Citizen Designer: Perspectives on Design Responsibility

By Allworth Press

What does it mean to be a designer in today’s corporate-driven, overbranded global consumer culture? Citizen Designer attempts 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 today’s 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 client’s actions? When should a designer take a stand?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Allworth Press
• Release date: May 1, 2003
• ISBN: 9781581159363

Reviews for Citizen Designer

[cmbeck82 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I suppose I was the wrong audience for this book. I bought it because I saw names like Norman and Margolin but my decision was a little hasty because those are the exceptions, not the norm. This is a book of essays concerning graphic design. Relating to my field of interaction design, I found most of the topics obvious or inapplicable. If I hadn't bought it, I wouldn't have read it. But, since I am on a mission to read everything I buy, I struggled through it. For the most part, it just reads like a really long magazine. There is no flow and most topics seem a little thrown together. While it is a collection, I would still like to see more coherence. From essay to essay, it's difficult to tell what they are about. The titles are misleading so often I couldn't really get where the author was going for a few paragraphs. On the other hand, I suppose I find this book a necessary and vital read for graphic designers. As far as ethics, morals, and the future of the field go, I think this book is essential.