AIGA Communique - October 2006

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	Monthly news and updates for AIGA members October 2006 -------------------------------------------------------------- Contents News and information Call to action! Help create a visual record of election design AIGA board nominations due December 15 Worldstudio AIGA Scholarship application available Submit your life-changing designs to INDEX (five $125,000 prizes) Design on the Frontier: AIGA Design Education Conference Register for “Next: AIGA Design Conference” by December 31 for best rates Design leaders’ confidence is stronger this quarter Thanks to recent contributors to AIGA www.aiga.org Voice: AIGA Journal of Design Opportunities for inspiration and professional development DesignEd Asia 2006. November 27–28, 2006 Innovation, Sustainability and Leadership in Design, January 2007 AIGA regional education conferences Aspen Design Summit, June 3–6, 2007, Aspen Resources --------------------------------------------------------------- News and information --------------------------------------------------------------- Call to action! Help create a visual record of election design The AIGA Polling Place Photo Project is a nationwide experiment in citizen journalism that seeks to empower citizens to capture, post and share photographs of democracy in action. By documenting their local voting experience on November 7, voters will contribute to an archive of photographs that captures the richness and complexity of voting in America. This project will demonstrate the design community’s success in mobilizing a sizable number of designer-citizens (and others as well). By capturing the images and the information that accompanies them, the Project becomes a research tool on how voting happens in America and how it can be designed to be easier, less confusing and more enjoyable. The project intends to collect photographs of every polling place in America, so you are encouraged to participate no matter where you vote, how large or small your polling place is, what kind of ballot you use, or what your party affiliation. This is an open-source project. All photographs are contributed under an “Attribution No Derivatives” Creative Commons license. Photography of polling places is governed by state and local law—so some will not be permitted to participate, although many will. Election Day is next Tuesday, November 7. Get your cameras ready! www.pollingplacephotoproject.org An AIGA Design for Democracy initiative in collaboration with Winterhouse Institute, Design Observer and NewAssignment.Net AIGA board nominations due December 15 The AIGA board nominating committee, chaired by Robin Tooms of Savage Design in Houston, is seeking nominations to be submitted by December 15, 2006. We encourage every member to consider nominating candidates for the AIGA board of directors. Self-nomination is permitted. The next three years will be critical in shaping AIGA for its second century. 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 process is an open, inclusive one; anyone can be considered who completes the nomination form. Five seats are open. The process for nominations and application form are published at www.aiga.org/nominationsprocess. Nominations may 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, 2007, are: David Gibson, New York; Marcia Lausen, Chicago; Marty Neumeier, San Francisco; and Bonnie Siegler, New York. One seat is vacant. Worldstudio AIGA Scholarship application available Worldstudio Foundation, in conjunction with AIGA, provides scholarships to minority and economically disadvantaged students who study the design and arts disciplines in colleges and universities in the United States. The scholarships aim to increase diversity in the creative professions and to foster social and environmental responsibility in the artists, designers and studios of tomorrow. To this end, scholarship recipients are selected not only for their ability and their need, but also for their demonstrated commitment to giving back to the larger community through their work. In a recent commitment to the future of the profession, Mohawk Fine Papers has pledged $10,000 per year for five years for student scholarship awards to be given annually. The 2007/2008 Worldstudio AIGA application is now available on the AIGA website for students to download. The deadline is April 13, 2007. If you, or your organization would like to offer a scholarship in your name, the name of a colleague or family member, visit the site to learn more about how you can nurture and inspire the next generation of talented designers. www.aiga.org/worldstudio_scholarship Submit your life-changing designs to INDEX (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 design must have improved the lives of a vast number of people, before it qualifies. The Index Award nominations continue until November 18, 2006. Entries may be sent, digitally, to AIGA at index@aiga.org. For more information on the competition, visit www.index2007.dk. Design on the Frontier: AIGA Design Education Conference Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, Denver, Colorado will host an AIGA Design Education conference on graphic design education in small programs and non-urban regions, December 1–3, 2006. Many U.S. graphic design educators are blazing trails on the frontier in the country’s smaller graphic design programs, often in regional towns without big professional graphic design communities and AIGA chapters to provide adjunct faculty, professional role models, student internships and entry level jobs. This conference will focus on this special condition, and bring these dispersed graphic design educators together to build educational networks and interact as a community. The program content will focus on the needs and accomplishments of these maverick