Iconographies of Authority. America: Cult and Culture; The AIGA National Design Conference, 1999

A study of the role that graphic designers play in the establishment of print authority, particularly in relation to the development of print traditions.

Whenever a designer strives to give a text as much credibility as possible, they demonstrate how authority conditions typographic practice. Design has become widely respected, if not taken for granted, as an expected attribute of written communication. Any two consumers may be unable to agree about the qualities that constitute a good design, but they are likely to recognize the added value of design as a cultural resource.