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Spring 1996 The designer as author Michael Rock various designers Essay Graphic authorship is taken for granted by many design theorists and it is gaining ground within practice, too. But the idea has received little sustained examination. What does it mean and what is really possible? Authorship has become a popular term in graphic design circles, especially in those at the edges of the profession: the design academies and the murky territory between design and art. The word has an important ring to it, with seductive connotations of origination and agency. But the question of how designers become authors is a difficult one. and exactly who qualifies and what authored design might look like depends on how you define the term and determine admission into the pantheon. Authorship may suggest new approaches to the issue of the design process in a profession traditionally associated more with the communication rather than the origination of messages. But theories of authorship also serve as legitimising strategies, and authorial aspirations may end up reinforcing certain conservative notions of design production and subjectivity – ideas that run counter to recent critical attempts to overthrow the perception of design as based on individual brilliance. The implications of such a redefinition deserve careful scrutiny. What does it really mean to call for a graphic designer to be an author? The meaning of the word ‘author’ has shifted significantly through history and has been the subject of intense scrutiny over the last 40 years. The earliest definitions are not associated with writing per se, but rather denote ‘the person who originates or gives existence to anything’. Other usages have authoritarian – even patriarchal – connotations: ‘the father of all life’, ‘any inventor, constructor or founder’, ‘one who begets’ and ‘a director, commander, or ruler’. More recently, Wimsatt and Beardsley’s seminal essay ‘The Intention Fallacy’ (1946) was one of the first to drive a wedge between the author and the text with its claim that a reader could never really ‘know’ the author through his or her writing.(1) The socalled ‘death of the Author’, proposed most succinctly by Roland Barthes in a 1968 essay of that name, is closely linked to the birth of critical theory, especially theory based in reader response and interpretation rather than intentionality.(2) Michel Foucault used the rhetorical question ‘What is an Author?’ in 1969 as the title of an influential essay which, in response to Barthes, outlines the basic characteristics and functions of the author and the problems associated with conventional ideas of authorship and origination.(3) Foucault demonstrated that over the centuries the relationship between the author and the text has changed. The earliest sacred texts are authorless, their origins lost in history. In fact, the ancient, anonymous origin of such texts serves as a kind of authentication. On the other hand, scientific texts, at least until after the Renaissance, demanded an author’s name as validation. By the eighteenth century, however, Foucault asserts, the situation had reversed: literature was authored and science had become the product of anonymous objectivity. Once authors began to be punished for their writing – that is, when a text could be transgressive – the link between the author and the text was firmly established. Text became a kind of private property, owned by the author, and a critical theory developed which reinforced that relationship, searching for keys to the text in the life and intention of its writer. With the rise of scientific method, on the other hand, scientific texts and mathematical proofs were no longer seen as authored texts but as discovered truths. The scientist revealed an extant phenomenon, a fact anyone faced with the same conditions would have uncovered. Therefore the scientist and mathematician could be the first to discover a paradigm, and lend their name to it, but could never claim authorship over it. Poststructuralist readings tend to criticise the prestige attributed to the figure of the author. The focus shifts from the author’s intention to the internal workings of the writing: not what it means but how it means. Barthes ends his essay supposing ‘the birth of the reader must be at the cost of the death of the Author’.(4) Foucault imagines a time when we Buy Eye Purchase single issues, back issues or s online now. 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  • 11/5/2015 EyeMagazine|Feature|Thedesignerasauthor

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    Spring1996 Thedesignerasauthor

    MichaelRockvariousdesignersEssay

    Graphicauthorshipistakenforgrantedbymanydesigntheoristsanditisgaininggroundwithinpractice,too.Buttheideahasreceivedlittlesustainedexamination.Whatdoesitmeanandwhatisreallypossible?

