What it Means to be a Designer Today
150 x 230mm, 244 pages
Published in 2024
Published by: Princeton Univeristy Press
Editors: Liz Stinson and Jarrett Fuller
Designer: Tala Safie
This paperback pulls together some of the best writing from Eye on Design, the website and magazine published by the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) from 2014 to 2022 by a young team led by Perrin Drumm. Remember that Eye logo?
Eye on Design was a unique experiment that still ripples through design critique today. Launched to appeal to a younger cohort of graphic designers than the usual AIGA audience, it developed quickly to reach beyond the standard coverage of new design work. Instead of shwowcasing flashy new work, it published longform pieces questioning the role of design and the designer. It didn’t assume it had the answers, but instead posed plenty of questions.
The book has been produced by those involved in the original magazine and site, and is split into three parts: Reflections, Questions and Ideas. Between them they cover design teaching, education, unionisation, the effect of social media, and the negative influence of the moodboard among many other topics. Contributors include Rick Poynor, Anne Quito, Briar Levit and Cliff Kuang, as well as the editors.
The essays all stand up well, remaining highly readable and refreshingly jargon-free. We miss Eye on Design!