Revisiting the Avant-Garde

 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?

According to the author, Designers are a group that can position and reposition themselves between the world of design and society as a whole. The author believes that graphic design tells a story of discipline that allows them to not only express themselves but also social topics in societies.
What distinguishes the field of design from other creative occupations, is that a designer can visually bring any idea into existence. Designers can express ideas through colors, imagery, and/or typography. Not only are they able to bring their ideas to life but also seamlessly bring other people’s ideas and/or perspectives to life as well.
Designers should concern themselves with unsolvable theoretical questions because asking these questions and having these discussions help drive and create a new future for the design environment. The more voices and unanswered questions we have, the more new perspectives we will get, this helps graphic designers adapt to the ever-changing prosumer culture.
Technology has pretty much created a template and direction for designers. Designers using these technologies have to learn the basics like everyone else. However, once these basics have been learned, with a few restrictions they cannot only create hundreds of different visuals/imagery in this software but easily share their work, import, and export other people’s work as inspiration or references. Designers are also able to express their opinion and beliefs on current social issues, and/or politics rather than just doing business-friendly work. Designers of today have to keep up with the rapid increase in social justice that is moving to the forefront. They are responsible for these problems because when it comes to authorship and universality, these responsibilities have always been a part of that.

Annotation Links:
1.https://hyp.is/9CmM0A6_EeykVWfiqysJWw/designopendata.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/graphicdesigntheory_helenarmstrong.pdf
2.https://hyp.is/rIDOGg67EeyoFmeIEkBaRA/designopendata.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/graphicdesigntheory_helenarmstrong.pdf
3.https://hyp.is/Gk-UIA64EeyHVx_aIb3vLw/designopendata.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/graphicdesigntheory_helenarmstrong.pdf