Design is everywhere and in everything! It influenced what we eat, how we dress, what we buy, and even how we think. Today, designs are shaping the world as it is no longer only self-expression, anonymous, and socially detached but rather marked with authorship, universality, and social engagement. These form a continuum in which designers grapple with when designing to meet the clients and world demands. Resulting in a continuous transformation of design strategies to meet the demands of consumers and clients. Design is experiencing a merging of the theoretical design foundation with modern and post-modern views which are influenced by prosumerism, technology, and social responsibility. The evolution in design has caused designers to diversify from “neutral transmitter of information” to producers, initiators, and entrepreneurs.
I believe that designers should be concerned with unresolved theoretical questions because it allows for greater exploration of the profession. Keep in contact with design roots helps to unlock new experiences and allow the field to grow and develop and meet futuristic goals. Additionally, to avoid graphic designers from being sidelined they have to continue to develop new innovative tools, templates, and resources to sustain clients’ demands so that they are an integral part of the prosumer culture.
Technology is the tool that is keeping designers to reflect on the unresolved theoretical questions such as universality and subjectivity. Artists such as Moholy-Nagy and Herbert Bayer seek to make design communicate clearly, concisely, and precisely and truthfully which means eliminating subjectivity and making the image objective. Technology is the tool for designers to create a masterpiece, but the software applications are restrictive and use standardized tools that make the visual images universal. The sharing of tools and technology has been made easier thus creating common visuals and shifting the visual language to include cross-cultural images and designs. This causes the influx of terms from different disciplines and cultures creating a design and visual language that Manovich described as “hybridity and remixability”. It enables a new kind of language and voice which is comprehensible and constant in meeting despite the various cultures. Visual language does not require translation, so the meaning and understanding are universal.
The design field has expanded to include more political and social platforms on community and global issues such as equity, social justice, and the environment. The images are engaging persons to critically examine the issues and concerns and awaken the movement of change. This brought subjectivity into the design as it serves as a critique of social issues and problems. Design is inspiring, empowering, enlightening, and activates action. This broadens the audience’s perspectives and increases the need to produce meaningful images to meet the needs of a client and the consumers and use the work of designers as a platform to critique and make changes in the world.
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