Monthly news and updates for AIGA
members
May/June 2006
--------------------------------------------------------------
Contents
News and information
Last chance to register for
Aspen Design Summit, June 20–23
Deadline for
Winterhouse Writing Award is June 30
AIGA receives
United Nations consultative status
Design
for Democracy ballot design project
2006 Salary
Survey results have been mailed!
AIGA partner
in international design award (five $125,000 prizes)
AIGA conducts
student survey
AIGA conducts
confidence survey
AIGA Design
Archives update
Adobe offers
AIGA members 15 percent discount
Show your
support of the profession
“The
Graphic Imperative” opens at National Design Center
www.aiga.org
Summer of
site design
AIGA in the news
Voice: AIGA
Journal of Design
Opportunities
for inspiration and professional development
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
AIGA Design Expedition to China, October
7–20
Reserve your seats now for
the 2006 Design Legends Gala, October 25
Gain: AIGA Business and Design Conference,
October 26–28
AIGA Regional Education Conferences
Innovation Sustainability and Leadership
in Design program, January 2007
Resources
---------------------------------------------------------------
News and information
---------------------------------------------------------------
Last chance
to register for Aspen Design Summit, June 20–23
Registration for the Aspen Design Summit closes in less than two weeks,
on Friday, June 16. 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. By addressing
social 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.
A highlight of the Summit will be the Darwin Dinner on the Summer Solstice, a culinary collaboration between American Museum of Natural History curator Niles Eldredge and Savoy chef Peter Hoffman.
There are still some rooms available at the Aspen Meadows Resort, home to the 2006 Aspen Design Summit. Reserve now to stay at this historic location and in close proximity to all Summit activities and events.
Spaces in the Design Expeditions are also going fast—don’t miss your chance to experience Aspen architecture by bicycle or wilderness photography with a National Geographic photographer.
Visit aspendesignsummit.aiga.org for a complete list of speakers and Aspen Action studio leaders, hotel information, and to register.
Presenting Sponsors: Target, Domtar EarthChoice. Technology Partner: Apple Computer, Inc.
Deadline for
Winterhouse Writing Award is June 30
There’s only a month left to enter 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.
AIGA receives United
Nations consultative status
In May, AIGA was gratified to learn that it has been recommended for consultative
status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council. With this status,
AIGA will join approximately 2,700 non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
that have formed working relationships with the UN by serving as a technical
expert, advisor or consultant to governments and the Secretariat. This
means that AIGA will receive the agenda of issues to be covered by the
Economic and Social Council or other UN subsidiary bodies in advance in
order to offer comments, and AIGA can attend meetings and conferences
of the UN and provide written statements. Other related bodies include
the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva and UNESCO.
No other U.S. design association is on the roster of consultative NGOs
to the Economic and Social Council.
This status is an additional effort on the part of AIGA to establish the authority and relevance of the design profession’s voice on issues of global impact. It provides validation of the profession’s role in global issues and reinforces for business, media and the public that designers play a leadership role in society as well as in the solving of complex communication problems. This is consistent with AIGA’s goal to demonstrate the value of design.
Design
for Democracy ballot design project
Design for Democracy presented working prototypes of ballots and polling
place signage to election officials and accessibility advisors (for humans
with disabilities) in Washington, D.C. in May. This vital opportunity
garnered valuable feedback, new contacts, potential research and testing
partners and beneficial exposure for our project, Effective Designs for
the Administration of Federal Elections.
The team is looking forward to conducting national tests this summer and presenting our work at the Election Assistance Commission's public hearing in July.
2006 Salary
Survey results have been mailed!
Professional and associate members should receive a printed copy of the
2006 AIGA|Aquent Survey of Design Salaries by mid June. The interactive
calculator will be updated with 2006 data and available on the AIGA website
in mid June. www.designsalaries.org
AIGA partner in
international design award (five $125,000 prizes)
AIGA will partner with INDEX in promoting U.S. entries to an international
competition for design projects that significantly improve life for a
large number of people. One prize of 100,000 euros will be given in each
of five categories.
AIGA will recommend one U.S. entry for each category: body, home, work, play and community. The AIGA nominations will then be judged against entries from other countries around the world. In addition, entries can be submitted directly to INDEX, although their probability of success is stronger with national organization endorsement.
The U.S. entries will be judged by the AIGA board using the following criteria:
• Social, ecological, cultural and economic impact
• Accessibility
• Affordability
• Flexibility and simplicity
• User-friendliness
• Optimism
• Level of innovation
• Future potential
• Appropriate aesthetics
The Index Award nominations open June 12 and continue until November 18, 2006. Entries may be sent, digitally, to AIGA at index@aiga.org. For more information on the competition, please visit www.index2007.dk.