    Authorshiphasbecomeapopulartermingraphicdesigncircles,especiallyinthoseattheedgesoftheprofession:thedesignacademiesandthemurkyterritorybetweendesignandart.Thewordhasanimportantringtoit,withseductiveconnotationsoforiginationandagency.Butthequestionofhowdesignersbecomeauthorsisadifficultone.andexactlywhoqualifiesandwhatauthoreddesignmightlooklikedependsonhowyoudefinethetermanddetermineadmissionintothepantheon.

    Authorshipmaysuggestnewapproachestotheissueofthedesignprocessinaprofessiontraditionallyassociatedmorewiththecommunicationratherthantheoriginationofmessages.Buttheoriesofauthorshipalsoserveaslegitimisingstrategies,andauthorialaspirationsmayendupreinforcingcertainconservativenotionsofdesignproductionandsubjectivityideasthatruncountertorecentcriticalattemptstooverthrowtheperceptionofdesignasbasedonindividualbrilliance.Theimplicationsofsucharedefinitiondeservecarefulscrutiny.Whatdoesitreallymeantocallforagraphicdesignertobeanauthor?

    Themeaningofthewordauthorhasshiftedsignificantlythroughhistoryandhasbeenthesubjectofintensescrutinyoverthelast40years.Theearliestdefinitionsarenotassociatedwithwritingperse,butratherdenotethepersonwhooriginatesorgivesexistencetoanything.Otherusageshaveauthoritarianevenpatriarchalconnotations:thefatherofalllife,anyinventor,constructororfounder,onewhobegetsandadirector,commander,orruler.Morerecently,WimsattandBeardsleysseminalessayTheIntentionFallacy(1946)wasoneofthefirsttodriveawedgebetweentheauthorandthetextwithitsclaimthatareadercouldneverreallyknowtheauthorthroughhisorherwriting.(1)ThesocalleddeathoftheAuthor,proposedmostsuccinctlybyRolandBarthesina1968essayofthatname,iscloselylinkedtothebirthofcriticaltheory,especiallytheorybasedinreaderresponseandinterpretationratherthanintentionality.(2)MichelFoucaultusedtherhetoricalquestionWhatisanAuthor?in1969asthetitleofaninfluentialessaywhich,inresponsetoBarthes,outlinesthebasiccharacteristicsandfunctionsoftheauthorandtheproblemsassociatedwithconventionalideasofauthorshipandorigination.(3)

    Foucaultdemonstratedthatoverthecenturiestherelationshipbetweentheauthorandthetexthaschanged.Theearliestsacredtextsareauthorless,theiroriginslostinhistory.Infact,theancient,anonymousoriginofsuchtextsservesasakindofauthentication.Ontheotherhand,scientifictexts,atleastuntilaftertheRenaissance,demandedanauthorsnameasvalidation.Bytheeighteenthcentury,however,Foucaultasserts,thesituationhadreversed:literaturewasauthoredandsciencehadbecometheproductofanonymousobjectivity.Onceauthorsbegantobepunishedfortheirwritingthatis,whenatextcouldbetransgressivethelinkbetweentheauthorandthetextwasfirmlyestablished.Textbecameakindofprivateproperty,ownedbytheauthor,andacriticaltheorydevelopedwhichreinforcedthatrelationship,searchingforkeystothetextinthelifeandintentionofitswriter.Withtheriseofscientificmethod,ontheotherhand,scientifictextsandmathematicalproofswerenolongerseenasauthoredtextsbutasdiscoveredtruths.Thescientistrevealedanextantphenomenon,afactanyonefacedwiththesameconditionswouldhaveuncovered.Thereforethescientistandmathematiciancouldbethefirsttodiscoveraparadigm,andlendtheirnametoit,butcouldneverclaimauthorshipoverit.

    Poststructuralistreadingstendtocriticisetheprestigeattributedtothefigureoftheauthor.Thefocusshiftsfromtheauthorsintentiontotheinternalworkingsofthewriting:notwhatitmeansbuthowitmeans.BarthesendshisessaysupposingthebirthofthereadermustbeatthecostofthedeathoftheAuthor.(4)Foucaultimaginesatimewhenwe

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    mightask,Whatdifferencedoesitmakewhoisspeaking?(5)Thenotionthatatextisalineofwordsthatreleasesasinglemeaning,thecentralmessageofandauthor/god,isoverthrown.

