Jill M. Spaeth

Hear from members why AIGA is the place to go for connections, resources, savings, education, recognition and—of course—inspiration.

Teaching, like design itself, begins as a kind of craft, the act of doing something or making something through imitation, repetition, intuition, and gradually acquired skills. At some point, however, the accumulation of skills leads to more explicit understanding, to directed explorations, theories, dissemination of ideas, and a body of accepted knowledge on which others can build and advance. We seem poised at the edge of a new "age of exploration" in design education, one that is not just about the craft of design itself, but about concepts of teaching and learning in the context of design. These concepts advance not only professional aspirations, but promote everyone's understanding of design thought and action.

A noted industrial designer and innovator of design theory, Jay Doblin served Chicago’s Institute of Technology for 32 years—as a teacher and a director—influencing thousands of designers, many of whom now lead major product design and graphic design operations worldwide. In 2004, he was awarded an AIGA Medal.