Rock, M. (1996) 'The Designer as Author', Eye, no. 20 vol. 5 1996
Key Points
- Authorship and what creates it is a difficult notion to pinpoint. It is ambiguous and subjective.
- The way in which authorship is viewed has changed with historical events and the hierarchy of society.
- Artists' books often lack authorship due the the graphic, naive way in which imagery is presented. Especially in regards to typography and composition.
- Does it matter who designed it? It is more important to focus on the content of an image.
- To have graphic authorship is progressive and important for the development of new ways of approaching design.
Key Quotes
- 'the question of how designers become authors is a difficult one...exactly who qualifies and what authored design might look like'
- Paris 1968 'The year students joined workers on the barricades in a general strike and the western world flirted with real social revolution...The call for the overthrow of authority in the form of the author in favour of the reader - i.e. the masses'.
- 'purest form of graphic authorship...many most skilled designers have avoided it...sub-standard graphic quality...the low technical quality and the absence of a practical application'.
- 'what difference does it make who designed it?...longing for graphic authorship may be the longing for legitimacy or power' (making others inferior?)
- 'the development and definition of artistic style, and their identification and classification, are at the heart of an outmoded Modernist criticism...elaborate our historical frame'.
Summary
'The Designer as Author' article in Eye Magazine (1996) discusses authorship, the different ways in which it can interpreted, and whether it is relevant at all in regards to design.
Firstly, Michael Rock explores the idea of authorship being a difficult notion to pinpoint. The question of 'how designers become authors is a difficult one', often it is a subjective idea based on an audience's opinion and 'exactly who qualifies and what authored design might look like' is ambiguous.
These ideas on how authorship is viewed as a whole have changed with the times, factors include; historical events, circumstance and the social hierarchy. In Paris 1968, this was evident when 'students joined workers on the barricades in a general strike', this type of social revolution spread throughout the western world and 'the call for the overthrow of authority in the form of the author in favour of the reader - i.e. the masses' changed the way in which people viewed authorship in society.
Rock describes artist's book in particular as having the 'purest form of graphic authorship' however 'many skilled designers have avoided it' with the use of a 'sub-standard graphic quality' in their work. This lack of authorship is due to the 'low technical quality and the absence of a practical application'. Technologically speaking, the use of computers and mechanical medium and processes rather than a more traditional method tend to achieve certain outcomes. These can be very similar to each other visually, therefore confusing an aesthetic author. However, some would argue whether the notion of claiming authorship matters at all when it comes to a great piece of design, 'what difference does it make who designed it?'. Rock examines that the 'longing for graphic authorship may be the longing for legitimacy or power' which suggests that in this case the reason to design may be for praise and a feeling of superiority over others, taking away from what actually makes a piece of design work.
On the other hand, to gain graphic authorship is to 'elaborate our historical frame'. Therefore can be seen as progressive and a contribution to the improvement of progressing design in the future. Rock describes authorship as 'the development and definition of artistic style' which is 'at the heart of an outmoded Modernist criticism'. Looking around the creative industries today, it is evident that authorship is an important part of design and how we as an audience relate to it. However, there remains dispute as to whether this should be the case. Is the knowledge of a designer relevant to the way we view a piece of art?
Firstly, Michael Rock explores the idea of authorship being a difficult notion to pinpoint. The question of 'how designers become authors is a difficult one', often it is a subjective idea based on an audience's opinion and 'exactly who qualifies and what authored design might look like' is ambiguous.
These ideas on how authorship is viewed as a whole have changed with the times, factors include; historical events, circumstance and the social hierarchy. In Paris 1968, this was evident when 'students joined workers on the barricades in a general strike', this type of social revolution spread throughout the western world and 'the call for the overthrow of authority in the form of the author in favour of the reader - i.e. the masses' changed the way in which people viewed authorship in society.
Rock describes artist's book in particular as having the 'purest form of graphic authorship' however 'many skilled designers have avoided it' with the use of a 'sub-standard graphic quality' in their work. This lack of authorship is due to the 'low technical quality and the absence of a practical application'. Technologically speaking, the use of computers and mechanical medium and processes rather than a more traditional method tend to achieve certain outcomes. These can be very similar to each other visually, therefore confusing an aesthetic author. However, some would argue whether the notion of claiming authorship matters at all when it comes to a great piece of design, 'what difference does it make who designed it?'. Rock examines that the 'longing for graphic authorship may be the longing for legitimacy or power' which suggests that in this case the reason to design may be for praise and a feeling of superiority over others, taking away from what actually makes a piece of design work.
On the other hand, to gain graphic authorship is to 'elaborate our historical frame'. Therefore can be seen as progressive and a contribution to the improvement of progressing design in the future. Rock describes authorship as 'the development and definition of artistic style' which is 'at the heart of an outmoded Modernist criticism'. Looking around the creative industries today, it is evident that authorship is an important part of design and how we as an audience relate to it. However, there remains dispute as to whether this should be the case. Is the knowledge of a designer relevant to the way we view a piece of art?
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