    Postmodernismturnedonafragmentedandschizophrenicdecenteringanddispersionofthesubject,notedFredericJameson.(6)Thenotionofadecentredtextatextwhichisskewedfromthedirectlineofcommunicationbetweensenderandreceiver,severedfromtheauthorityofitsorigin,andexistsasafreefloatingelementinafieldofpossiblesignificationshasfiguredheavilyinrecentconstructionsofadesignbasedinreadingandreaders.ButKatherineMcCoysprescientimageofdesignersmovingbeyondproblemsolvingandbyauthoringadditionalcontentandaselfconsciouscritiqueofthemessageadoptingrolesassociatedwithartandliteraturehasasoftenasnotbeenmisconstrued.(7)Ratherthanworkingtoincorporatetheoryintotheirmethodsofproduction,manysocalleddeconstructivistdesignersliterallyillustratedBarthesimageofareaderbasedtextatissueofquotationsdrawnfrominnumerablecentresofculturebyscatteringfragmentsofquotationsacrossthesurfaceoftheirauthoredpostersandbookcovers.(8)ThedarkimplicationsofBarthestheory,noteEllenLuptonandJ.AbbottMiller,werefashionedintoaromantictheoryofselfexpression.(9)

    Perhapsafteryearsasfacelessfacilitators,designerswerereadytospeakout.SomemayhavebeeneagertodiscardtheinternalaffairsofformalismtoborrowametaphorusedbyPauldeManandbranchoutintotheforeignaffairsofexternalpoliticsandcontent.(10)Bythe1970sDesignhadbeguntodiscardthescientificapproachthathadheldswayfordecades,exemplifiedbytherationalistideologythatpreachedstrictadherencetoaneternalgrid.

    MullerBrockmannsevocationoftheaestheticqualityofmathematicalthinkingistheclearestandmostcitedexampleofthisapproach.(11)MullerBrockmannandaslewoffellowresearcherssuchasKepes,DondisandArnheimworkedtouncoverapreexistingorderandforminthewayascientistrevealstruth.ButwhatismostpeculiarandrevealinginMullerBrockmannswritingishisrelianceontropesofsubmission:thedesignerssubmitstothewillofthesystem,forgoespersonality,withholdsinterpretation.

    Onthesurface,atleast,itwouldseemthatdesignersweremovingawayfromauthorless,scientifictextsinwhichinviolablevisualprinciplesarrivedatthroughextensivevisualresearchwererevealedtowardsapositioninwhichthedesignercouldclaimsomelevelofownershipoverthemessage(andthisatatimewhenliterarytheorywasmovingawayfromthatveryposition).Butsomeoftheinstitutionalfeaturesofdesignpracticeareatoddswithzealousattemptsatselfexpression.Theideaofadecentredmessagedoesnotnecessarilysitwellinaprofessionalrelationshipinwhichtheclientispayingthedesignertoconveyspecificinformationoremotions.Inaddition,mostdesignisdoneinacollaborativesetting,eitherwithinaclientrelationshiporinthecontextofastudiothatutilisesthetalentsofnumerouscreativepeople,withtheresultthattheoriginofanyparticularideaisuncertain.Theeverpresentpressureoftechnologyandelectroniccommunicationonlymuddiesthewaterfurther.

    Isthereanauteurinthehouse?ItisperhapsnotsurprisingthatBarthesTheDeathoftheAuthorwaswritteninParisin1968,theyearstudentsjoinedworkersonthebarricadesinageneralstrikeandthewesternworldflirtedwithrealsocialrevolution.Thecallfortheoverthrowofauthorityintheformoftheauthorinfavourofthereaderi.e.themasseshadarealresonancein1968.Buttolosepoweryoumusthavealreadywornamantle,whichisperhapswhydesignershadaproblemintryingtooverthrowapowerwhichtheyneverpossessed.

