AIGA Communique - April 2006

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	Monthly news and updates for AIGA members April 2006 -------------------------------------------------------------- Contents News and information Members ratify slate of new directors Early registration deadline for “Gain” conference is May 17 Adobe offers AIGA members 15 percent discount Update on AIGA survey research Record number of Worldstudio AIGA Scholarship applications received Enter the Winterhouse Awards for Design Writing and Criticism Opening of the AdamsMorioka Archives Vault Two new books from AIGA Design Press AIGA initiatives on environmental responsibility Formal notice of AIGA board meeting, May 2 AIGA financial practices meet auditor's approval Thanks to recent contributors to AIGA www.aiga.org Press and news now on AIGA site Find designers with similar interests in AIGA Design Network Voice: AIGA Journal of Design Opportunities for inspiration and professional development Which global issue would benefit from your creative thinking? Aspen Design Summit, June 20–23 Icograda Design Week, July 9–15, Seattle Register for AIGA Harvard Business School program, July 23–28 Image, Space, Object 3: Above Brand, August 10–13, Denver Reserve your seats now for the 2006 Design Legends Gala, October 25 Innovation Sustainability and Leadership in Design program, January 2007 Resources --------------------------------------------------------------- News and information --------------------------------------------------------------- Members ratify slate of new directors AIGA’s professional-level members have ratified the slate of nominees for the national board. As of July 1, AIGA will welcome the following to the board for three years: Jim Ales, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, who brings the perspective of an in-house, nonprofit design department and advertising, branding, marketing and direct-mail experience Laurie Churchman, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, a former chapter board member in New York and a fulltime faculty member who can lead the design education agenda at the board level Debbie Millman, Sterling Brands, New York, who will add a strong voice in branding and positioning; a vocal advocate for design through her live talk radio show "Design Matters with Debbie Millman;" and an experienced leader of AIGA programs for mentoring teenagers Bennett Peji, Bennett Peji Design, San Diego, a former San Diego chapter president, chair of the chapter presidents’ council and active participant in design's role in the civic experience Shel Perkins, Shel Perkins and Associates, San Francisco, a former San Francisco chapter president, an active business consultant on design studio practices and the proposed secretary/treasurer for the board The candidates were selected after a rigorous review of nominees against a variety of criteria, including the nature of their practice, the area of the country they represent, their previous contributions to AIGA and the priorities the board has adopted for new initiatives. Early registration deadline for “Gain” conference is May 17 Gain: AIGA Business and Design Conference, October 26–28, 2006, New York City Gain a greater understanding of the relationship between design and business when you attend “Gain: AIGA Business and Design Conference.” Featuring case studies from a variety of industries, “Gain” demonstrates the broadening role that design plays in every aspect of business—from strategy and leadership to process and product. Tom Kelley, general manager, IDEO, and author, The Ten Faces of Innovation, will moderate “Gain.” Early registration ends May 17, so visit gainconference.aiga.org for more information and to reserve your seat before prices go up $125. Adobe offers AIGA members 15 percent discount AIGA’s Official Partner for Design Solutions, Adobe Systems, now offers a 15 percent discount on anything in the Adobe store, including Adobe products, third-party plug-ins, training and more. These discounts are just one of many programs Adobe plans to bring to members through its long-standing relationship with AIGA. Adobe is proud to be part of the design community and will continue to create innovative programs that give members a voice, nurture young designers and actively engage the creative community in dialogues about the important issues in the fields of design and technology. For details on how to take advantage of your 15 percent savings at the Adobe Store, visit www.aiga.org/aigamembersonly. Update on AIGA survey research We realize it may seem we are constantly inquiring about more information from members. Trust that this is due to a deep commitment to understand how we can serve designers better and also to obtain information that members are eager to share with one another. Becoming a central source of information about the profession is a key aim of AIGA for the future. We all suffer from insufficient understanding of the design economy. AIGA’s biennial survey of student members is out in the field for another week. We appreciate members’ direct and honest feedback about the value of membership and encourage you to take just a few minutes to respond to the survey request. Last month, AIGA launched the first ever national survey of Design Educator Salaries. We accepted returns through March 27, as planned, and ended up with a total of 993 usable responses. This is nominally a 43 percent response rate. Survey results will be formatted and released later this spring. There will be another survey of program administrators soon to obtain a complete digest of current educational programs. A small panel of opinion leaders are also responsible for a quarterly confidence index survey, the latest results of which