Our first reading assignment consists of a couple short pieces, which can be found via the links below. Your response should be 3-4 paragraphs, which may be typed directly into a post or handwritten in your research journal. If you decide to handwrite please just post an image into a new post.

Here are the readings:

Helen Armstrong, “Introduction: Revisiting the Avant-Garde” from Graphic Design Theory: Readings from the Field (2009): ArmstrongIntro

Bruno Munari, selected chapters from Design as Art (1966): Munari_DesignAsArt

Here are the questions to which you should respond:
According to these authors, what role should design play in the world today? What distinguishes the field, or fields, of design from other creative occupations? Why should designers concern themselves with unsolvable theoretical questions? What role has technology played in shaping design professions? What role does it play today? What are the most urgent problems designers face today? How, and why, is a designer responsible for solving these problems?

Please post your responses before class on the 14th. And please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or issues. You can send a message through OpenLab or email me: mlange@citytech.cuny.edu