind consumers, the construction of self among women living with HIV who receive support from NGOs, and the phenomenon of teen texting among adolescents. It also features a monograph on the evolution of design methodologies from the Arts and Crafts movement to the HfG Ulm and an introductory analysis of design thinking as an innovative approach to solving everyday problems.

    ISSN: 1999-4044 (Printed)

  • Kidult phenomenon
    No. 4 (2010)

    This volume brings together research that explores the connections between communication, social development, and new consumer behaviors. It includes a study on the “kidult” phenomenon in El Salvador, an analysis of the use and application of Web 2.0 in Salvadoran companies, and ethnographic studies on the use of cell phones for academic purposes.

    ISSN: 1999-4044 (Printed)

  • Getting to know the green consumer
    No. 3 (2009)

    This issue focuses on the Green Movement and brings together research from 2009 on communication, marketing, and society from an environmental perspective. It includes studies on Salvadoran green consumers, quality of life in communities in Santa Tecla, and new dynamics of socialization on Facebook. It also features reflections on education and communication, cultural analysis of religious communities, and strategies for brand growth.

    ISSN: 1999-4044 (Printed)

  • Group communication from a virtual perspective
    No. 2 (2008)

    This issue brings together research in communication, design, advertising, and marketing applied to social and cultural phenomena. It addresses group communication in virtual environments such as World of Warcraft and environmental awareness actions for Lake Ilopango. It includes an introduction to ethnographic studies in markets and a historical reconstruction of the Salvadoran advertising industry.

    ISSN: 1999-4044 (Impreso)

  • Migration
    No. 1 (2007)

    This first issue brings together key research in the field of communications, developed mainly by students in 2007. It addresses topics such as the communicative relationship between Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers and the television viewing habits of people with Down syndrome. This edition inaugurates a critical and open university space for understanding social phenomena from the perspective of communication.

    ISSN: 1999-4044 (Printed)