Design & academia

Recently, I have been buried deep in books and research papers in order to get my head around the topic I wanted to explore in the latest essay set on my course. This provided me with one of the rarest opportunities to sit down and read about design without feeling guilty of not doing any practical work. Surprising as it may seem, the contextual side of design is not intensively incorporated in the curriculum of the majority of design courses (not to say in all of them). By this I do not mean only the historical development of the subject but also the implications and the utilisation of the research that goes behind it. Since the topic of the essay provided a wide variety of interpretations, I jumped at the opportunity to engage with my own concerns of the role and purpose of graphic design. I decided to take a theoretical point of view and look into how different documentation modes can contribute to the current development of theory and methodology. I was interested in the ways in which design history is recorded and passed on and the effects of society, politics and economics on that process. I started off by examining the design history from the moment when the idyllic consumerist bubble burst at the beginning of the 1990s and enabled the graphic design industry to develop greater awareness of the effects of its actions. Going further away from Thomas Watson’s famous words -‘Good design is good business’- the design industry in the 1990s transformed into a sub celebrity cultural phenomenon with one sole aim – profitability. The counter effect of that gave birth to the idea of authorship in design and fostered the emergence of a new bread of practitioners – ‘design historians’. In search of purposefulness in design, at a time when the popularisation of the profession perseveringly shifted its course, the writing and discussion that was generated paved the way for the academic study of the discipline. Designers like Ellen Lupton, Abbot Miller, Steven Heller and Michael Beirut expanded their view beyond the graphic practice and engaged in the critical discourse.

The critical nature of every academic study, however, have resulted in the encounter of numerous problems when approaching a fluid and ever-changing subject as graphic design. Despite those difficulties, in the recent years design research has gained more prominence and it is aspiring to become an inseparable part of every business and social enterprise. Nevertheless, before the healthy relationship between design and its commissioners is revived again, design research can only serve as a mediator in this process. For that reason, the documentary contribution of design practitioners is essential for successfully communicating the aims, ethics and responsibilities of design. Based around that idea, my essay looks into how the documentation of different theories and methodologies in design could contribute to the future development of a separate, fully functional and commercially viable branch of academic design.

Some of the books and papers I came across during my research proved to be essential for the formation of my thesis. It seems that most of them have been initially written and published in the US, which leads me to believe that this is a very hot topic on the other side of the pond. Here is a brief list:

Bennett, A. ed. (2006) Design Studies: theory and research in graphic design, New York: Princeton Architectural Press.
Heller, S. & Vienne, V. ed. (2003) Citizen Designer: perspectives on design responsibility, New York: Allworth Press.
Holland, D. K. ed. (2001) Design Issues: how graphic design informs society, New York: Allworth Press.
Millman, D. (2007) How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer, New York: Allworth Press.
Bierut, M. (2007) Seventy-nine Short Essays on Design, New York: Princeton Architectural Press.
Chapman, J. & Gant, N. ed. (2007) Designers, Visionaries and Other stories: a collection of sustainable design essays, London: Earthscan.
Collins, H. (2010) Creative Research: The Theory and Practice of Research for the Creative Industries, Lausanne: AVA.
Roberts, L. & Wright, R. (2010) Design Diaries: creative process in graphic design, London: Laurence King.
Nini, P. (2004b) Sharpening One’s Axe: making a case for a comprehensive approach to research in the graphic design process. In: Future History: AGIA Design Education Conference. University of Illinois, Chicago, USA. 16-17 October 2004.
Bayazi, N. (2004) Investigating Design: a review of forty years of design research. MIT Press: Design Issues, vol 20.
Harland, R. (2011) The Dimensions of Graphic Design and Its Spheres of Influence. MIT Press: Design Issues, vol 27.
Triggs, T. (2011) Graphic Design History: Past, Present, and Future. MIT Press:
Design Issues, vol 27.

Along with that several discussions with practitioners have influenced my understanding of the topic. During Key Ideas Employment Lecture, James Bull from Moving Brands and Matt Wade from KIN have touched on the future development of design. Matt suggested that with the growing importance of project management in the design practice, a new role may evolve. A role which would deal with the intelligent commissioning of design by acting as a producer. I see this as a perfect opportunity to engage the academic side of design in a commercial context without sacrificing the principles and values of the practice. It is only natural for such process to take place, since similar schemes have been adopted by fine art, where the art history is embedded in the curatorial practice. James Bull, however, mentioned that the future of the profession may well be hidden in the open source movement, where the democratisation of the design process allows everyone to be a creator. Metadesign, Designism and a handful of other latent design theories are attempting to get to the bottom of the current graphic design downturn and re-evaluate its practice.

It is encouraging for me to see that a lot of contemporary practitioners are concerned about bigger issues outside the realm of design. Despite no definite answer could be given by any of them, clearly defined positions and inner confidence is what will navigate designers through the over-saturated and fragmented current situation. At the end of the day, the numerous predictions about the development of the graphic design industry are all dependent on the individual designer’s understanding of his/her place in society as a whole. I see it as a false attempt for designers to assume the position of world saviours when all that they can do is to try to be better people who contribute to society through their work. Even though a certain dose of bravery is needed to be the person one wants to be, failure may bring even more challenging prospects. Thus, the personal chronologies of design practitioners like Paula Scher and Milton Glaser give me much-needed reassurance and comfort in my emerging practice.