There are many ideas and perspectives for what a graphic designer could or should be, it is a term left in ambiguity and defined by the designer. According to Ellen Lupton, “Design is a social activity. Rarely working alone or in private, designers respond to clients, audiences, publishers, institutions, and collaborators. While our work is exposed and highly visible, as individuals we often remain anonymous, our contribution to the texture of daily life existing below the threshold of public recognition.”. This would appear to be a straightforward answer, that designers are apart of a profession where the work is more recognizable than the artist. However, Helen Armstrong sheds light into an altering perspective through collective authorship, where she explores the challenge in whether graphic designers should mark an artistic presence within their work. Should that recognizable presence be credited towards the designer, and does it benefit the prosumer market?

As explained in the quote, “This assertion of artistic presence is an alluring area of practice. Such work includes theoretical texts, self-published books and magazines, and other consumer products. In 1996 Michael Rock’s essay ‘The Designer as Author’ critiqued the graphic authorship model and became a touchstone for continuing debates. The controversial idea of graphic authorship, although still not a dominant professional or economic paradigm for designers, has seized our imagination and permeates discussions of the future of design. And, as an empowering model for practice, it leads the curriculum of many graphic design graduate programs.”. Helen pitches the idea that a designer can have authorship and define who they are within their work, however the lack in notability of said concept can hinder or risk their profession. Designers usually work for clients, corporations, etcetera, so by adding a presence to a commissioned design, it could be against what they were paid for. Designers must find a balance between artistic intent and professional prosumer marketing, which is an occurring problem even for today. This is where technology comes into play because it is an important aspect of authorship. With designers having access to or creating new tools and recourses, the ability to have a unique yet professional stable in the community increases.

In the book “DESIGN AS ART”, one page thirty three, the author gives us a straight forward answer on what a designer is, “The designer works in a vast sector of human activity; there is visual design, industrial design, graphic design and research design. Visual design is concerned images whose function is to communicate and inform visually : signs, symbols, the meaning of forms and colors and the relations between these. Industrial design is concerned with functional objects, designed according to economic facts and the study of techniques and materials-.”. As explained, there are many types of designers who are tasked with equipping themselves to different objectives and problems. Most notably, a visual designer is responsible with being able to convey a message in the easiest and most recognizable way. If what they present isn’t clear, then it could cost someone their life as many are responsible for simple safety signs. It’s the little visual cues that can go a long way and the reason why it’s so important to solve a problem within a design. In this perspective, you could understand why having an artistic presence is not desirable, simply because it can be dangerous if someone doesn’t understand the author’s style. It all comes down to the task and deciding when it’s appropriate to have artistic intent and when it needs to be sidelined.