Methods of Translating Written Task

‘The Designer as Author: a Debate’ 

Author

In the rise of a postmodern artistic climate, and an expansion of Graphic Design as a profession, many designers are looking for authorial credit in their work. Designers have never had authorship due to the commercial and collaborative nature of the practice, however as with film, this is a practice in which auteurscould thrive. 

Anonymous

Graphic Design is a client and brief focussed profession – there is no room for auteurs. Unlike in film, we cannot assume an designer will be able to imbue themselves into every project they do – some projects call for a specific visual style, or specific angle of opinion. While designers may have a discernible style and excellent technical ability, the final consistency of viewpoint needed to create an auteur is not present. 

Author

However your statement here is simply untrue. There are these auteur designers – Paula Scher, Jan van Toorn. High profile names with a discernible perspective both in the work they produce and how they produce it. I must agree, however, that the medium of design does not inherently lend itself to the auteur – but the ‘self-motivated’ designer will look outside of commercial endeavours in order to produce self-directed work, such as the artists book. 

Anonymous

In this case, publishers or those writing on design are authors, far more than any single designer. These people produce publications and critique, as you state an auteur designer does. 

Author

You must understand that these self-directed projects create more of an idea of a designer’s sense of interior than analysis of their commercial work. Therefore, the role of an auteur designer is fundamentally set apart from commercial design – the use of design as a personal critical practice elevates the designer to this position of authorship. 

Anonymous

Why is such control considered positive? The nature of graphic design is that it is a medium where you cannot control your audience – you must instead clearly communicate your message, however an audience will always imbue this with their own view. This is suited by anonymity – why would you aim for control of this fundamental basis of design? 

Author

Authorship creates responsibility for a designer, and legitimises their practice within the context of a visual landscape. It is ultimately undeniable that a designers work will fall in line with their previous, and future, projects, when we look at a practice spanning decades. We should not look to remove this.

Anonymous

This should not be the basis of good design – we don’t need to know who made it or elevate a specific designer to celebrate responsibly and legitimate work, we all need to strive to make this kind of work without authority over its interpretation. 

Texts used: 

Crouwel, W and Toorn, JV (1972) [2015] ‘The Debate’, The Debate: The Legendary Contest of Two Giants of Graphic Design, Monacelli Press

Rock, M (1996) ‘Designer as Author’ Multiple Signatures: On Designers, Authors, Readers and Users, Spring [2013] Available at: https://2×4.org/ideas/1996/designer-as-author/