    Thefigureoftheauthorimpliedatotalitariancontrolovercreativeactivityandseemedanessentialingredientofhighart.Iftherelativelevelofgeniusonthepartoftheauthor,painter,sculptororcomposerwastheultimatemeasureofartisticachievement,activitiesthatlackedaclearcentralauthorityfigureweredevalued.Thedevelopmentoffilmtheoryduringtheperiodservesasaninterestingexample.In1954filmcriticandbuddingfilmdirectorFranoisTruffauthadfirstpromulgatedthepolitiquedesauteurs,apolemicalstrategydevelopedtoreconfigureacriticaltheoryofthecinema.(12)Theproblemwashowtocreateatheorythatimaginedafilm,necessarilytheresultofbroadcollaboration,astheworkofasingleartist,thusaworkofart.Thesolutionwastodetermineasetofcriteriathatallowedacritictodefinecertaindirectorsasauteurs.Inordertoestablishthefilmasaworkofart,auteurtheoryheldthatthedirectorhithertomerelyonethirdofthecreativetroikaofdirector,writerandcinematographerhadultimatecontrolovertheentireproject.

    AuteurtheoryespeciallyasespousedbytheAmericancriticAndrewSarisspeculatedthatdirectorsmustmeetthreecriteriainordertopassintothesacredhallofauteurs.(13)Sarrisproposedthatthedirectormustdemonstratetechnicalexpertise,haveastylisticsignaturethatisvisibleoverthecourseofseveralfilmsand,throughhisorherchoiceofprojectsandcinematictreatment,showaconsistencyofvisionandinteriormeaning.SincethefilmdirectorhadlittlecontrolofthematerialheorsheworkedwithespeciallywithintheHollywoodstudiosystem,wheredirectorswereassignedtoprojectsthesignaturewayarangeofscripts

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    wastreatedwasespeciallyimportant.

    Theinterestingthingaboutauteurtheoryisthatfilmtheorists,likedesigners,hadtoconstructthenotionoftheauthorasameansofraisingwhatwasconsideredlowentertainmenttotheplateauoffineart.Theparallelsbetweenfilmdirectionanddesignpracticearestriking.Likethefilmdirector,theartdirectorordesignerisoftendistancedfromhisorhermaterialandworkscollaborativelyonit,directingtheactivityofanumberofothercreativepeople.Inaddition,overthecourseofacareerboththefilmdirectorandthedesignerworkonanumberofdifferentprojectswithvaryinglevelsofcreativepotential.Asaresult,anyinnermeaningmustcomefromaesthetictreatmentasmuchasfromcontent.

    Ifweapplythecriteriausedtoidentifyauteurstographicdesigners,weyieldabodyofworkthatmaybeelevatedtoauteurstatus.Technicalproficiencycouldbeclaimedbyanynumberofpractitioners,butcouplethiswithasignaturestyleandthefieldnarrows.ThedesignerswhofulfilthesecriteriawillbefamiliartoanyEyereadermanyofthemhavebeenfeaturedinthemagazine.(And,ofcourse,selectiverepublishingofcertainworkandexclusionofotherconstructastylisticallyconsistentoeuvre.)ThelistwouldprobablyincludeFabianBaron,TiborKalman,DavidCarson,NevilleBrody,EdwardFella,AnthonBeeke,PierreBernard,GertDunbar,TadanooriYokoo,VaughnOliver,RickValincenti,AprilGreiman,JanvanToorn,WolfgangWeingartandmanyothers.Butgreattechniqueandstylealonedonotanauteurmake.Ifweaddtherequirementofinteriormeaning,howdoesthislistfare?AretheredesignerswhobyspecialtreatmentandchoiceofprojectsapproachtheissueofdeepermeaninginthewayBergman,HitchcockorWellesdoes?

