I recently received in the mail my 2nd installment of Print Magazine: Design Culture Youth. The 12 month subscription was a Christmas present from my wife thanks to the advice of friend and pixel therapist Steve W. The 65 year old publication is a 183 pages of inspiration for the graphic arts. In this issue, there was an article that instantly caught my attention as I saw it’s relevance not only design but for blogging, and Christianity.

Print Magazine began in 1941 as a “quarterly journal for the graphic arts.” 65 years later it is published bi-monthly. Articles range from typefaces to TV advertising to purses; with lots of adds for HOW in between. You could just read it for the images though.

UPDATE: You can read the article online here.

The article that caught my eye was “Your Design Here” by Virginia Postrel. It’s about DIY design verses professional.

Designers no longer have a monopoly on design. These days the tools are cheaper, more powerful and easy to find…with the help of TypePad [or WordPress], even the severely HTML-impaired can build a website.

Because of the ease and availability for DIYers to get professional tools and tinker with them, many professionals may be wondering about job security. A degree isn’t necessarily a guarantee anymore.

I love the point Virginia makes as she relates the Do It Yourself issue to writing.

Writers don’t live in fear that people are issuing un-licensed prose. Everyone (in theory) learns to read and write in school, which is to the benefit of daily communication, and not the detriment of professional writers. Neither [a writer’s] self-image nor professional standing is threatened if you write a letter or a memo or a poem celebrating someone’s birthday, or, for that matter, publish an article or create a blog. Literacy doesn’t quench the demand for skillful writing - it enhances it.

Think of tha last sentance in relation to other things we do; such as blogging. Other people having blogs doesn’t quench the demand for quality content - it enhances, and even necessitates it.

Little of today’s DIY design is a substitue for the real challenges of professional practice. It’s either routine or purely personal.

Regarding the surge of blogs starting every day.
Someone new to blogging with a website and a CMS isn’t a sudden threat to the rest of us. Although we may worry a bit about our traffic and readership being stolen, we need not fear that the world will stop needing and wanting our articles. People can tell the difference between a well designed well maintained and well written blog and one that is not. The more blogs that begin the greater need there is for quality blogs.

[All quoted content in this article copyright Print Magazine]