AIGA juries select exemplary work in communication and book design
“365: AIGA Annual Design Competition 31” and “50 Books/50
Covers of 2009” show the changing nature of visual communication
design
NEW YORK—June 17, 2010. Can a slick animation
help motivate a community to assist a local school in need of
funding? Does a book have to be bound, or made of paper at all, to
be considered a publication? This year's selections for AIGA's
annual design competitions reflect the changing landscape of
communication design and book design, in which designers are
pushing boundaries by experimenting with format, context, materials
and even their traditional role in society.
Earlier this year AIGA, the professional association for design,
invited an exemplary group of designers from all disciplines to
come to the National Design Center in New York City to judge the
competition entries. Over the course of two weeks, a panel of
16 jurors reviewed more than
2,300 entries in the categories of Branding, Informing,
Entertaining, Experimenting, Promoting and Packaging to select the
best in communication design for “365: AIGA Annual Design
Competition 31.” Experts in publishing and book
design met separately to review entries for the “50 Books/50 Covers of 2009”
competition, reviewing more than 800 entries over the course of
several days.
“AIGA's design competitions have a long legacy and have adapted
to the opportunities for design even as they continue to honor its
craft,” says AIGA Executive Director Richard Grefé. “Communication
design emerged from the printed book, yet has evolved into so many
other forms, which may include time, motion and space, as well as
print. Both '365' and '50 Books/50 Covers' competitions represent
the hallmarks of design excellence across disciplines and join
together the most exceptional work of 2009.”
AIGA's “365: AIGA Annual Design Competition 31” is part of a
40-year tradition that forms an authoritative source of the best in
communication design. The selections—including motion graphics,
websites, magazines, packaging, environmental graphics and
more—represent exemplary visual communications work from around the
world. All works selected will be housed in the AIGA Archives
collection at the Denver Art Museum, in addition to being included
in the AIGA Design Archives online.
For more than 85 years, the “AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers
Competition” has identified and celebrated the best design work in
the field. All works selected for the competition are housed in the
Rare Book and Manuscript Library within Columbia University's
Butler Library and at the Denver Art Museum, in addition to being
included in the online AIGA Design Archives.
Jurors commented on the process of judging this year's
selections:
“AIGA '365' showcases the best of contemporary American design.
This annual survey at once provides inspiration to designers and
our clients, a demonstration of what can be achieved through the
power of collaboration, and a historical record that will serve as
a valuable tool for future generations of
practitioners.”—Alexander Isley, principal,
Alexander Isley, Inc.
“It was interesting to see work from all over the globe—what's
being done, how media has merged and how design is used to
communicate. I think it's important for AIGA to continue providing
designers this window onto the world of design, especially at a
time when what we see is so often what we
understand.”—Paula Savage Hansen, CEO, SAVAGE
“Entries this year in the space category exemplify the range of
expertise needed to generate a successful environmental graphic
design project. It was refreshing to see lower budget projects
commingling with higher budget ones, reminding us that the concept
is key.”—Jill Ayers, Design 360
Selections from both competitions will be featured in upcoming
traveling exhibitions—beginning at the AIGA National Design Center
in New York with the “365” show opening in late September, followed
by the “50 Books/50 Covers” show in early December—as well as
uploaded to the AIGA Design Archives
online and added to the permanent collection of the Denver Art
Museum.
See the selected works
“365: AIGA Annual Design Competition 31” selections can be seen
at www.aiga.org/365-selections-recent.
“AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers of 2009” selections can be seen at
www.aiga.org/5050-recent.
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.
For further information, please contact:Jennifer
Bender
AIGA | the professional association for design
Tel 212 710 3136 Fax 212 807 1799