Reading Response 1 – EW

Armstrong, Helen. “Introduction: Revisiting the Avant-Garde” Graphic Design Theory: Readings From the Field, Princeton Architectural Press, 2009. Pages 9-15.

Questions / Prompts

• According to this author, what role should design play in society?
• What distinguishes the field, or fields, of design from other creative occupations?
• Why should designers concern themselves with unsolvable theoretical questions?
• What role does technology play in shaping design?
• What are the most urgent problems facing designers today?
• How, and why, is a designer responsible for solving these problems?

Reading Response

According to the reading,  Armstrong feels design should  play the role of communicating information and keeping the culture aware of  what is going on globally. Informing society and being aware of social changes, politics, and social justice issues. Armstrong feels a successful design should keep the attention, educate and inspire.  She also feels that it is the responsibility of designers to be aware of their platform and the growing field of graphic technology which brings their work to a broader audience.  The postmodern era pushed intuition to the forefront , stretching and manipulating modern forms and systems towards a more self expressive, emotional approach. Whereas Avant-Garde took an anonymous approach, using objectivity rather than subjectivity and neutrality replaced emotion.  Avante-Garde looked to the future and postmodern explored the past. 

Designers should concern themselves with  theoretical questions, because the goal of a designer is to deliver designs that are capable of solving a solution and informing.  Using visual influences of past artists can help designers grow and show them a different perspective. Including a sense of emotion and self expression gives the work a voice while also connecting with the audience.

Technology unites human culture  and communicates universality to a wider spectrum with creation, production and distribution digitally. Technology connects designers and the audience which changes the produce-consumer relationship. Incorporating devices ensures faster and more reliable access to connecting designers with their audiences and  growing with other designers. 

Designers are facing the problem of remaining relevant in the world of prosumers. Designers should consciously position themselves within the prosumer culture in order to stay consistent with the needs of clients and other designers. 

Hypothesis Annotations

1. Reference Image: Josef Müller-Brockmann
2. Rewording: Rephrasing
3. Definitions: Anonymity, Bourgeois, Collective author-ship