Design It Yourself: Friend or Foe?
D.I.Y Design It Yourself, edited by designer/writer Ellen Lupton, has stirred up some controversy and debate among the design ranks, not necessarily because of the content of the book, but merely because of its target audience—the public. While critics spew the same old story about how not everyone can become a designer simply by reading the contents of some book or how the book trivializes the profession by depicting design as a craft/hobby, I think the book is ingenious in its intended and/or unintended objectives.
The first chapter of D.I.Y Design It Yourself, published by Princeton Architectural Press, states this "book was produced by students and faculty in the Masters of Fine Arts program at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)" to "broaden design awareness by spreading knowledge of what we do."
And through a book like this is precisely how it should be done. The 176 pages in D.I.Y covers basic theory, process, and practical considerations for designing everything from CD packaging to housewares to logos to Web sites. Many of the easy-to-read pages are accompanied by bold full-color photographs of exceptional design for inspiration. Oh yes. There are also interviews with nine professional designers.
Sweating, angry, maybe even sad yet? Don't be (unless you're a crappy designer, that is). Here's why.
The only way to educate a public about good design is to engage them. They have the tools, so why not show them what good design is and what's required to create good design? Challenge them. Let them try it for god's sake!
Telling the public about whitespace, symmetry vs. asymmetry, brainstorming, sketching, concept, serif and non-serif, coil binding, jewel cases, etc. doesn't automatically give them the skills and imagination needed to be an even competent designer. It simply provides them with a greater appreciation for the field.
Showing them examples of great design opens their mind to what's possible and immediately raises their level of design awareness and success—a level that many will realize is unattainable, that doesn't include comic sans and clipart, and that in many cases will require the services of a professional.
And those amateurs who discover they have a gift for good design may want to become professional designers, which is a good thing because then it simply means more good professional design. And more good designers out there, along with an educated public, means bad designers will find it more difficult to land design jobs.
Ok. That may be a bit idealistic (but still possible), but even if this book fosters better communication between a few clients and professional designers, then it has done some good.
honestly, i havent heard of this book. but next time i am at the book store, i will try to find it. i think the controversy stems primarily from the title of the book, and not its contents. if the average joe picks up a book that says "design it yourself", then thats exactly what he/she will expect to be able to do after reading it. perhaps the title was a bad choice?
I'm not sure what else you can give the average joe than what's in this book. Of course you could provide CDs with templates and all that stuff, but that wouldn't really be D.I.Y. She really holds the reader to the "yourself" aspect of it.
I just started taking design courses this semester and I when I saw this book I immediately bought it. I like the layout and the ideas in it, but I really don't think it packs enough information to influence the general public to get serious producing their own design projects. While there are a lot good ideas about design in this book, it lacks a lot of step-by-step instructions about how to actually produce those ideas.
So I bet anyone purchasing this book will already have some interest in design and is pursuing it as a career goal or as part of one's job or organizational responsibility.
Personally--and I'm still very new to the design community--I think the modern scrapbooking movement will have more influence on the female public, at least, than books like this one.
Don't get me wrong, the book is good, but I don't think it will have wide appeal. It certainly won't put professional designers out of work.
Bakari,
Thanks for the comments. This book really gives the public what they need to know before the how-to phase of design, which I think is even more valuable. I just hope the DIYer can recognize and appreciate that as well.
Thanks!
-Steve
I was pleased to see this discussion on your site. We are certainly not trying to provide a complete design education inside a $20 book. What we hope to do is invite people to enjoy design, to try their hand at it, and to understand what is possible. Steve gets it totally right when he says, "The only way to educate a public about good design is to engage them. They have the tools, so why not show them what good design is and what's required to create good design?" Our book is just a beginning. Rather than create step-by-step directions for replicating an exact project (do this, do that), we wanted to indicate a range of creative possiblities in areas that might be useful to our readers (including low-key branding, marketing, and self-promotion concepts for independent artists and entrepreneurs). Enjoy the book!