    Howdoyoucompareafilmposterwiththefilmitself?Theveryscaleofacinematicprojectallowsforasweepofvisionnotpossibleingraphicdesign.Thereforegraphicauteurs,almostbydefinition,wouldhavetohaveproducedlargeestablishedbodiesofworkinwhichdiscerniblepatternsemerge.Who,then,arethegraphicauteurs?PerhapsBernardandVanToorn,possiblyOliver,BeekeandFella.Thereisasenseofgettingabiggeridea,adeeperqualitytotheirwork,aidedinthecaseofBernardandvanToornbytheirpoliticalaffiliationsandinOliverbylongassociationthatproducesaconsistentgenreofmusic,allowingforarangeofexperimentation.Inthesecasesthegraphicauteurbothseeksprojectsheiscommissionedtoworkonfromaspecific,recognisablecriticalperspective.VanToornwilllookatabriefforacorporateannualreportfromasocioeconomicposition,Bernardevokesapositionofclassstruggle,capitalistbrutalityandsocialdysfunctionandOliverexaminesdarkissuesofdecay,raptureandthehumanbody.JeanRenoirobservedthatanartisticdirectorspendshiswholecareerremakingvariationsonthesamefilm.

    GreatstylistssuchasCarsonandBarondonotseemtoqualifyforadmissiontotheauteurpantheon,atleastaccordingtoSarrisscriteria,asitisdifficulttodiscernamessageintheirworkthattranscendsthestylisticeleganceofthetypographyinthecaseofBaronandthestudiedineleganceofthatofCarson.(Youhavetoaskyourself,Whatistheirworkabout?)ValicentiandBrodytrytoinjectinnermeaningintotheirworkasinValicentisselfpublishedAidsadvertisingandBrodysattachmenttothepostlinguisticalphabetsystemsbuttheiroutputremainsimpervioustoanysuchintrusion.Ajudgementsuchasthis,however,bringsustotheAchillesheelofauteurtheory.Intryingtodescribeinteriormeaning,Sarrisresortstotheintangibledifferencebetweenonepersonalityandanother.(14)ThatretreattointangibilitytheIcantsaywhatitisbutIknowitwhenIseeitaspectisoneofthereasonswhythetheoryhaslongsincefallenintodisfavourinfilmcriticismcircles.Italsoneverdealtadequatelywiththecollaborativenatureofcinemaandthemessyproblemsofmoviemaking.Butwhilethetheoryispass,itseffectisstillwithus:thedirectortothisdaysitssquarelyatthecentreofourperceptionoffilmstructure.Inthesamewayitcouldbethatwehavebeenapplyingamodifiedgraphicauteurtheoryforyearswithoutbeingawareofit.Afterall,whatisdesigntheoryifnotaseriesofcriticalelevationsanddemotionsasourattitudesaboutstyle,meaningandsignificanceevolve?

    OthermodelsofauthorshipAuteurtheorymaybetoolimitedamodelforourcurrentimageofdesignauthorship,butthereareotherwaystoframetheissuebasedondifferentkindsofpractice:theartistsbook,concretepoetry,politicalactivism,publishing,illustrationandsoon.Couldatheoryofpoeticsbeafunctionalmodel?Useisamajorstickingpointintryingtoviewdesignedworkaspoetic:traditionallythepoemasartworkisaselfcontainedartefact,whiledesignreferstosomeexteriorfunctionorovertintention.

    Thispoetic/practicaloppositionisresolvedintwoexamplesofdesignproduction:theartistsbookandactivistdesign.Theartistsbookoffersaformofdesignauthorshipfromwhichfunctionhasbeenfullyexorcised.Theartistsbook,ingeneral,isconcrete,selfreferentialandallowsforarangeofvisualexperimentswithouttheburdenoffulfillingmundanecommercialtasks.Thereisalongtraditionofartistsbooksthroughthehistoricalavantgarde,theSituationists,Fluxusandexperimentalpublishinginthe1960sand1970s.Itsexponentsincludeaneclecticmixofdesignersandauthors(DieterRot,TomPhillips,WarrenLehrer,TomOckerse,JohannaDrucker)aswellasvisualartists(RobertMorris,BarbaraKruger,MaryKelly,JennyHolzer,HansHaacke).DieterRothas

