Journaling Project No. 2 - The Death of the Author

Connections to the Death of the Author

Barthes states, "Linguistically, the author is never more than the instance writing, just as / is nothing other than the instance saying /: language knows a 'subject', not a 'person', and this subject, empty outside of the very enunciation which defines it, suffices to make language 'hold together', suffices, that is to say, to exhaust it" (145). In that regard, all that performs is language in itself, not the author that stands behind it, since they would "impose a limit on that text, to furnish it with a final signified, to close the writing" (147). 

It is intriguing how that plays into my graphic design work, especially my brand development project, since it would almost lose its entire purpose as a medium in that regard. Without context, the client, an author / the designer / studio / firm, and the intended audience it serves to reach, (my) designs would just be about aesthetics, not the relationships and experiences that are at the core of the work. If the visual language would be all that performs, then how would the intended audience know it is specifically made for them? The target audience would thus become only an audience. Now, without that authorship and connection between the maker and spectator, really anyone could be able to take possession of the work, calling and making it their own...

Progress Report 

I successfully finished designing my brand guide and menus, and submitted all designs off to printing, also including the business cards, pen designs, and acrylic sign design. Recent changes involved refining the logo and re-adjusting the business card design, mocking up various visualizations with the new logo, creating a vegetarian section for the food menu, adjusting the pricing for both food and bar menus, designing the online presence section on the brand guide, and linking all researched images. Here is a link to the final designs.