But look closely at the actual 1040.  The designee box is only going to populate if the third party is someone other than the preparer.

So just to clarify for those of us who want to see things in black and white, the Third Party Designee box on page 2 of the 1040 should be NO if the preparer is the third party designee. The question before the yes/no boxes ask if you want someone OTHER THAN the preparer to be the designee. If you want the preparer to be the designee, check NO.