Design

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of addressing the AIGA national convention from it’s main stage. But only for 60 seconds. I and 19 other young designers had to present of our idea of “what’s next” for the graphic design profession. Each of us were nominated by an established practicing designer. I was nominated by AIGA Gold Medalist Lorraine Wild, a speaker in the Walker’s Dis-Contents: Insights 2007 Lecture Series. I’ve had the good fortune of working for and being a student of Lorraine’s in the MFA program at California Institute of the Arts

My presentation entitled Towards the notion of a Designer-lessâ„¢ Design Office or a (micro)theory of graphic design evolution is a parody of the recent trend for graphic designers to create more self-initiated briefs. In 60 seconds with this chart and several supporting examples I argue that

Designers want creative freedom. The Designer-lessâ„¢ want the ultimate autonomy: to design themselves out of practice. If designers can thrive without clients, then the next natural step would be a design office without designers.”

To see some field examples starting to evolve into the Designer-Lessâ„¢ see Butt Magazine, Virtual Paula Scher + HP and the graphic design result ofOtto, an artificial design intelligence entity.

The notion of graphic designers striving for autonomy was actually forecasted four years ago by the Walker’s very own Design Director and my former boss, Andrew Blauvelt, in the famous Rant issue of Emigre magazine. In his essay, Towards Critical Autonomy or Can Graphic Design Save Itself? Andrew urges that graphic designers should create work that is aware of and critiques it’s social, cultural, economic, technological contexts.

I didn’t create my parody to make light of Andrew’s essay. I extended the kernel of his idea to a ridiculous, but possible conclusion to coax the graphic design profession to be open minded and adaptable in a constantly expanding, shifting discipline that is perhaps out growing the term “graphic” design.

The Walker Design Department’s endeavors into curation, event programming, and now critical writing (in addition to their roles in exhibition, catalogue, publication, and advertising design) are but one possible model of nuanced and multi-faceted practice that deserves a different, more evolved nomenclature than a perhaps obsolete term coined in 1922.

Scott Ponik and I were Walker Design Fellows from fall 2004 through fall 2006. When asked to stay on for an additional year [amidst the grand-(re)opening of the Walker expansion in 2005] we were left with a print budget from what would have been the 2005-2006 Design Fellowship poster (someone at some point will post these in the Flat File section, hint hint). In lieu of the poster we were asked to design a promo announcing the Walker’s new graphic identity: Walker Expanded. One late-night brainstorming session found us re-aligning the “strips of tape”�--from the recent print collateral--along the walkways of the (temporary) Walker offices. The assemblage ended at Andrew’s office door and the real-life sketch was later re-enacted for its printed (and more mailable) form.

I just remembered I had these photos i thought i’d share. The photos are from last February when Andrew and Emmet visited NC State. They did a very nice presentation of projects done at the Walker’s Design Department dating back to 1998.

Above: One of the slides in the presentation: Poster for Allan Wexler exhibition designed by Daniel Eatock.

It was indeed a mini-Walker reunion when we went for dinner following the lecture. I happened to be that semester at NC State as a Designer in Resident.

Pictured from left to right: Santiago Piedrafita, Deb Littlejohn, Meredith Davis, Andrew Blauvelt, Emmet Byrne, Alex Quinto, Matt Peterson, and Katie Meaney.

It’s me Alex… or Alejandro, as I was known back in my Walker days. I was a Walker intern from 2001-2002 with Alex DeArmond and the rest of the very missed clan (Andrew, Lisa, Linda, Santiago, David, Kathleen, and Pamela). I am now in Toronto, as a partner/designer at an interdisciplinary studio called Work Worth Doing.

mmm… perhaps i’ll share some thoughts on the design scene here in Toronto and whatever other projects I encounter on this side of the border.

I look forward to meeting other Walker alumni :) Later!