Re-Writing Design
In the 21st Century, nothing is created from scratch. When we design or write something, we begin with what is already there. Our thinking and choices are nevertheless informed by all the books, buildings, butter dishes or bezier curves that have preceded the books, buildings, butter dishes and bezier curves we are currently designing. “To design is always to redesign” (Bruno Latour 2008).

This does not mean that to rewrite or redesign is a stifling, constrained task. On the contrary, to weave the strands of influence into a startling new form is the very essence of creativity, as any dancer or jazz musician will know. And to reweave, redesign or rewrite one’s own work is to revisit it, sometimes years later, as a different person. It’s a small step from here to the idea of picking up someone else’s work and finishing it for them — or re-writing it. A rewrite based on a misreading, to paraphrase Harold Bloom.

Join Peter Hall for what promises to be an entertaining and thought-provoking exploration of ReWRITING DESIGN, and what it means for one’s own practice, as well as cultural production.

About Glen Cummings
Glen Cummings is the creative director of MTWTF, a New York-based design consultancy that collaborates with clients including the Red Bull Music Academy, the Claire Tow Theater at Lincoln Center, the Brooklyn Museum and MoMA. Glen’s work with the public sector includes identity, wayfinding and placemaking projects commissioned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Construction Company (MTACC), Newark Riverfront Park, Design Trust for Public Spaces and the Brooklyn Public Library. Glen’s work in print has been widely exhibited and published by Monacelli Press, Metropolis Books, and Columbia University.

From 2002-13, Glen acted as a design critic at the Yale University School of Art, where he received his M.F.A. in Graphic Design. In New York City, Glen has engaged with the design community as Vice President of AIGA/NY, a fellow for the Design Trust for Public Space, and the founder of GDNYC, a consortium of designers and educators that promote design research. Before establishing MTWTF in 2008, Glen was an art director at 2×4 working with clients such as MTV, Prada, Chanel, Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, and the Muhammad Ali Center.

Graphic Practices is is a new Lecture Series from AIGA Maine. We are inviting fresh design voices from across the country who are pushing the boundaries of traditional graphic design through their practice.

AIGA Maine is the Maine chapter of AIGA, the professional association for design. It exists to advance design as a professional craft, strategic advantage and vital cultural force.