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    producedamonumentalandconsistentbodyofbookswhichexploreinaselfreflexiveway,thenatureofbooks.Lehrerhasfocusedonproductionprocesses,suchasprintingandbinding,andaspectsofdialogueandnarrative.Hehasrecentlyproducedanewgroupofgraphicportraits,distributedintheformoftradepaperback,perhapsthemostrecentattemptatwidedistribution.

    Artistsbooksusingwords,images,structureandmaterialtotellastoryorinvokeanemotionmaybethepurestformofgraphicauthorship.Buttheoddthingaboutthegenreisthatmanyofthemostskilleddesignershaveavoideditandmuchoftheworkproducedundertherubrikisofsubstandardgraphicquality(notintermsofproductionvalues,whichareoftennecessarilylow,butintypographyandcomposition).Thesingularityoftheartistsbook,thelowtechnicalqualityandtheabsenceofapracticalapplicationmayalienatetheprofessionalgraphicdesigner.

    Ifthedifferencebetweenpoetryandpracticalmessagesisthatthelatteraresuccessfulonlywhenwecorrectlyinfertheintention.,thenactivistdesignwouldbelabelledasabsolutelypractical.ButactivistworkincludingtheworkofGranFury,Bureau,WomansActionCoalition,GeneralIdea,ActUp,ClassActionandGuerillaGirlsisalsoselfmotivatedandselfauthoredwithaclearpoliticalagenda.Proactiveworkhasavoiceandamessage,butinitsovertintentionalitylackstheselfreferentialityoftheartistsbookYetseveralproblemscloudtheissueofauthoredactivism,notleastthequestionofcollaboration.Whosevoiceisspeaking?Notanindividual,butsomekindofunifiedcommunity.Isthisworkopenforinterpretationorisitspointthebrutaltransmissionofaspecificmessage?Theriseofactivistauthorshiphascomplicatedthewholeideaofauthorshipasakindoffreeselfexpression.

    PerhapsthegraphicauthorisonethatwritesandpublishesmaterialaboutdesignJosephMullerBrockmannorRudyVanderLans,PaulRandorErikSpiekermann,WilliamMorrisorNevilleBrody,RobinKinrossorEllenLupton.Theentrepreneurialarmofauthorshipaffordsthepossibilityofapersonalvoiceandwidedistribution.Mostsplittheactivitiesintothreediscreetactions:editing,writinganddesigning.Evenastheirownclients,thedesignremainsthevehicleofthewrittenthought.(Kinross,forinstance,worksasahistorianthenchangeshatsandbecomesatypographer.)RudyVanderLansisperhapsthepurestoftheentrepreneurialauthors,sinceinEmigreallthreeactivitiesblendintoacontinuouswhole.InEmigrethecontentisdeeplyembeddedintheformthatis,theformalexplorationisasmuchthecontentofthemagazineasthewriting.VanderLansexpresseshismessagethroughtheselectionofthematerial(asaneditor),thecontentofthewriting(asawriter)andtheformofthepagesandtypography(asaformgiver).

    EllenLuptonandherpartnerJ.AbbottMillerhavealmostsinglehandedlyconstructedthenewcriticalapproachtographicdesign,coupledwithanexploratorypractice.AprojectsuchasTheBathroom,theKitchenandtheAestheticsofWaste,anexhibitionattheMITListVisualArtsCentre,seemstoapproachanewlevelofgraphicauthorship.Themessageisexpressedequallythroughgraphic/visualdevicesandtext.Thedesignoftheshowevokestheissuesthatareitscontentitisclearlyselfreflexive.(Theexhibitioncatalogue,bycontrast,doesnotembodythesamelevelofgraphicauthorship.HereLuptonseemtohaveslippedbackintothemorefamiliar,functionallyseparaterolesofauthoranddesigner.)Butmuchoftheirotherworkdemandstobereckonedwith,visuallyandverbally.

