The Designer as Author

Abstract

michael rock sTraddles Two worlds: one academic, one pracTical. In the 1980s and early 1990s, first at the Rhode Island School of Design and later at Yale University, Rock rallied the profes- sion to embrace design criticism. And he led with his own writings. His seminal 1996 text, “The Designer as Author,” provoked a debate—which still rages today—over the authorship of design content. In it Rock poses the question: “What does it really mean to call for a graphic designer to be an author?” At the height of his academic success, he jumped from the ivory tower and into the commercial world, taking a gang of colleagues with him to become, in his words, “makers instead of critics.”1 They founded 2x4, a professional design practice known for high-level collaborative work for clients like Prada. Today, his work is considered conceptual, thought provoking, and highly process driven. From Yale to Prada, from critic to maker, Rock’s journey emphasizes the importance of theory to our field. His carefully considered essay gives shape and depth to this larger debate, just as his abstract intellectual approach to practical, professional work gives shape and depth to his designs.