Swanson Reading Summary

Graphic Design Education as a Liberal Art:
Design and Knowledge in the University and the "Real World"

This essay takes a look at how Graphic Design has been lacking an academic niche, and describes the importance of the broader incorporation of the liberal arts in applying professionalism to the field.

Design is essentially lacking in its own subject matter, and must be integrated into other disciplines in order to have meaning. In terms of education, this essay states that most programs have only prepared students for fields in design, and provide not much more than vocational training. If design teachers teach students what they learned in school, then there is a severe gap between education today and the current field of Graphic Design. The best thing is to make students adaptable to the perpetually changing field.

Design should be about meaning and how meaning is created. Design in practice, exists primarily in response to an externally generated need or situation. In essence, the lack of an academic niche has created a professional practice that is capable of bridging many fields and solving problems that encompass disciplines of all kinds.