Image needs of Pakistani visual artists in an academic setting abstract

Purpose This study aims to explore visual artists’ image needs and the obstacles they face in meeting them. Design/methodology/approach The visual artists, participating in the study, included painters, graphic designers, textile designers, architects and sculptors who were faculty members in two oldest art institutions of Pakistan. A total of 20 face-to-face interviews representing four participants from each visual artists group were conducted. The textual data were analyzed thematically, using NVIVO 12 software. Findings Results showed that under-study visual artists need images mainly for academic purposes (teaching, assignments, etc.) and for professional and research purposes. However, they require images quite often, as a majority of the respondents told that they need images on daily basis. Social implications The study findings provide an insight for information science professionals, system designers and image librarians regarding visual artists’ image using behavior. Originality/value As the researchers could not find any such study in local context, and a very few globally, therefore, this study may serve as a baseline for further research in this area.