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Home Audio Episode 76: Taking License

Episode 76: Taking License

Should you have to get a license to work as a designer? Mike Monteiro of Mule Design recently argued that they should, since UX designers are working on problems that can affect the health and well being of others.

AIGA debated licensing in the late 1990s, and one difficulty was defining a body of knowledge or skills that defined a designer. As Jessica put it,

What that would mean you would be tested and have to memorize Pantone colors?

And Michael draws a distinction between

a body of knowledge and qualifies you to actually perform your professional duties [and] the ethical and moral structure that helps shape your decisions

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By Michael Bierut & Jessica Helfand

Jessica Helfand is an artist and writer based in New England. A former critic at Yale School of Art and one of the founding editors of Design Observer, she is the author of several books on visual culture including Self Reliance, Design: The Invention of Desire, and Face: A Visual Odyssey. jessicahelfand.com

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