Monthly news and updates for AIGA
members
December 2005
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Contents
News and information
Call for nominations to the AIGA board
Give to the profession: year-end tax
planning and AIGA
AIGA, the professional
association for design
Standard contract revised, available
on AIGA website
Standards for professional
practice under review
Formal notice of AIGA board meeting,
January 5
New selections added to Design
Archives
AIGA Design Leaders Confidence
survey
Women in Design Survey Report available
on ICOGRADA website
SpecLogix Compendium offered
to AIGA members
Disaster
Relief Task Force update
Recent contributors to the
Creative Leadership Campaign
In the gallery
www.aiga.org
AIGA Design Network: set up your
profile
Design Jobs member discount
Artist video series
Voice: AIGA
Journal of Design
Coming soon
Save the dates
Resources
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News and information
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Call for nominations
to the AIGA board
The AIGA board nominating committee, chaired by Rosemary
Murphy, of Murphy Design in Philadelphia, is seeking nominations to be
submitted by January 15, 2006. We encourage every member to consider nominating
candidates for the AIGA board of directors. This next decade will be critical
to how we achieve members’ ambitions for AIGA at its centennial
in 2014.
The committee invites nominations from all members and allows for self-nomination.
The committee consists of members who are not on the board to make sure member interests are represented in the new nominations and that the national board is not self-perpetuating (a weak point of many association boards). This year’s nominating committee is comprised of:
Rosemary Murphy (chair);
Maelin Levine, Visual Asylum, San Diego;
Jerry Redmond, Redmond Design, Memphis;
Robin Tooms, Savage Design Group, Houston; and
Paul Wharton, Larsen Design Office, Minneapolis.
Five seats are open. The process for nominations is published at www.aiga.org/nominationsprocess. Nominations are due by January 15, 2006, and can be submitted by the nominee or by others on his or her behalf. The application process is thorough to assure that the committee has the same information on all candidates, recognizes the work nominees have done at the chapter level, and reveals the level of commitment of the nominees. The responsibilities of the position, which are also considerable, can be seen at www.aiga.org/boardresponsibilities.
Board members who are rolling off the board on June 30, 2006, are:
Doug Powell, Minnesota (treasurer)
Frank Baseman, Philadelphia (education)
Jim Faris, Santa Cruz
Lance Rutter, Chicago
Michael Vanderbyl, San Francisco
Give to the profession:
year-end tax planning and AIGA
For those of you who are on a calendar year tax cycle
and are planning to make contributions to your preferred charities before
the end of December, please do not forget the role that AIGA, as a 501(c)(3)
charitable organization, can play in advancing your future and the success
of subsequent generations of young designers.
Contributions to the Creative Leadership Campaign are encouraged and welcomed. The campaign raises funds for special initiatives, like mentoring high school students in design, preserving archives or celebrating great design. None of the funds are used for operating expenses.
Donations can be made out to “AIGA Creative Leadership Campaign” and sent to Richard Grefé, AIGA, 164 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. We will provide a receipt and tax letter to document your contribution. www.aiga.org/giving_opportunities
AIGA,
the professional association for design
AIGA has changed its official name from “American
Institute of Graphic Arts” to “AIGA, the professional association
for design.”
This change results from continuous recommendations from members over the past decade (and more) in search for a name that reflected the evolution of the profession from its earliest roots in graphic arts. Despite the desire for a name that was more inclusive, there is also a strong interest in retaining the legacy of AIGA. This resolution aims to address both interests. Now it is time for us to move together to give solid equity to the promise of this new identity.
IBM, AARP, MCI, ESPN, CSPAN and others have discarded their names and moved to using an acronym because as they grew, their businesses encompassed much more than their names indicated. We are in the same position. AIGA came into being before the term “graphic design” was even coined, and represented various disciplines throughout its history. By using the acronym and the descriptor both internally and externally to the profession, we can be clear that we represent a profession and that profession is broadly defined.
In this new form, if one is asked what AIGA stands for, the answer is evident: “the professional association for design.” This is actually a clearer answer than “The American Institute of Graphic Arts.” You do not need to explain literally what the initials stand for; no one explains what the initials ESPN or MCI stand for.
We encourage active members to join many of your colleagues in using the initials “AIGA” after your name in email signatures, business cards, etc., to show your support of the profession and your commitment to the standards for professional practice.
Standard
contract revised, available on AIGA website
The revised standard contract for professional services is now
available as a PDF on the AIGA website and is about to be printed as the
next brochure in the Design Business and Ethics series. This modular contract
allows you to construct a standard agreement based on the nature of your
design assignment, unlike the old format in which there was one agreement
for all engagements. Download the new contract at www.aiga.org/designbusinessandethics.
