Letter from AIGA’s incoming president
As I embark on this new and challenging journey, there are
several goals I intend to focus on during my term as AIGA
President. They include the following:
The Connectivity Initiative
No question about it: The way in which humans connect and
communicate has fundamentally changed. In the United States alone,
we went from three television channels to more than 500 channels,
from no webpages to billions. It took 35 years for 150 million
people to own televisions; it took seven years for 150 million
people to own cell phones; and it took less than two years for 150
million people to sign up for Facebook. Nowadays, the average
teenager sends more than 2,500 text messages a month! We are in the
midst of a revolution of the way we communicate, and as visual
communicators it is imperative that we embrace these changes. Yet
in order to rise to this challenge we must also embrace and accept
each other, so I am committed to crafting a new connective
structure for AIGA that is progressive, authentic and
meaningful.
The Inclusivity Initiative
My first foray into AIGA was both challenging and frustrating.
At the time, I blamed my work as a brand consultant; I didn't feel
AIGA was particularly interested in or respectful of brand design.
But in subsequent conversations with members (and nonmembers)
around the country, I have come to realize that, for many different
reasons, designers of a diverse cross-section of disciplines don't
always feel welcome to participate or that they're being heard. Let
me say this here: I am deeply committed to fostering a spirit of
transparency and inclusivity within AIGA and beyond. All design
disciplines—whether online or offline, on paper or on screen, in
code or in ink—are welcome to join our efforts! As we near our
centennial celebration in 2014, we must break down the barriers
separating our specialties and work together to design the change
the world needs.
Advocate the AIGA Mandate
As we approach our 2014 centennial, AIGA membership, leadership
and staff have taken a hard look at the organization's activities
and positioning alongside the needs of the design profession. As a
result, we have adopted a bold new course for meeting our mission
“to advance designing as a professional craft, strategic tool and
vital cultural force.” At our annual leadership retreat held in
June in Portland, Oregon, 250 board members from more than 60 AIGA
chapters nationwide met to exchange ideas and success stories, and
to review and discuss the results of six months' worth of research
to help chart AIGA's future. The three-day event culminated with a
unanimous and enthusiastic endorsement of a new “mandate” for
AIGA—in effect, a roadmap for the organization's progression
over the next five years (and beyond) that will support the
profession's aspirations for relevance, leadership and
opportunity.
I am thrilled to be working for this incredible organization and
its extraordinary members. Moving forward, I will be reporting back
to the membership regularly in an effort to record our interim
steps and accomplishments. I encourage you to reach out, to
contribute, to volunteer and to get involved. Your voice is
important to me, as it is to all of AIGA, and we can't do this
without you.
Thank you for entrusting me with this opportunity.
About the Author: Debbie Millman is a partner and president of the design division at Sterling Brands, one of the leading brand identity firms in the country. Millman is president of AIGA, and chair of the School of Visual Arts’ master’s program in Branding. She is a contributing editor to Print magazine and host of the podcast “Design Matters.” She is the author of How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer (Allworth Press, 2007) and Look Both Ways: Illustrated Essays on the Intersection of Life and Design (HOW Books, 2009).