Inspiration

Medalists

Designed by James Earle Fraser, 1920.

The medal of AIGA—the most distinguished in the field—is awarded to individuals in recognition of their exceptional achievements, services or other contributions to the field of design and visual communication. The contribution may be in the practice of design, teaching, writing or leadership of the profession. The awards may honor designers posthumously.

Medals have been awarded since 1920 to individuals who have set standards of excellence over a lifetime of work or have made individual contributions to innovation within the practice of design.

Individuals who are honored may work in any country, but the contribution for which they are honored should have had a significant impact on the practice of graphic design in the United States.

2008 Medalists announced

2000s

Gail Anderson, 2008
Clement Mok, 2008
LeRoy Winbush, 2008
Ed Fella, 2007
Ellen Lupton, 2007
Bruce Mau, 2007
Georg Olden, 2007
Michael Bierut, 2006
Rick Valicenti, 2006
Lorraine Wild, 2006
Bart Crosby, 2005
Meredith Davis, 2005
Steff Geissbuhler, 2005
Joseph Binder, 2004
Charles Coiner, 2004
Richard, Jean and Patrick Coyne, 2004
James Cross, 2004
Sheila Levrant de Bretteville, 2004
Jay Doblin, 2004
Joe Duffy, 2004
Martin Fox, 2004

Caroline Warner Hightower, 2004
Kit Hinrichs, 2004
Walter Landor, 2004
Philip Meggs, 2004
James Miho, 2004
Silas Rhodes, 2004
Jack Stauffacher, 2004
Alex Steinweiss, 2004
Deborah Sussman, 2004
Edward Tufte, 2004
Fred Woodward, 2004
Richard Saul Wurman, 2004
B. Martin Pedersen, 2003
Woody Pirtle, 2003
Robert Brownjohn, 2002
Chris Pullman, 2002
Samuel Antupit, 2001
Paula Scher, 2001
P. Scott Makela and Laurie Haycock Makela, 2000
Fred Seibert, 2000
Michael Vanderbyl, 2000

1990s

Tibor Kalman, 1999
Steven Heller, 1999
Katherine McCoy, 1999
Louis Danziger, 1998
April Greiman, 1998
Lucian Bernhard, 1997
Zuzana Licko and Rudy VanderLans, 1997
Cipe Pineles, 1996
George Lois, 1996
Matthew Carter, 1995
Stan Richards, 1995
Ladislav Sutnar, 1995

Muriel Cooper, 1994
John Massey, 1994
Alvin Lustig, 1993
Tomoko Miho, 1993
Rudolph de Harak, 1992
George Nelson, 1992
Lester Beall, 1992
Colin Forbes, 1991
E. McKnight Kauffer, 1991
Alvin Eisenman, 1990
Frank Zachary, 1990

1980s

Paul Davis, 1989
Bea Feitler, 1989
William Golden, 1988
George Tscherny, 1988
Alexey Brodovitch, 1987
Gene Federico, 1987
Walter Herdeg, 1986

Seymour Chwast, 1985
Leo Lionni, 1984
Herbert Matter, 1983
Massimo and Lella Vignelli, 1982
Saul Bass, 1981
Herb Lubalin, 1980

1970s

Ivan Chermayeff and Thomas Geismar, 1979
Lou Dorfsman, 1978
Charles and Ray Eames, 1977
Henry Wolf, 1976
Jerome Snyder, 1976
Bradbury Thompson, 1975
Robert Rauschenberg, 1974

Richard Avedon, 1973
Allen Hurlburt, 1973
Philip Johnson, 1973
Milton Glaser, 1972
Will Burtin, 1971
Herbert Bayer, 1970

1960s

Dr. Robert R. Leslie, 1969
Dr. Giovanni Mardersteig, 1968
Romana Javitz, 1967
Paul Rand, 1966
Leonard Baskin, 1965

Josef Albers, 1964
Saul Steinberg, 1963
William Sandberg, 1962
Paul A. Bennett, 1961
Walter Paepcke, 1960

1950s

May Massee, 1959
Ben Shahn, 1958
Dr. M. F. Agha, 1957
Ray Nash, 1956
P. J. Conkwright, 1955
Will Bradley, 1954

Jan Tschichold, 1954
George Macy, 1953
Joseph Blumenthal, 1952
Harry L. Gage, 1951
Earnest Elmo Calkins, 1950
Alfred A. Knopf, 1950

1940s

Lawrence C. Wroth, 1948
Elmer Adler, 1947
Stanley Morison, 1946
Frederic G. Melcher, 1945

Edward Epstean, 1944
Edwin and Robert Grabhorn, 1942
Carl Purington Rollins, 1941
Thomas M. Cleland, 1940

1930s

William A. Kittredge, 1939
Rudolph Ruzicka, 1935
J. Thompson Willing, 1935
Henry Lewis Bullen, 1934

Porter Garnett, 1932
Dard Hunter, 1931
Henry Watson Kent, 1930

1920s

William A. Dwiggins, 1929
Timothy Cole, 1927
Frederic W. Goudy, 1927
Burton Emmett, 1926
Bruce Rogers, 1925

John C. Agar, 1924
Stephen H. Horgan, 1924
Daniel Berkeley Updike, 1922
Norman T. A. Munder, 1920