Armstrong, Helen. Graphic Design Theory: Readings From the Field, Princeton Architectural Press, 2009. Pages 9-15.

Revisiting the Avant-Garde

From what I’ve learned from Helen Armstrong’s book, “Graphic Design Theory: Readings from the Field,” design is a way to convey anything, such as your idea, your opinion, or bringing up social or political concerns that we are now experiencing. Design trends are continuously evolving and getting more competitive, which is why we see more authorship now than ever before. They desire to have an identity, to be acknowledged by the world for their work. I think it has become a lot easier to steal people’s work, which is why many artists are beginning to include their names or other identifying marks on their works. Technology has certainly made it more difficult for designers to compete since you now have to compete with everyone who owns a laptop or computer, making it easier for designers to work digitally. In the text, Kenya Hara says, “Communication becomes effective only when an advertisement is offered as an empty vessel and viewers freely deposit into it their ideas and wishes”. According to what I understand from this quote, Hara is referring to how vital it is to conduct research about your client and their campaign before delivering them anything. That will convey to them that you can do what they are looking for and that will give you a clear idea of what you need to work on. It makes it easy for designers to communicate their work to their clients. I believe design is just another form of communication.