THE D.I.Y.

DEBATE
Ellen Lupton & Steven Heller
January 24, 2006
This year, students and faculty at Maryland Institute College of Art produced the
book D.I.Y: Design It Yourself, edited by Ellen Lupton. The book argues that graphic
design is a common language that should be accessible to everyone in society. Design
critic Steven Heller disagrees. Lupton, who is director of the graphic design masters of
ne art program at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), and Heller confront
each others views in this (friendly) battle.
Steven Heller: In the mid-1980s, Apple launched a television advertisement that showed
an image of hands cutting type and pasting it on a board. This demonstration was
probably the rst time graphic design was demonstrated to the American public on
national television. Then, as memory serves, a quick cut to a state-of-the-art Macintosh
screen showed a layout (probably for a newsletter) in progress. The voiceover went
something like, This is a graphic designer ... And now you don't need one anymore.
After getting our ve seconds in the spotlight, we were summarily smacked down into
the ooze from which we had emerged.
We certainly learned thateven after a national commercial blitzgraphic designers
are a hardy lot, and even the best computer layout programs will not wipe out the
species. But I'm still wary about placing our art and craft in the hands of amateurs. I'm
sure Shakespeare would be miffed to learn that a room full of monkeys could really
pound out Romeo and Juliet. Out damn spot.
By making our work so easy to do, we are devaluing our profession. I like democracy as
much as the next person, but because of new technologies, the denition of amateur
in elds like graphic design, photography, lm and music, among others, is being
redened. With everything so democratic, we can lose the elite status that gives us
credibility.
Ellen Lupton: Desktop publishing didnt wipe out graphic design; in fact, the eld got
bigger, in part because the general public had gained a better understanding of design
by working with tools similar to those we were using. People became more educated
about design by playing around (and working) with fonts and computers.
Perhaps our credibility shouldnt come from designs elite status, but rather from its
universal relevance to daily life. Not everyone is a design professional, a person
dedicated to solving complex problems and carrying out large, capital-intensive
projects. But everyone can design elements of their own life, from their personal
business cards or letterheads to their own yers and wedding invitations.
Verbal literacy is good for literatureShakespeare means very little to people who cant
read or write. Likewise, visual literacy is good for design: when people experience the
power of typography and images rst-hand, they can better understand design that is
produced at the highest level.
SH: I cherish literacy, too, but I recoil when I think of mediocre designers doing it
themselves. People should not think they are Designers because they can ddle with
type on a computer template. If people start thinking that graphic design is as easy as
One, Two, Three, it will diminish designers authority and clients respect. (I admit certain
paranoia here, but it stems from a reasonable place.)
The age of the feral designer is over. Our instincts must be channeled, molded and
formed by rigorous educational practices. I worry that D.I.Y. is a license to killand to
kill the designer. Please save us from well-meaning amateurs!
EL: We are in a new phase of culture now, where people have direct access to powerful
toolsnot just design tools, but also to video, animation, music, podcasting and
blogging. People are actively engaged with media production across the board, whether
we like it or not. By encouraging the public to use design tools intelligently, we will
ultimately increase the general understanding of professional work, as well as raise the
level of design across society. My students book is one small contribution to a much
bigger movement.
http://www.aiga.org/interior.aspx?pageid=3080&id=14067