How can a Graphic Designer have their own signature ‘style’ if they are essentially solving a

brief for a client?

(Design Authorship)

Fran Baker

Introduction

Fran Baker – Precipice (2009)

Fran Baker – UKCPD NLP Foundation Qualification brochure (2012)

The Argument

• You CAN

o Creative’s simply CAN’T HELP but bring their own style into all aspects of work they do.

• You CAN’T

o Designers MUST follow client briefs otherwise they won’t get paid!

Reader / Author Relationship

“The birth of the reader must come at the cost of the death of the author”

[Barthes, (1977, p.148)]

“The birth of the reader must come at the cost of the death of the author”

Loud Graphix Exhibition, Berlin (2007)

Case Studies:

• Tomatoo No distinction between their client work and

their personal work.

ALBERTO ASPESI (1998)

IN THE BELLY OF ST. PAUL (2003)

DUNHILL (2010)

Case Studies:

• Fuelo Insistent on having an obvious distinction

between personal and client work.

BOOK MAN(2005) BRITISH RED CROSS AID RELIEF – POSTER(2011)

MACMILLANBOOK DESIGN(2010)

THE UNLOVED POSTERFILM 4(2009)

Postmodernism

“Postmodernism is an attitude of mind that allows for different […] values and

meanings to be “encoded” into a single work of art”

[Britton & Barker, (2003, p.44)]

If the work that’s created is open to interpretation, does it mean that authorship should be of no concern to the

designers?

Peter Saville - Suede ‘Coming Up’ (1996)

Case Studies:• Postmodernism

(Left) Émigré Magazine 17, Edward Fella - Wise Guys (1991)

(Right) Neville Brody - Fuse (Magazine Cover) (1994)

Political Agenda’s

“The power of designers is that we can design things to have different

consequences”

[Winhall, J. (2012). Is Design Political? [article]. Retrieved from http://www.core77.com/reactor/03.06_winhall.asp]

The only way Graphic Designers can have a ‘voice’ within

their work…

(Above) Adbusters – Absolut on Ice (2011)(Top Right) Adbusters - Tommy Hilfinger: Follow the Herd (2011)(Right) Banksy- Global Warming (2009)

Case Studies:

• First Things First Manifesto• Adbusters

(Above) First things first manifesto (1964)(Right) Adbusters - Everything Is Fine, Keep Shopping (2011)

Conclusion

Does it really matter?

YES / NO