we will publish again in the coming weeks. The AIGA\|Aquent Survey of Design Salaries will be published in print and online in May. Finally, we have also contacted a small sample of members and nonmembers to inform the web design team about expectations for the site. Clearly, AIGA has taken the user research step in the designing framework to heart. Record number of Worldstudio AIGA Scholarship applications received Worldstudio Foundation and AIGA provide scholarships to minority and economically-disadvantaged students studying design and the arts in colleges and universities in the United States. Among the scholarship’s primary goals are to increase diversity in the creative professions and to foster social and environmental responsibility in the artists, designers and studios of tomorrow. Scholarship recipients are selected not only for their ability and need, but also for their demonstrated commitment to giving back to the greater community through their work. At the time of this year’s application deadline, a record 486 applications had been received. Winners will be notified in June. www.aiga.org/content.cfm?contentalias=worldstudio_scholarship Enter the Winterhouse Awards for Design Writing & Criticism Until June 30, AIGA will be accepting submissions for the Winterhouse Awards for Design Writing & Criticism, an initiative of AIGA and the Winterhouse Institute. One Design Writing Award, in the amount of $5,000, is open to writers, critics, scholars, historians and journalists for a body of work; an Education Award, in the amount of $1,000, will be given to a student writer (undergraduate or graduate). Both awards will be presented at this year’s Design Legends Gala. This year’s jurors are Kurt Andersen, Jessica Helfand, Julie Lasky and Meghan O’Rourke. Details and guidelines are at www.aiga.org/writingawards. Opening of the AdamsMorioka Archives Vault AIGA is pleased to announce the opening of the AdamsMorioka Archives Vault located at the National Design Center, 164 Fifth Avenue in New York. This collection of artifacts documents AIGA’s 94-year history and its association with the century’s most influential designers. In addition to the flat file currently being developed to include contributions from AIGA medalists, one will find treasures such as correspondence letters from the original founders, the first Objects, exhibition catalogues, membership directories, keepsakes, newsletters, journals and more. The vault is named for Sean Adams and Noreen Morioka, major donors to the campaign supporting the preservation of the collection. The AdamsMorioka Archives will complement the online Design Archives as an invaluable resource for original research and reference by AIGA members and design scholars. An appointment to visit the AdamsMorioka Archives vault may be made by calling 212 807 1990 x232. Two new books from AIGA Design Press In March, AIGA Design Press, in partnership with New Riders, published two books from AIGA members. Talent Is Not Enough: Business Secrets For Designers By Shel Perkins This comprehensive guide includes everything designers need-besides talent-to turn their artistic success into business success. Readers will find information on key issues facing designers from freelancing to the management of established design firms. www.aiga.org/content.cfm?ContentAlias=BookDetail&aid=1959878 Everyware: The Dawning Age of Ubiquitous Computing By Adam Greenfield Ubiquitous computing—almost imperceptible, but everywhere around us—is rapidly becoming a reality. Smart buildings, smart furniture, smart clothing ... even smart bathtubs. Networked street signs and self-describing soda cans. In a series of brief, thoughtful meditations, Greenfield explains how “everyware” is already reshaping our lives, transforming our understanding of the cities we live in, the communities we belong to—and the way we see ourselves. www.aiga.org/content.cfm?ContentAlias=BookDetail&aid=1949430 To learn more and to order your copy of the books, visit www.aiga.org/aigadesignpress. AIGA initiatives on environmental responsibility AIGA is committed to a course of continuous improvement in its environmentally responsible practices. Sustainability is one of the issues that we believe is critical to competitiveness, and we pledge to keep the profession’s attention on this responsibility until it becomes integral to the practice of effective design. We will report periodically to members on measures taken and planned. In 2003, AIGA performed an independent general environmental assessment of our operations and practices. We have since implemented all of the recommendations: from recycled building materials to environmentally responsible cleaning substances to fair-traded organic coffee. We use 90 percent PCW with 10 percent hemp/flax paper for internal printing. In 2005, the Institute for Sustainable Communications (ISC) conducted a Responsible Enterprise Print assessment of our practices, and we have followed their recommendations without question. Beginning in 2005, AIGA began purchasing wind power offsets for all of its energy consumption. AIGA also began funding the planting of 400,000 seedlings a year in managed forests in tropical zones, which will yield at least 20,000 mature trees that will convert CO2 for 30 years. This is a ten-year commitment, meaning 200,000 mature trees. These projects are to help compensate for the CO2 consequences of our energy use, printing and shipping activities, the travel of participants to all of our conferences, and the business and personal travel of our staff members. In 2006, AIGA will launch a calculator on our website for all members to use in evaluating the environmental consequences of paper choice alternatives. AIGA will develop its own GRI report (from