    WhileLuptonandMillersworkisprimarilycriticalareadingofexteriorsocialandhistoricalphenomenadirectedataspecificaudiencetheillustratedbook,oftenoverlookedbythedesigncommunity,isalmostentirelyconcernedwiththegenerationofcreativenarrative.Booksforchildrenhavebeenoneofthemostsuccessfuloutlets,butauthor/illustratorssuchasSueCoe,ArtSpiegelmann,CharlesBurns,BenKatchor,DaveMcCaulley,ChrisvanAllesburg,EdwardGoreyandMauriceSendakhavealsousedthebookinwhollyinventivewaysandproducedseriouswork.BookssuchasSpeigelmannsMausandCoesXandPorkopolisexpandtheformintonewareas.

    Othermodelsthatmayindicatealevelofgraphicauthorshipincludeprojectsofsuchascalethatthedesigneriscalledontomakesenseofaseaofmaterialandconstructnarrative.BruceMausworkwithRemKoolhaasonthegiganticS,M,L,XL,anarchitecturalandtypographicnovel(seeEyeno.15vol.4),andIrmaBoomsfiveyearcommissionfromapowerfulDutchcorporationtocreateacommemorativeworkofunspecifiedform,scaleandcontentaretwosuchprojects.Herethedesignerworkinglikeafilmdirectorontheunfoldingcinematicstructureoftheworkassumesaprimarypositionintheshapingofmaterial.

    Thefinalcategoryisthatofdesignerswhousethemediumofprofessionalgraphicdesigntocreateselfreferentialstatementsandcomparisons.ExamplesincludeAprilGreimansspecialissueofDesignQuarterly,afullscaleimageofherpixellatedbodywithapersonaltextfullofdreamsandvisions,andanynumberofintricateandenigmaticworksbythelikesofTomBonauroandAllenHori(forinstance,HorisgraphicinterpretationofaBeatriceWardeessayinarecentMohawkpaperpromotion).Operatinginaspacebetweenserviceorientatedprojectsandfreeexpression,theseworkseschewtheparametersofaclientrelationshipwhileretainingtheformsdictatedbytheneedsofcommerce:thebook,poster,exhibitionandsoon.InthecaseofHorisvisualessay,theclient

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    paysforagraphicworktoembellishacorporateprojectandthedesignerlendshisavantgardecredentialstothecorporation.

    Forwardorbackwards?Ifthewaysadesignercanbeanauthorarecomplexandconfused,thewaydesignershaveusedthetermandthevalueascribedtoitareequallyso.Anynumberofrecentstatementsclaimauthorshipasthepanaceatothewoesofthebrowbeatendesigner.ArecentcallforentriesforadesignexhibitionentitledDesignerasAuthor:VoicesandVisionssoughttoidentifygraphicdesignerswhoareengagedinworkthattranscendsthetraditionalserviceorientedcommercialproduction,andwhopursueprojectsthatarepersonal,socialorinvestigativeinnature(15)Therejectionoftheroleofthefacilitatorandcalltotranscendtraditionalproductionimplythattheauthoreddesignholdssomehigher,purerpurpose.Theamplificationofthepersonalvoicelegitimisesdesignasequaltomoretraditionalprivilegedformsofauthorship.

    Butifdesignersshouldaimforopenreadingsandfreetextualinterpretationsasalitanyofcontemporarytheoristshaveconvincedusthatdesireisthwartedbyoppositionaltheoriesofauthorship.Foucaultnotedthatthefigureoftheauthorisnotaparticularlyliberatingone:theauthorasorigin,authorityandultimateownerofthetextguardsagainstfreewillofthereader.Transferringtheauthorityofthetextbackovertotheauthorcontainsandcategorisesthework,narrowingthepossibilitiesforinterpretation.Thefigureoftheauthorreconfirmsthetraditionalideaofthegeniuscreatorthestatusofthecreatorframestheworkandimbuesitwithmythicalvalue.

