AIGA archives and special collections

The archives of AIGA serve to identify, preserve and make available records of enduring value. AIGA’s aim is to make conditions suitable for access and to support research that will add to the literature of design and to safeguard its legacy.

The collections

AdamsMorioka Archives Vault

The AdamsMorioka Archives Vault at the AIGA National Design Center is an invaluable resource for AIGA members and design scholars. Including works from 1914 to the present, the vault’s artifacts serve as the memory of the organization’s extensive history and association with the century’s most influential designers.

More than 1,500 unique items are housed in this archive. The bulk of the collection consists of printed records created by and for AIGA, including: exhibition catalogues and design annuals documenting the selections from AIGA competitions since 1915; newsletters and journals published since 1922; AIGA conference materials produced since 1985; and a flat file for the works of AIGA medalists. The vault complements the online AIGA Design Archives, as well as the physical archives of AIGA design competition entries dating back to 1980, which are housed at the Denver Art Museum.

Hours
Monday–Friday
11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., by appointment
Closed on weekends, national holidays and during AIGA’s biennial design conference.

Use of the vault is a benefit of AIGA membership and is also made available to nonmembers whose focused research into the history of AIGA, the profession or design may be assisted by this resource.

AIGA Design Archives

The AIGA Design Archives is an online collection representing selections from AIGA’s annual juried design competitions. It represents the quality of work being created, as well as shifting aesthetics and sensibilities of the designers of the day, promising to be the ultimate resource for contemporary American design. Visitors to the online database are able to create light boxes of images, annotate them for reference and share them with other designers, clients, educators and students. The award-winning interactive resource is accessible online to audiences worldwide and allows searches using a variety of criteria. AIGA Design Archives now include more than 20,000 selections from 1924 through the present.

AIGA also publishes selected digital archives of major American design firms and practitioners whose design accomplishments might otherwise not be preserved online or made available to the public. These special collections now include the work of Chermayeff & Geismar (1960–2006), Vignelli Associates (1962–2008) and the Push Pin Graphic (1960–2005).

View all available works at designarchives.aiga.org.

AIGA Archives at the Denver Art Museum

Since 1980, AIGA has produced an annual publication documenting AIGA’s activities and competitions. More than 6,000 of the physical artifacts selected in these competitions are now a permanent part of the AIGA Archives at the Denver Art Museum, with a dedicated AIGA curator. This collection will be available for study and exhibition and will grow by approximately 300 selections a year.

Butler Library’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library

A collection of more than 4,000 books dating back to 1923 is housed in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library within Columbia University’s Butler Library, in New York. These books were selected from AIGA’s longest running competition, “Fifty Books of the Year,” now known as “AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers.” Each year’s selections are added to the collection and are available for research. Access restrictions may apply.

Schedule an appointment or learn more about the AIGA archives

If you would like to make an appointment to view the archives at the AIGA National Design Center or would like more information about the Denver and Butler Library collections, contact AIGA archivist Heather Strelecki at 212 710 3145 or send her an email.

Generous contributions ensure that the archives remain in existence and will continue to expand in the years to come.

AIGA accepts gifts and funds for materials in areas related to the archives. AIGA invites members and collectors to contribute authentic, unique materials demonstrating design excellence, such as works by AIGA medalists, imprints from AIGA’s Keepsakes series, or correspondence between AIGA’s founding members. AIGA is also interested in books (non self-promotional) written by or about members. With support from the Archives Fund, membership dues, sponsors and foundations, AIGA will continue to develop the institutional and online archives to include visual materials such as video documents and photographs dating back to the association’s origins in 1914.

Donate funds

Monetary donations can be made payable to “AIGA Design Archives” and mailed to AIGA, 164 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010, Attn: Jess Casper. You will receive a receipt and tax letter to document your contribution. Donations are not used for operating expenses. For more information, visit www.aiga.org/contribute-campaigns.

Donate materials

Contact Heather Strelecki with details about your materials by calling 212 710 3145 or by sending her an email.