Standards
for professional practice under review
The AIGA board is considering a revised version of AIGA’s
standards for professional practice. The Federal Trade Commission and
IRS required that AIGA remove the proscription on spec work from the ethical
standards because it was deemed a form of price-fixing (at more than zero).
AIGA will continue to articulate forcefully the case against spec work
proposals as a matter of good business practices that protect the interests
of clients.
The new standards will also add provisions on the responsibilities of designers toward their audiences, society and the environment. These provisions were drafted working closely with Milton Glaser, who has long felt that we failed to adequately define the ethical role of designers. The AIGA board is reviewing the draft this month and will vote on adoption of a revised set of standards in January, at which time they will be posted on the website and announced.
Formal notice
of AIGA board meeting, January 5
The next AIGA board meeting will be held by telephone at 12:00
p.m. on January 5, 2006. The board will vote on adoption of a revised
set of professional standards, as described above.
New selections
added to AIGA Design Archives
AIGA Design Archives now includes selections from this
year’s “365: AIGA Design Competitions.” This digital
database and gallery of design exemplars is widely recognized as the ultimate
resource for contemporary design research and reference. Design Archives
is accessible to any audience worldwide and has the means for searches
against a variety of criteria; visitors are able to create light tables
of images, annotate them for reference and share them with other designers,
clients, educators and students. Design Archives will ultimately contain
competition selections from all years since 1980 (and perhaps earlier).
Visit AIGA Design Archives at designarchives.aiga.org.
AIGA Design
Leaders Confidence survey
We now have three quarters’ worth of data from the AIGA
Design Leaders Confidence Survey, which gauges opinion leaders’
perception of the current and prospective strength of the design economy.
After a slight increase in confidence in the design economy in the second
quarter, there has been a steep and abrupt drop in the third quarter,
from 101.89 to 96.67, a drop of 5 percent. This is comparable to, although
slightly more optimistic than, the Conference Board’s confidence
survey of corporate CEOs, which has fallen from 55 to 50, the lowest reading
in nearly four years. Review the results at www.aiga.org/content.cfm/confidenceindex.
Women in
Design Survey Report available on ICOGRADA website
The electronic version of the Summary Report of the Women In
Design Survey is now available. The survey was conducted among professional
design association worldwide in order to capture specific concerns that
women have in the design world. The Women In Design Survey explores issues
such as: influence characteristics, work/lifestyle balance, networking
opportunities, equality of career opportunities and work levels and the
willingness to participate in a leadership role. Review the results at
www.icograda.org/web/news.shtml.
SpecLogix
Compendium offered to AIGA members
AIGA is pleased to extend a special members' offer for the ultimate
production sourcebook: The SpecLogix Compendium of Paper & Printing.
This two-volume set provides an accessible, hands-on approach delivering
not just the knowledge, but the practical know-how. Actual demonstrations
of everything from specialty and process color printing, varnishes and
coatings, to an overview of envelopes—all reconnect designers with
the physical elements of their end products. The SpecLogix Compendium
is the ultimate sourcebook that can be used for personal reference as
well as an integral part of any graphic studio or scholastic program's
library.
The Compendium is available to AIGA members at the price of $170. Visit the online bookstore on the AIGA website to order your copy. www.aiga.org/designbookstore
Disaster Relief
Task Force update
AIGA is currently supporting designers from all disciplines displaced
by the recent disasters in the Gulf Coast. We’ve already received
hundreds of responses from designers in need, as well as designers willing
to help. In order to consolidate resources and efforts, AIGA is working
in collaboration with the design studio Chopping Block to support Displaced
Designer (www.displaceddesigner.com), extending the reach and effectiveness
of this initiative so that no designer is left behind.
The following have made recent contributions to the AIGA Disaster Relief Fund:
George Popichak
Doppelganger, Inc.
Frederick & Froberg Design
AIGA Raleigh chapter
AIGA San Diego chapter
AIGA San Diego City College student group
AIGA Texas State University student group
While AIGA was able to respond in days, we are determined to learn from this experience and our 9/11 experience to develop a disaster relief plan that can be implemented in hours in the future. The Katrina Relief Task Force will develop a disaster relief plan that will include action plans for AIGA, for chapters and for individual members, should we face another regional disaster. To get involved in helping to plan these materials, send email to relief@aiga.org to express your willingness and capacity to help make a difference. www.aiga.org/reliefeffort
Recent
contributors to the Creative Leadership Campaign
Thanks to the following recent contributors to the AIGA Creative Leadership
Campaign:
$1,000+
Jennifer Morla
Up to $100
Gisela Barrett
Dmitry Kovrizhenko
In the gallery
365: AIGA Annual Design Exhibition 26
Opening: December 13, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.; exhibition open to the public
from December 14, 2005 until February 24, 2006.
