02/15/2006 09:44:00 AM 
They clearly understand that people now have the tools to design, but not necessarily the skillset.
"Do-it-yourself is everywhere. Around the world, people are making things themselves in order to save money, to customize goods to suit their exact needs and interests, and to feel less dependent on the corporations that manufacture and distribute most of the products and media we consume. On top of these practical and political motivations is the pleasure that comes from developing an idea, making it physically real, and sharing it with other people.
Imagine a band whose members all have day jobs. They want to promote their music, but they can't afford to hire a publicist or design agency. One guy in the band has a great visual sense, although he has never called himself a designer. (Let's call him Bob.) He does awesome marker drawings and likes to write and draw on the band's jackets. At shows, he's often asked to write on other people's clothes.
If Bob could make a poster and figure out how to get it printed, the band would save money they didn't have in the first place. If they could transfer ideas from Bob's poster to other media (press kit, CD packages, stickers, t-shirts), they would be building their own unique visual brand, one that expresses the personality of their group. They could make a Web site where people could download songs along with Bob's graphics."
The Maryland Institute with help from Ellen Lupton have got behind the DIY idea with the school's MFA students creating the book and the institute hosting workshops and courses.
Obviously, there are tons of art schools around, but this is one of the first examples of a concentrated effort to reach out and try to help educate the wannabes.
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