Citizen Designer: Perspectives on Design Responsibility

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?

Readers will find dozens of captivating insights and opinions on such important issues as reality branding; game design and school violence; advertising and exploitation; design as an environmental driving force; and much more. This candid guide encourages designers to carefully research their clients; become alert about corporate, political, and social developments; and design responsible products.

• Features an enticing mix of opinions in an appealing format that juxtaposes essays, interviews, and countless illustrations of “design citizenship”

• Includes insights on such contemporary topics as advertising of harmful products, branding to minors, and violence and game design

Steven Heller is the art director of the New York Times Book Review and cochair of the MFA design program at the School of Visual Arts. He lives in New York City. Véronique Vienne is a creative director, marketing consultant, and author who has written extensively on design ethics and business practices. A consultant for such clients as Yves Saint Laurent, desgrippes gobé group, and Express, she also lives in New York City.