“Studio”, “atelier”, “office” — no matter what we call our workplace, we could never make sure that the audience understands what is done there exactly. Strictly speaking, the Iranian audience is not well aware of the work procedures performed therein, or the administrative and executive processes taking place. Of course these workplace names are meaningful to us as designers, in everyday situations it is easier to keep things simple and modestly use the term “office.” Iran’s cultural and visual arts background is universally acclaimed and its present — privately and publicly run — graphic design institutes, both in secondary and higher education, are extraordinarily widespread compared to other countries. Iranian graphic designers have had a considerable performance in the past fifty years — some of them are prolific, eminent designers on a global scale. In short, contemporary Iranian graphic design is recognized throughout the world, and its output is internationally remarkable in many specialized fields. So, why are we faced with so much trouble in choosing a name for the graphic design workplace, irrespective of size? In spite of all of our professional achievements, why do we still find it difficult to describe our workplace with a meaningful, proper name?
This text does not aim to discuss, criticize or suggest a name. It seeks to illustrate a larger problem through this “one word.” As previously noted, graphic design in Iran already has a relatively high output and is widely expanded into the educational domain. However, in comparison to the output growth, Iranian graphic designers have had a slow, heterogeneous advancement as far as the professional organization and construction of the administrative, legal, financial, and executive structures of their services. Of course, exceptions do not change the rule. Like other visual arts disciplines in Iran, no clear job description is available for graphic design. Nevertheless, one might ask how Iranian graphic design has managed to reach its achievements without a clear structural form, definition of boundaries, or job description. Further, if it has, why is a well-defined structure required at all? Consider that Iran’s graphic design accomplishments are the result of unaccountable and round-the-clock individual efforts of extraordinary people who have not taken notice of the shortcomings, and have succeeded to run barefoot shoulder to shoulder with horseback riders. Gradually this unequal competition will become almost impossible, not only in Iran but all over the world. As a proof, we see that the world’s prominent graphic design figures are increasingly replaced by graphic “studios” or “ateliers.” This means that the world’s contemporary graphic design is more and more in need of organized teamwork (due to the world’s current socio-economic conditions) for presenting its invaluable works. Thanks to this new management method, even creative works are carried out in groups and with the collaboration of different specialties. In the present issue of Neshan, remarkable examples of these successful design groups or “studios” with simple yet defined structures are illustrated.
Professional standards are common, accepted criteria through which the majority of designers deliver their professional services to clients. It is extremely difficult for professional design establishments within a country to achieve well-defined universal organizational structures (i.e. job standards) unless professional principles are established and diffused by graphic designers throughout their practice within society.
Designers must regularly adhere to two general principles, via agreements or corporate contracts, and teach these details to design students. The first principle is determining the minimum general knowledge and specialized graphic design skills so that the specific instruments for performing each work based on a person’s responsibility in the “workshop” or “studio” can be identified. The second principle is the method of legal, financial, and administrative work and workplace management. Legal management refers attempting to find solutions for registering and protecting economic and moral rights of graphic designers, hence, graphic design “workshops”. This task must be pursued and legalized by related organizations. Financial management includes regularizing and standardizing the graphic design workflow from the point an order is received until its delivery to the client by the designers. This workflow must be written and recorded within required documents such as briefing and order paper, receipts, and typical contracts so that the income and expenses of the organization, however small they may be, become measurable and allow making a development plan. Finally, administrative management implies determining and defining different tendencies and occupational or professional specialties and ranking the designers from (elementary) basic designer to senior and chief. This is one of the most important criteria that enables teamwork in a “workshop”, “atelier” or “studio.” These standards and specialties are observed in most of the design workplaces, including the “studios” which are explored in the present issue of Neshan. Indeed, they are the backstage for the creation of the works we view and study with admiration.
Many of the mentioned criteria for the establishment and progress of graphic design teams exist in the structure of ( some ) few design offices in Iran, regardless of the title their workplace holds, or their size. However, as long as these prerequisites are not propagated among the majority of big and small design groups in our country, in a level which is clearly visible to the society, the exact meaning of the word “studio”, “atelier” or “workshop” would be clear only for ourselves.