AIGA conducts
student survey
This spring, AIGA conducted its biennial survey of student members. This
survey provides a periodic update on the perspectives of students toward
the value of AIGA activities and the most important aspects of their relationship
with AIGA.
Not unlike professional members, students most frequently cite “being part of a community” (3 out of 4) and “gaining access to information” (2 out of 3) as their primary reasons for joining. Not surprisingly, two out of three were also drawn to membership because of AIGA’s Design Jobs service and to build their networking capability. Quite apart from what they received back from AIGA, three quarters felt it was important to join their professional association as a demonstration of their commitment to the profession. This is an interesting and very positive finding, for it would appear to reflect the oft-published assessment of the transition from the Gen X cohort to the Millennials.
Over 85 percent rank the opportunity to learn how to make the transition from school to the studio as important and rank the website (www.aiga.org) as the most critical means of gaining access to information.
These data will help AIGA to work with chapters to develop services that respond to the needs of students and young professionals.
AIGA conducts
confidence survey
In April 2005, AIGA began conducting a quarterly survey of design leaders
to assemble an authoritative statement on the current conditions within
the design economy. This Design Leader Confidence Index is modeled on
the confidence indices developed by the Conference Board for private sector
corporate leaders.
We have now gone through an entire year’s cycle; the index vacillates quarter by quarter, and is down from a year ago. This is consistent with other confidence indices published recently.
| April | 2005 | 100.00 |
| July | 2005 | 101.89 |
| October | 2005 | 96.67 |
| January | 2006 | 98.46 |
| April | 2006 | 96.76 |
The CEO Confidence Survey from The Conference Board indicates the corporate
CEOs believe current conditions have improved, but they are not as optimistic
about the short-term outlook as they were three to six months ago. Only
35 percent expect economic conditions to improve in the coming months,
down from 41 percent last quarter.
www.aiga.org/confidence_index
AIGA Design
Archives update
The AIGA Design Archives is an online database of design exemplars recognized
as the ultimate resource for contemporary design research and reference.
An extension of the AIGA annual published since 1980, AIGA Design Archives
utilizes the internet’s powerful search capabilities to provide
a vast design resource for the largest possible audience. AIGA competition
selections are no longer limited in their exposure to the number of books
printed in any given year.
Launched in December 2004, the AIGA Design Archives currently contain 1,956 entries previously published in AIGA annuals 19 through 26. The work includes all selections made in AIGA competitions between 1998 and 2005, jurors’ and medalists’ work. The 2006 selections will be incorporated by October of this year. The remaining 9,156 entries dating back to 1979 are being included one annual at a time.
This online resource is accessible to any audience worldwide and has the means for searches using a variety of criteria. Visitors are able to create lightboxes of images, annotate them for reference and share them with others—designers, clients, educators and students.
The AIGA Design Archives project has brought many interesting challenges to the surface, including the need for design taxonomies, metadata organization, information architecture, usability, and finding relevant ways to archive digital materials for the future.
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, please visit aiga.org/aigamembersonly.
Show your support
of the profession
AIGA members in good standing who agree to abide by the professional standards
are eligible to use the initials “AIGA” after their name so
long as these two conditions remain current:
- Maintains current professional- or associate-level membership status
- Has made a positive commitment to the AIGA standards of professional practices (www.aiga.org/profile).
The initials “AIGA” may follow your name, without a comma separating it from the name and without periods between letters in the abbreviation. It may be in upper case or small caps.
The meaning of this acknowledgement of an affiliation is an acknowledgement that the professional conducts his or her practice in a manner that is consistent with the highest standards for professional and ethical practice, as articulated by AIGA. A statement to this effect can be placed on invoices, brochures or business cards (e.g., “Crosby Associates abides by the professional standards of AIGA, the professional association for design.”
The AIGA logo may not be used in lieu of the initials
or in any other manner.
“The
Graphic Imperative” opens at National Design Center
An exhibition of 111 posters entitled “The Graphic Imperative: International
Posters of Peace, Social Justice and the Environment 1965-2005,”
will be on display at AIGA’s National Design Center in New York
from June 15 to August 18, 2006. “The Graphic Imperative”
features international posters about such important themes as racism,
sexism, civil rights, environmental and health concerns, war, literacy
and tolerance. For hours and information, visit www.aiga.org/gallery.