    Whilesomeclaimsforauthorshipmaybesimplyanindicationofarenewedsenseofresponsibility,attimestheyseemploystogainproperrights,attemptstoexercisesomekindofagencywheretherehastraditionallybeennone.Ultimatelytheauthorequalsauthority.Whilethelongingforgraphicauthorshipmaybethelongingforlegitimacyorpower,iscelebratingthedesignascentralcharacternecessarilyapositivemove?Isntthatwhathasfuelledthelast50yearsofdesignhistory?Ifwereallywanttogobeyondthedesignerasheromodel,wemayhavetoimagineatimewhenwecanask,whatdifferencedoesitmakewhodesignedit?

    Ontheotherhandworkiscreatedbysomeone.(Allthosecallsforthedeathoftheauthoraremadebyfamousauthors.)Whilethedevelopmentanddefinitionofartisticstyles,andtheiridentificationandclassification,areattheheartofanoutmodedModernistcriticism,wemuststillworktoengagetheseproblemsinnewways.Itmaybethattherealchallengeistoembracethemultiplicityofmethodsartisticandcommercial,individualandcollaborativethatcomprisesdesignlanguage.Anexaminationofthedesignerasauthorcouldhelpustorethinkprocess,expanddesignmethodsandelaborateourhistoricalframetoincorporateallformsofgraphicdiscourse.Butwhiletheoriesofgraphicauthorshipmaychangethewayworkismade,theprimaryconcernofboththeviewerandthecriticisnotwhomadeit,butratherwhatitdoesandhowitdoesit.

    (1)WKWimsattandMonroeC.Beardsley,TheIntentionalFallacyinCriticalTheorysincePlato,ed.HazardAdams,NewYork:HBJ,1971

    (2)RolandBarthes,TheDeathoftheAuthor,inImageMusicText,NewYork,HillandWang(translatedbyStephenHeath),1977

    (3)MichelFoucault,WhatisanAuthor?inTextualStrategies,ed.JosuHarari,Ithaca:CornellUniversityPress,1979

    (4)Barthes,op.cit,p145.

    (5)Foucault,op.cit,p160

    (6)FredricJamesonquotedinMarkDery,ThePersistenceofIndustrialMemoryinArchitectureNewYorkno.10,p25

    (7)KatherineMcCoy,TheNewDiscourseinDesignQuarterlyno.148,1990,p.16

    (8)Barthes,op.cit.,p146

    (9)EllenLuptonandJ.AbbottMiller,DeconstructionandGraphicDesign:HistorymeetsTheoryinVisibleLanguage228.4,ed.AndrewBlauvelt,Autumn1994,p352

    (10)PauldeMan,SemiologyandRhetoricinTextualStrategies,op.cit,p121

    (11)JosefMllerBrockmann,GridSystemsinGraphicDesign,Stuttgart,VerlagGerdJatje,1981,p10

    (12)Cahiersducinma,no.31,January1954

    (13)SeeAndrewSarris,ThePrimalScreen,NewYork,Simon&Schuster,1973

    (14)AndrewSerris,NotesontheAuteurTheoryin1962inFilmCulturereader,ed.P.AdamsSitney,NewYork,PraegerPublishers,1970,p133

    (15)Re:QuestforSubmissionstotheDesignerasAuthor:VoicesandVisionsexhibition,NorthernKentuckyUniversity,1996

    FirstpublishedinEyeno.20vol.51996

    Eyeistheworldsmostbeautifulandcollectablegraphicdesignjournal,

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    publishedquarterlyforprofessionaldesigners,studentsandanyoneinterestedincritical,informedwritingaboutgraphicdesignandvisualculture.ItisavailablefromallgooddesignbookshopsandonlineattheEyeshop,whereyoucanbuysubscriptionsandsingleissues.

    19902015

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