AIGA awards Steve Frykholm, John Maeda and Jennifer Morla with 2010 Medal
NEW YORK—April 8, 2010. For their contributions to design
excellence and the development of the profession, AIGA today named
Steve Frykholm, John Maeda and
Jennifer Morla as the 2010 recipients of the AIGA
Medal. Each will be presented with the award—the highest honor of
the graphic design profession—at the AIGA Design Legends Gala in
early 2011.
Following in the footsteps of Paul Rand, Milton Glaser, Massimo
and Leila Vignelli, and Paula Scher, they join a legacy of
distinguished design practitioners who have been awarded the AIGA
Medal for setting standards of excellence over a lifetime of work
or making significant contributions to innovation within the
practice of design.
“AIGA is proud to recognize the 2010 Medalists for their
exceptional contributions to the field of design,” said Richard
Grefé, executive director of AIGA. “Each has contributed to the way
design can intrigue the spirit, engage curiosity, enhance business,
explore creative use of visual technique, and communicate value
that is respected by business, society and our popular
culture.”
Steve Frykholm
has defined the voice and sensibility of the
Herman Miller brand for the past 40 years, directing the
graphic identity of the National Design Award-winning corporation.
His iconic work, as a designer, art director and client, has been
widely published and exhibited at institutions including the Museum
of Modern Art, the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum and the
Danish Museum of Decorative Art. As the creative director and vice
president of Herman Miller, Frykholm has demonstrated the ability
of great design to influence business and has in turn influenced
many corporations to follow suit.
John Maeda is an
artist, designer, programmer, author and educator. For more than a
decade, he has worked to integrate technology, education and the
arts into a 21st-century synthesis of creativity and innovation.
Maeda has demonstrated the power of approaching problems with a
designer's ability to challenge assumptions and anticipated
outcomes; he is a leading advocate for creativity as a business.
Formerly the associate director of research at MIT Media Lab, Maeda
now serves as president of the Rhode Island School of Design
(RISD).
Jennifer Morla
is a consummate communications designer, endowed with a sensibility
that uses craft, technique, medium and an intuitive understanding
of how words and images can influence human understanding and
delight. Morla, a former national board member of AIGA and former
president of AIGA San Francisco, is also an adjunct professor at
California College of the Arts, where she has been teaching
senior-level design courses since 1992. She is the president and
creative director of Morla
Design and has served as the chief creative marketing officer
for Design Within Reach.
“Each Medalist this year is completely unique, yet all three are
stellar examples of how to be a true leader and live a life in
design,” noted Cheryl Heller of Heller Communications, chair of the
AIGA member-based awards committee that recommended each honoree to
the AIGA board of directors.
The AIGA Medal is awarded to individuals in recognition of their
exceptional achievements, services or other contributions to the
field of design and visual communication. Medals have been awarded
since 1920 for contributions to the practice of design, teaching,
writing or leadership of the profession in the United States. To
learn more about this year's Medalists and view a complete list of
past recipients, visit www.aiga.org/medalists.
About AIGA
AIGA, the professional association for design, stimulates
thinking about design, demonstrates the value of design and
empowers the success of designers at each stage of their careers.
AIGA's mission is to advance designing as a professional craft,
strategic tool and vital cultural force. Founded in 1914, AIGA
remains the oldest and largest professional membership organization
for design, and is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) educational institution.
Today AIGA serves more than 20,000 members through 65 chapters and
200 student groups.
For further information, please contact: Jennifer
Bender
AIGA | the professional association for design
Tel 212 710 3136 Fax 212 807 1799