Presenting Sponsor: Neenah Paper
---------------------------------------------------------------
www.aiga.org
---------------------------------------------------------------
Summer
of site design
AIGA is well underway with a redesign of its national
website, www.aiga.org. One of the primary goals is to update the information
architecture and visual design, making it easier for members and nonmembers
alike to find information. Updates will also include an overhaul of the
content management system, which is what staff and volunteers use to keep
the site up-to-date.
AIGA is pleased to be working with Happy Cog on the design solution and Thirdwave on the technology solution.
AIGA in the news
Two new stories about AIGA’s initiatives have been posted to the
Press and News section of the AIGA website. Stay current on AIGA’s
biggest stories with this resource of in-depth information and quotes
to be used by both designers and members of the press. Be sure to pass
along the link to writers, bloggers and other media representatives.
www.aiga.org/pressnews
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.
“POTUS Typographicus: Appealing to the Baseline and George
W’s Typographic Legacy”
Steven Heller
Why are the typefaces that flash behind George Bush to underscore his
major policy talks so BAD? Heller suggests that Karl Rove may be a great
strategist, but he's a terrible type consultant. Could this be why he
lost his job?
voice.aiga.org/content.cfm?ContentAlias=%5Fgetfullarticle&aid=2131398
“Art, Censorship, and Courage”
David Rhodes
When should a college support its students in the face of censorship?
At the recent School of Visual Arts commencement, President Rhodes stated
that the responsibility is crystal clear.
voice.aiga.org/content.cfm?ContentAlias=%5Fgetfullarticle&aid=2120438
Please join in the discussions and submit ideas for future issues at voice.aiga.org.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Opportunities for inspiration and professional
development
---------------------------------------------------------------
Reserve
your hotel rooms now for Icograda Design Week in Seattle, July 9–15
The first-ever U.S.-based Icograda Design Week is coming to Seattle.
This will be 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.
Register a group of 10 of more delegates at the same time and receive
25 percent off the full conference rate.
www.typevents.com/icograda
For a great conference rate on rooms at The Renaissance Seattle Hotel, visit www.renaissanceseattle.com/icograda.
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
Last chance to register for the fourth annual Advanced
Leadership Program, “Business Perspectives for Creative Leaders,”
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 13 for a discounted registration! For more information and to register, visit www.aiga.org/iso3.
Design Expedition
to China
13 days to Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, October 7–20
The AIGA Center for Cross-Cultural Design is sponsoring a 13-day Design
Expedition to China to visit three of China’s most dynamic cities:
Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. This in-depth tour will lead a select
group of American designers to engage their Chinese counterparts—to
experience first-hand how a Chinese designer lives and works. In addition
to discovering some of China’s greatest architecture, art and cultural
riches, our itinerary will take us to the leading design programs and
universities as well as into the studios of some of China’s top
designers.
www.aiga.org/chinaexpedition
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
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.” Visit gainconference.aiga.org for more information and to reserve your seat.
AIGA
Regional Education Conferences
The AIGA Design Education Steering Committee is pleased
to announce the following schedule of design education conferences. The
conferences will cover a wide range of critical and pertinent topics,
while their various locations make them accessible to a national audience.
With the generous support of Adobe, four conferences will occur over the
next two years.
The Design Frontier: Graphic Design Education in Small Programs and
Non-urban Regions
December 1-3, 2006
Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, Denver, Colorado
Conference Chairpersons: Fred Murrell, Michael Mages, and Katherine McCoy
www.designfrontier.org
Schools of Thoughts III: What's so graphic about graphic design?
Educating in the age of ubiquitous media
Los Angeles, Spring 2007
Conference Chairpersons: Denise Gonzales Crisp, Louise Sandhaus and Petrula
Vrontikis.
Innovation, Sustainability
and Leadership in Design program, January 2007
In January 2007, creative leaders from around the world
will gather at the International Centre for Creativity Innovation and
Sustainability (ICIS) Centre, just north of Copenhagen, Denmark for the
Innovation, Sustainability and Leadership (ISL) Certificate Programme.
Traditional design education often fails to properly address the business
element inherent in the design profession. The ISL programme addresses
this need and equips designers at professional and postgraduate level
with the knowledge, tools and skills necessary to successfully navigate
and compete in today's fast changing markets. The program teaches advanced
skills in business development and innovation, sustainability, leadership
and international networking. It is comprised of three residential modules,
each lasting two weeks, that span the course of a year; the time between
each module provides an opportunity for reflection, evaluation, digestion
and implementation.
Visit iciscenter.org/isl for
more information about the certificate program and a list of lecturers.
AIGA members will receive a 15 percent discount on the registration fee,
for a total of $12,750. This fee covers the cost of lectures, tutorials,
assessments, mentors, facilities, materials, food, lodging and excursions.
---------------------------------------------------------------
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