educators, including the challenges and possibilities of dispersed conditions and small faculties, trans-disciplinary and intercollegiate courses, professional collaboration, best practices, community outreach, problem solving tools, long-distance communications, scholarly development, networking strategies, student and faculty exchange programs, curricula for small faculties, internships and placement methods, sharing visitors, distance learning and online resources. For more information, visit www.designfrontier.org. Register for Next: AIGA Design Conference by December 31 for best rates! Where do we go from here? “Next: AIGA Design Conference,” AIGA’s biennial design conference, presents the future of design from the most inspiring and intriguing perspectives in our profession: the next generation of designers. Experience new directions in design, hear from considered voices on the evolution of designing, and learn what steps you’ll need to pursue for your work to be relevant well into the 21st century. Join more than 2,500 designers next October 11–14 in Denver, Colorado, a thriving creative and cultural center that’s also home to the AIGA Design Archives, the nation’s largest permanent collection of graphic design. Special rate available until December 31, 2006! Online registration rates (includes a $25 savings) Members: $550 Nonmembers: $750 designconference.aiga.org Design leaders’ confidence is stronger this quarter The AIGA Design Leaders’ Confidence Index rose to 94.79 in October, up from 90.73 the previous quarter. The baseline was established at 100 in April 2005. The index is a measure of confidence that several hundred design leaders around the country have in the soundness and growth of the design economy in the next six months. This is a positive turn that is consistent with indications from the broader economic indices. While business expectations are lower than during 2005, the survey provides a profile of strong and consistent expectations. www.aiga.org/confidenceindex Thanks to recent contributors to AIGA AIGA thanks the following recent contributors to the AIGA Creative Leadership Campaign: $5,000 or more Deanna Kuhlmann-Leavitt $101–$500 Katie Homans Ellen Schall Beth Singer $Up to 100 Trudy Adadie-Fail Jim Butler John DuFresne Joseph Feigenbaum Judy Glenzer Scott Mires Christopher Pullman Eileen Schramm ------------------------------------------------------------------ www.aiga.org ------------------------------------------------------------------ Voice: AIGA Journal of Design Voice has become the go-to place for lively, thoughtful articles on design. Be sure you’re up to date on this rich anthology of engaging writing. “On the Heels of Litterbugs: An Interview with Jason Gignac” By Liz Danzico Why market a city’s filthiest objects? Gignac comes clean about the importance of package design, creating a side business, and life after garbage. voice.aiga.org/content.cfm?ContentAlias=%5Fgetfullarticle&aid=2427590 “Just Do It! Tony Hendra on Designism” By Steven Heller Should designers use design to intervene in the political discourse? Satirist Hendra weighs in on the efficacy of designer as commentator. voice.aiga.org/content.cfm?ContentAlias=%5Fgetfullarticle&aid=2421690 Please join in the discussions and submit ideas for future issues at voice.aiga.org. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Opportunities for inspiration and professional development ------------------------------------------------------------------ DesignEd Asia 2006, November 27–28 The Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design Join participants from America, Europe, Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, and China at DesignEd Asia: November 27–28, organized by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design. Keynote speakers include Professor Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi, the renowned psychologist and director of the Quality of Life Research Center at Claremont Graduate University in California and Professor Jeremy Myerson, professor of Design Studies at the Royal College of Art, head of the InnovationRCA network and co-director of the world-renowned Helen Hamlyn Research Centre. Look for more details related to other speakers at: www.sd.polyu.edu.hk/DesignEdAsia. DesignEd Asia is part of the Business of Design Week held in Hong Kong from November 27 through December 2. Innovation, Sustainability and Leadership in Design, January 2007 In January 2007, creative leaders from around the world will gather at the International Centre for Creativity Innovation and Sustainability (ICIS), 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 the 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 for the year-long program. This fee covers the cost of lectures, tutorials, assessments, mentors, facilities, materials, food, lodging and excursions. AIGA regional education conferences The AIGA Design Education Steering Committee will hold a series of design education conferences. The conferences 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. For more information visit www.aiga.org/de_communityconferences06. Schools of Thoughts III: What's so graphic about graphic design? Educating in the age of ubiquitous media Los Angeles, Spring 2007 Conference chairs: Denise Gonzales Crisp, Louise Sandhaus and Petrula Vrontikis. Intent/Content Nashville, Summer 2007 Conference chairs (representing all four Tennessee AIGA chapters: Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville): Seth Johnson, Deborah Shmerler, Val Sloan, Cary Staples and Rebecca Targ Design education in the age of new media New England, Spring 2008 Conference chairs: Brian Lucid and Joseph Quackenbush Aspen Design Summit, June 3–6, 2007, Aspen --------------------------------------------------------------- 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