the Global Reporting Initiative or CERES guidelines) on the triple bottom line and will then plan to move on toward creating an environmental management system and ISO 14001 certification. We are also exploring offering offset certificates on our website for members who want to compensate for their own travel individually, with AIGA accumulating the purchases for greater impact. Our goal is to be able to measure improvement each year. It is not possible for an association of our scale and resources to reinvent itself overnight, although we believe our progress will provide a model for both members and their clients. We believe we are one of the very few professional associations taking this path. Formal notice of AIGA board meeting, May 2 The next AIGA board meeting will be held on May 2 at 9:00 a.m. EDT in Charleston, South Carolina. The board will review the auditor’s report; the 2005 AIGA financial statements; and issues on the horizon for both the profession and AIGA. AIGA financial practices meet auditor's approval O’Connor Davies Munn and Dobbins, independent auditors who report directly to the board, have concluded their audit of AIGA for its 2005 fiscal year and have rendered an unqualified opinion on the financial statements for the year. The auditors review the financial records and AIGA's accounting practices; their report is part of AIGA's commitment to providing transparent accountability to its members. In addition to this endorsement of fiduciary practices, AIGA also receives a ranking in the highest tier of non-proifts by Dun & Bradstreet. The audited financial statement may be found on the website at www.aiga.org/financialstatement. Financial statements are not always the easiest to decipher, so KINETIK, Inc., of Washington, DC, has prepared a Flash presentation answering the question: “How are my membership dues spent?” View it at www.aiga.org/membershipinvestment. Thanks to recent contributors to AIGA AIGA thanks the following recent contributors to the AIGA Creative Leadership Campaign: R.O. Blechman Linda Florio Kendall Galvin Lisa Sarkees The following have made recent contributions to the AIGA Disaster Relief Fund: AIGA Santa Fe For an update on AIGA's relief effort, visit www.aiga.org/reliefeffort. --------------------------------------------------------------- www.aiga.org --------------------------------------------------------------- Press and news now on AIGA site Stay current on AIGA’s biggest stories by visiting the new Press and News section of the AIGA website. Press releases will be posted here, providing in-depth information and quotes to be used as a resource for both designers and members of the press. In the future, we’ll be adding articles about AIGA as well. Be sure to pass along the link to writers, bloggers and other media representatives. www.aiga.org/pressnews Find designers with similar interests in AIGA Design Network Network with other AIGA members without leaving the comfort of your own computer. Using the AIGA Design Network, you can find members you already know and build relationships with members with similar professional interests through an organization you know and trust. Start strengthening existing connections and creating new ones today! www.aiga.org/designnetwork Voice: AIGA Journal of Design Voice has become the go-to place for lively, thoughtful articles on design (and a few on what pops into the mind of designers, an intriguing discovery!). Be sure you’re up to date on this rich anthology. “Henryk Tomaszewski: Meeting the Master” Andrea Marks What makes Tomaszewski one of the most influential 20th century Polish poster designers? Marks explores his simple and complex, prosaic and poetic oeuvre for the answer. voice.aiga.org/content.cfm?ContentAlias=%5Fgetfullarticle&aid=2044614 “Designing for everyware: An interview with Adam Greenfield” Liz Danzico With computing now part of everything from phones to pets, how will it change our approach to design? Greenfield talks about designing for invisible systems and the importance of nuance. voice.aiga.org/content.cfm?ContentAlias=%5Fgetfullarticle&aid=2055350 Please join in the discussions and submit ideas for future issues at http://voice.aiga.org. --------------------------------------------------------------- Opportunities for inspiration and professional development --------------------------------------------------------------- Which global issue would benefit from your creative thinking? Aspen Design Summit, June 20–23 Education innovation: creating school experiences and environments that address the changing needs and abilities of students Sustainable community development: shaping communities that best serve their citizens’ well-being Social entrepreneurship: narrowing the widening gap between rich and poor countries through economic programs When you register for the Aspen Design Summit, you’ll be asked to choose one of these issues, which will be the focus of your three days working closely with design leaders and professionals from business, government, culture and education in small, collaborative workshops. The result? By addressing these issues in a concentrated, studio-based environment, guided by some of the world’s most prominent designers, the Aspen Design Summit will create real-world initiatives and strategic partnerships with far-reaching, measurable impact. Each studio will work through the initial steps of all design thinking: defining the problem; setting clear objectives and defining success; defining an approach; and how to elicit buy-in from the key groups needed for success. Join a 55-year legacy of demonstrating how design can serve as a catalyst for change. The Aspen Design Summit can only achieve its goals with the participation of creative people like you. Visit aspendesignsummit.aiga.org for a complete list of speakers and Aspen Action studio leaders and to register. Presenting Sponsors: Target, Domtar EarthChoice. Technology Partner: Apple Computer, Inc. Icograda Design Week in Seattle, July 9–15 The first-ever U.S.