'No exit' for designers

Considers the French novelist, playwright, philosopher, and literary critic Jean-Paul Sartre's philosophy of existentialism in relation to the work of contemporary graphic designers. The author outlines the ideas surrounding the social responsibility of designers, noting that it is possible to...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Print (New York) 2002-06, Vol.56 (2), p.22-175
Main Author: Landa, Robin
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Considers the French novelist, playwright, philosopher, and literary critic Jean-Paul Sartre's philosophy of existentialism in relation to the work of contemporary graphic designers. The author outlines the ideas surrounding the social responsibility of designers, noting that it is possible to lay the blame on the client for the work produced, highlights the professional graphic design organizations that may act as guides for graphic designers, and makes reference to the importance of the `First Things First 2002' manifesto. He relates Sartre's beliefs that individuals are responsible for themselves and for the community, states that the results of a recent survey show that designers seem to contradict themselves when considering their role in improving society, stresses that according to Satre's philosophy the responsibility for the art work produced rests solely with the designer, studies Sartre's famous saying "existence precedes essence", and concludes by relating Sartre's philosophy to the question of the creativity of graphic designers.
ISSN:0032-8510