Synopses & Reviews
What does it mean to be a designer in todays corporate-driven, overbranded global consumer culture? Citizen Designerattempts to answer this question with more than 70 debate-stirring essays and interviews espousing viewpoints ranging from the cultural and the political to the professional and the social. Edited by two prominent advocates of socially responsible design, this innovative reference responds to the tough questions todays designers continue to ask themselves: How can a designer affect social or political change? Can design become more than just a service to clients? At what point does a designer have to take responsibility for the clients actions? When should a designer take a stand? Readers will find dozens of captivating insights and opinions on such important issues as reality branding; game design and school violence; advertising and exploitation; design as an environmental driving force; and much more. This candid guide encourages designers to carefully research their clients; become alert about corporate, political, and social developments; and design responsible products. Features an enticing mix of opinions in an appealing format that juxtaposes essays, interviews, and countless illustrations of design citizenship” Includes insights on such contemporary topics as advertising of harmful products, branding to minors, and violence and game design
About the Author
Steven Heller is the co-founder and co-chair of the MFA Design / Designer as Author + Entrepreneur program and co-founder of the MFA in Design Criticism and MFA in Interaction Design programs at the School of Visual Arts. For thirty-three years he was an art director at the New York Times, and currently writes the Visuals column for the New York Times Book Review. He is contributing editor to Print, EYE, and Baseline magazines, and writes the popular blog THE DAILY HELLER. He is the author or editor of over 130 books on design and popular culture, including Design Literacy, Design Disasters, and 100 Ideas That Changed Graphic Design. He is the recipient of the 1999 AIGA Medal for Lifetime Achievement and the 2011 Smithsonian National Design Award for "Design Mind."