Despite the connectedness of the current business world, aspiring design professionals face new challenges in the age-old problem of getting noticed, especially by the elite practitioners. George Nelson’s wit and insights helped me understand design as both a serious profession and a creative adventure. Here are a few of his choice observations and some thoughts on the special relationship we know as mentoring.

I’ve been an AIGA member since I moved to Raleigh in 2009, and in that time I have gained so much through what I have given to the chapter. As a chapter, our mission is to create a place where design thrives. What I found through my involvement with AIGA Raleigh is a place where I thrive, too.

It’s rare for American audiences to have access to the wealth of graphic design that is currently being created in Iran. Recently, a team of designers, writers and scholars have convened to curate a collection of contemporary Iranian design and exhibit it in the United States.

All around us, we see organizations and communities that need to change. The job for design is everywhere. I would like the people who come through our design education program to become embedded in thousands of places, helping our species evolve from selfish users of resources to expanders and creators of resources. And for that, while there is no “studio” involved, we hope you join us.

Finally. The rest of the world has caught on. Everyone knows it: design matters. We’re no longer the weirdos hidden away in fancy studios kerning type. All eyes are on us. So how do we respond? What bold moves do we make? How do we change the way we work to truly deliver on the power of design?

A studio best-known for their interactive storytelling work envisions their ideal studio for 2015. Featuring introspective, team-based and experimental/experiential workspaces, their hybrid studio has a lab at its core.