Just say NO (to design awards)

There's heavy political debate going on over at Design Observer, where Michael Bierut posted an article about designers refusing to attend the National Design Awards hosted by Laura Bush at the White House. Here's a snippet of what the non-attending designers wrote in response to the invitation:

We understand that politics often involves high rhetoric and the shading of language for political ends. However it is our belief that the current administration of George W. Bush has used the mass communication of words and images in ways that have seriously harmed the political discourse in America. We therefore feel it would be inconsistent with those values previously stated to accept an award celebrating language and communication, from a representative of an administration that has engaged in a prolonged assault on meaning.

Read the entire letter and commentary here.

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