Design excellence is the result of a process involving creativity, inspiration, skill, experience, intuition and discipline. AIGA is committed to using the selections from the competitions to demonstrate the process of design, the role of the designer and the value of design. The selection criteria include both aesthetic judgments and an evaluation of communication effectiveness. The juries consider each piece within the context of its purpose, content, objective, audience and resources.
“365: AIGA Annual Design Competitions” make a definitive
statement on the quality of communication design in North America this
year. The survey of selections is published in AIGA’s virtual gallery;
published in a substantial book that is distributed internationally as
an authoritative chronicle of current design; and exhibited in AIGA’s
New York gallery on Fifth Avenue.
This competition extends a legacy that began more than 90 years ago and
is widely recognized as the most selective statement on design excellence
today.
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www.aiga.org
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Find designers
with similar interests in AIGA Design Network
Now you can 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.
Design Jobs member
discount
Beginning in early December, members wishing to post a position through
Design Jobs will receive a steep discount. Rather than the regular rate
of $195, members will pay only $95 to post a job. With this benefit, we
expect that Design Jobs will become an even greater center of gravity
for the profession. www.aiga.org/designjobs
Artist video
series
Reading about designers can be moving. Seeing their work can
be inspiring and, at times, can provoke us to action. Hillman Curtis,
in his artist video series, allows us to experience leading designers
through sound and motion, uncovering what it is about them that inspires
him.
Upcoming series entries include Pentagram partners, James Victore, Mark
Romanek (video director), and more.
www.aiga.org/artistvideoseries
Voice: AIGA Journal
of Design
Voice has become a 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 keep up with what has become a rich anthology
of engaging writing.
In the latest issue:
Navigating Today’s Signs: An Interview with Mies Hora
Steven Heller
Can we survive without the signs and symbols that caution, direct and
inform? Hora argues that common icons are integral to human existence;
what’s more, they are truly the designer’s greatest challenge.
designforum.aiga.org/content.cfm?ContentAlias=%5Fgetfullarticle&aid=1376858
Here Comes the Rooster: A Rooster Reference Guide for the Designer
David Barringer
As the Year of the Rooster comes to a close, have we seen more or less
of these beasts as design elements? Barringer points out the surprising
persistency of the poult this year, and its upcoming ubiquity.
designforum.aiga.org/content.cfm?ContentAlias=%5Fgetfullarticle&aid=1374735
Please join in the discussions and submit ideas for future issues at http://voice.aiga.org.
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Coming soon
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Save the dates:
Competitions deadline
The deadline for entering “365:AIGA Annual Design Competitions”
is March 3, 2006. For the first time, all entries must be registered online.
The call for entries will be available on the AIGA website in early January.
Aspen Design Summit, June 20–23, Aspen
Never before have one year’s events so demanded a call
for action on a global scale, and never before has the Aspen Design Summit
been more ready for the challenge. In June of 2006, design-minded leaders
from around the world will gather in Aspen, Colorado to make positive,
measurable impacts on the social and cultural concerns of today.
The Aspen Design Summit will demonstrate, inspire and foster change
through applied design thinking. Using the design studio as a model, Summit
participants will create and execute programs addressing various social,
economic and environmental issues. Although only 340 attendees will be
in Aspen, the implementation of their initiatives will be felt worldwide.
www.aspendesignsummit.org
Icograda Design Week, July 9–15, Seattle
Icograda Design Week in Seattle is an international forum for discussion
about the role of design in the face of incredible change in the world.
It will address how designers can contribute to a healthy world economy
while being mindful of the cultural, environmental and political impact
of design.
seattle.icograda.org/web
AIGA Harvard Business School: Business Perspectives for Design Leaders,
July 23–28, 2006
The fourth annual Advanced Leadership Program on “Business Perspectives
for Design Leaders,” a one-week program to provide experienced designers
with a chance to master the perspective of their clients toward business.
Available to only sixty candidates who will live and work in the executive
housing at Harvard Business School and be taught by the school’s
best faculty. Selection is competitive, based on the qualifications and
experience of candidates. www.aiga.org/businessperspectives
Third annual Design Legends Gala, October 25, 2006, New York City
Gain: AIGA Business and Design Conference, October 26–28, 2006, New York City
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Resources
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Want to renew? Visit
www.aiga.org/renew.
Have you had a recent change of address? Update your profile, including email preferences and affiliation with communities of interest at www.aiga.org/profile.
Want to know what’s going on? Check out local and national events at www.aiga.org/calendar.
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The professional association for design
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