Helen Armstrong and Bruno Munari both claim that design has become an important role in the modern-day world. While it is true that Design mostly played a big part in business and identity, it went through a series of ideological changes. In Armstrong’s excerpt she states that “Early models of graphic design were built on ideals of anonymity, not authorship.” She then goes along to say that “Design is visible everywhere, yet it is also invisible—unnoticed and unacknowledged.” Back then, designers were not well-known for their work and often relied on concepts rather than creativity. As such, ideas such as futurism, constructivism, and Swiss-School were present and constantly stressed to many designers of several institutions and many students of design implemented those ideas only to
feed the concept to grow on a larger scale, rarely noticed for their efforts.


Munari supports this claim in his book saying that in today’s society “the artist must cast off the last rags of romanticism and become active as a man amongst men”, implying that there is no definitive way to stand out as a designer due to the fact society constantly seeks a tie between life itself and art, leading designer to be further submerged into the dregs of a dull and demanding world. Munari’s article also explains that in the past, art was held at a selective standard, where only the intellectual could understand and appreciate art. Now, art has become part of our culture and defines the time period we live in, accessible for the public. As Armstrong puts it, “Design is a social activity”, forming not only a relationship between the design community but also the viewers who glance at their work, creating an even greater community.

The field of design is different to other creative fields as you learn the history of the design, its impact on the world and how to differentiate between different design concepts. Design tends to be more informational than creative at times, gathering knowledge of past works and ideas while learning about the present’s values and thoughts of what makes good design. It demands discovery and
experimentation unlike practical fields like math or science that deal with facts and logic. It may be subjective at times but over all design is a lot of trail and error mixed with education estimation and strict justifications on peak design and performance.

Designers are often ensnared by unsolvable theoretical questions for two reasons. They are infinite possibilities to deal with design and there are equally as many designers and ideas to challenge said theory. There are many situations where someone can learn and understand a concept but no two people approach it in a completely 100% identical fashion. Interpretation is different from person to person resulting in unique works and theories being in to play. Some designers may agree with a theory and may add onto it while other disagree and follow a
different approach to disprove an original theory. In short, concepts are plentiful buts its the understanding and implementation that creates and internal debate between the design community regarding unsolvable design theories.

Technology plays the role of a bridge between designers and the people in the present. Communication is incredibly quicker than it was prior allowing ideas and design to reach people all over the world in a timely fashion. Armstrong quotes that “Digital technology puts creation, production, and distribution into the hands of the designer, enabling such bold assertions of artistic presence.” True as it is, it also means that designers and companies forge a bigger bond with one another, sharing interests in what they are looking for and how to promote each other in a symbiotic relationship. Technology is primarily part of our culture in this generation, making it a gateway for exploration to many people to either oppose or approve design choices made by their creators.

The most urgent problem for designers today is the fact they are unable to be recognized in this day and age. While we do have technology as a tool for many artists, it is difficult for artists to stand out amidst the immense amount of designers and their work that scour the net. Identity and Technique are crucial aspects of becoming a successful designer. Many designers often would struggle with gaining positions within the design industry as new art styles would be favored by corporations such as Post-Modernism or Modernism. The constant demand for over-simplification has made it incredibly difficult for designers to maintain relevancy as well as credibility, thanks to people plagiarizing off each other.

Designers are responsible to combat these issues but continuously mastering their technique and trade through various experiences and exercises they have learned or saw. In a way, it is the role of a designer to challenge ideas or create new ones, brining a fresh new look on a blank canvas. With each design, designers are tasked with originality as well as something that appeals to the eyes. In the same respect, it is the job of the designer to allure people and get into their heads, to make them think a certain way or see something entirely different than how they saw it originally.