-based Icograda Design Week is coming to Seattle in July 2006. This will be a thought-provoking forum about the role of design in a rapidly-changing world. Big questions will be on the table, presented by leading design thinkers and practitioners. How do we communicate when our audiences speak different languages? Who has the competitive edge in a worldwide marketplace? What role can we play in making the world a better place? Seattle Design Week is a rare opportunity to connect with designers who are working at this intersection of global commerce and culture. The week of events includes an international conference, student workshop and showcase of North American design trends. More details and registration at seattledesignweek.com. This event is presented by Icograda in partnership with the AIGA Center for Cross-Cultural Design. Register for AIGA Harvard Business School program, July 23–28 The fourth annual Advanced Leadership Program, “Business Perspectives for Creative Leaders,” is a one-week program for experienced designers to survey business from the standpoint of their clients. The program is available to only 60 candidates who will be taught by Harvard Business School’s best faculty and live and work in the school’s executive housing. This year’s program will take place July 23–28. Selection is competitive, based on the qualifications and experience of candidates. www.aiga.org/businessperspectives Image, Space, Object 3: Above Brand, August 10–13, in Denver For three days this summer, immerse yourself in the ultimate interdisciplinary and collaborative design workshop, working closely with the world's top design innovators at the foot of the Rockies. As you convert theory into practice, you'll learn how to create the next level of tomorrow's brand experience in which images, spaces and objects work together in a physical and informational environment. Sign up by June 1 for a discounted registration! For more information and to register, visit www.aiga.org/iso3. Reserve your seats now for the 2006 Design Legends Gala This year’s Design Legends Gala celebrating 2006 Medalists Michael Bierut, Rick Valicenti and Lorraine Wild will be held Wednesday, October 25 in New York. Tickets for the event are now available for purchase online. This is a special black-tie event to honor the medalists, those receiving the Corporate Leadership Award, this year’s AIGA Fellow recipients and the first Winterhouse Design Writing and Criticism awards, an initiative of AIGA and the Winterhouse Institute. The Gala also offers an opportunity for designers to contribute to the ongoing celebration of design excellence. Tickets Patron $750 Friend $350 Tables Leadership $10,000 Benefactor $5,000 www.aiga.org/designlegendsgala Innovation Sustainability and Leadership in Design program, January 2007 AIGA is collaborating with ICIS, The International Centre for Creativity, Innovation and Sustainability to promote awareness of sustainable development and how it contributes to the improvement of living conditions worldwide. This is part of AIGA’s leadership development program to provide collaborative, multidisciplinary experiences for designers. The Innovation Sustainability and Leadership in Design (ISL) program, an innovative, international development program for design professionals is aimed at a select group of experienced designers who want to: • Increase their businesses or employment potential • Meet the sustainability challenge • Broaden their worldview • Develop their leadership potential • Belong to a worldwide network of like-minded professionals • Enhance their communication skills • Improve their working lives The ISL is a part-time program that involves three two-week residential segments at a location outside Copenhagen over a one-year period. It addresses current and future challenges for the professional designer working in a leadership position, focused on developing new business, or those employed or freelancing in the field of design or related creative professions. It is taught by experienced designers and thought-leaders from around the world. The 2007 ISL program starts in January 2007 and finishes in December 2007. The taught modules are January 15-27, June 18-30, and November 19-December 1. The ICIS Centre is north of Copenhagen situated in an ancient area of natural beauty. Cost of the program: US$15,000. Includes lectures, tutorials, assessments, mentors, facilities, materials, food and lodging, excursions. For more information and to apply: The ICIS Centre Tel: +45 49704364 center@iciscenter.org http://iciscenter.org --------------------------------------------------------------- Resources --------------------------------------------------------------- Want to renew? www.aiga.org/renew Have you had a recent change of address? Update your profile, including email preferences and affiliation with communities of interest. www.aiga.org/profile Want to know what’s going on? Check out local and national events. www.aiga.org/calendar -------------------------------------------------------------- About Communiqué This newsletter is emailed monthly to AIGA members; past issues are archived on the AIGA website. To unsubscribe, update your profile. To review our privacy policy, go to www.aiga.org/privacy. -------------------------------------------------------------- AIGA \| the professional association for design 164 Fifth Avenue New York NY 10010 \| 212 807 1990 communique@aiga.org Stimulating thinking about design www.aiga.org