HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) is a
professional organization A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that profession, and th ...
for
design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design' ...
. Its members practice all forms of communication design, including graphic design,
typography Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing ( leading), ...
, interaction design, user experience, branding and identity. The organization's aim is to be the standard bearer for professional ethics and practices for the design profession. There are currently over 25,000 members and 72 chapters, and more than 200 student groups around the United States. In 2005, AIGA changed its name to “AIGA, the professional association for design,” dropping the "American Institute of Graphic Arts" to welcome all design disciplines. AIGA aims to further design disciplines as professions, as well as cultural assets. As a whole, AIGA offers opportunities in exchange for creative new ideas, scholarly research, critical analysis, and education advancement.


History

In 1911,
Frederic Goudy Frederic William Goudy (, March 8, 1865 – May 11, 1947) was an American printer, artist and type designer whose typefaces include Copperplate Gothic, Goudy Old Style and Kennerley. He was one of the most prolific of American type designers and ...
, Alfred Stieglitz, and W. A. Dwiggins came together to discuss the creation of an organization that was committed to individuals passionate about communication design. In 1913, president of the National Arts Club, John G. Agar, announced the formation of The American Institute of Graphic Arts during the eighth annual exhibition of “The Books of the Year.” The National Arts Club was instrumental in the formation of AIGA in that they helped to form the committee to plan to organize the organization. The committee formed included Charles DeKay and William B. Howland and officially formed the American Institute of Graphic Arts in 1914. Howland, publisher and editor of ''The Outlook'', was elected president. The goal of the group was to promote excellence in the graphic design profession through its network of local chapters throughout the country. In 1920, AIGA began awarding
medals A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...
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." Winners have been recognized for design, teaching, writing or leadership of the profession and may honor individuals posthumously. In 1982, the New York Chapter was formed and the organization began creating local chapters to decentralize leadership. Represented by Washington, D.C., arts advocate and attorney, James Lorin Silverberg, Esq., the Washington, D.C., Chapter of AIGA, was organized as the American Institute of Graphic Arts, Incorporated, Washington, D.C., on September 6, 1984.


Symbol sign project

The AIGA, in collaboration with the
US Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States a ...
, produced 50 standard symbols to be used on signs "in airports and other transportation hubs and at large international events". The first 34 symbols were published in 1974, receiving a
Presidential Design Award President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese fu ...
. The remaining 16 designs were added in 1979.


Annual competitions


Cased

In 2012, AIGA replaced all its competitions with a single competition called "Cased" (formerly called "Justified"). The stated aim of the competition is to demonstrate "the collective success and impact of the design profession by celebrating the best in contemporary design through case studies".


50 Books/50 Covers

Between 1941 and 2011 AIGA sponsored a juried contest for the 50 best designed books published in the previous year, entitled "50 Books/50 Covers". Jurors included booksellers, book publishers, and designers such as
George Salter George Salter (5 October 1897 – 31 October 1967), born Georg Salter, was an originally German, and from 1940 onwards an American book cover designer. He revolutionized cover design for books. He claimed worldwide fame for his design for Alfred D ...
. On February 17, 2012, AIGA announced that it would cease organizing the contest and that future contests would be organized by
Design Observer Design Observer is a website devoted to a range of design topics including graphic design, social innovation, urbanism, popular culture, and criticism. The content of the site includes essays, articles, reviews, blog posts, and peer reviewed scho ...
. This move has been criticized.


365

The 365 was an annual design competition for all graphic design other than book design. The last original “365” competition was organized in 2011, after which it was replaced by the "Cased" competition. Starting in 2022, AIGA reintroduced 365: AIGA Year in Design


Conferences

AIGA organized two conferences, the AIGA Design Conference and GAIN: AIGA Design and Business Conference. Both conferences were held biennially and the two were held in alternating years. Beginning in 2016, the AIGA Design Conference will be held annually with the 2016 conference held in Las Vegas.


AIGA Design Conference

The first AIGA Design Conference took place in Boston, Massachusetts in 1985. Past AIGA Design Conferences include: *2022 - Seattle and Virtual *2021 - Virtual *2020 - Virtual (originally Pittsburgh) *2019 - Pasadena *2017 - Minneapolis *2016 - Las Vegas *2015 - New Orleans *2014 - New York City *2013 - Minneapolis *2011 - Phoenix *2009 - Memphis *2007 - Denver *2005 - Boston *2003 - Vancouver *2001 - Washington *1999 - Las Vegas *1997 - New Orleans *1995 - Seattle *1993 - Miami *1991 - Chicago *1989 - San Antonio *1987 - San Francisco *1985 - Boston Since 2016, conferences have been hosted by
Roman Mars Roman Mars is an American radio producer. He is the host and producer of '' 99% Invisible'', a KALW radio show and podcast, and a founder of the podcast collective Radiotopia, which he describes as efforts "to broaden the radio landscape ndmak ...
.


National board members

As of 2022, the national board consists of * Manuhuia Barcham (President) * Frances Yllana (Secretary) * Sherra Bell (President's Council Chair) * Sheharazad Fleming * Oen Hammonds * Isaiah Steinfeld * Xouchee Moua * Eileen Prado * Anna Thomsen * Maribeth Kradel-Weitzel * Cesar Rivera * Elise Roy * Art Taylor * Victor Davila


Affiliations

Between 2005 and 2009, AIGA was briefly a member of Icograda (now called
Ico-D The International Council of Design (ICoD; formerly known as ico-D, International Council of Communication Design or Icograda, which was formerly an initialism for International Council of Graphic Design Associations) is an international organisa ...
). In 2010, it withdrew from the international organization, citing financial reasons.


International membership

AIGA opened up membership beyond local chapters in 2014, benefiting creative professionals living and working outside of the US.


Publications


Journals

In 1947 AIGA started publishing the ''AIGA Journal of Graphic Design'' (ISSN 0736-5322), which in 2000 was renamed ''Trace: AIGA Journal of Design'' (ISSN 1471-3497). The journal ceased publication in 2003. Between 2000 and 2003 AIGA published ''Loop: AIGA Journal of Interaction Design Education'', an “interactive, web-based” research journal on interaction and visual interface design co-sponsored by
Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virginia ...
’s Center for Design Studies. Between 2004 and 2011 AIGA published ''Voice: AIGA Journal of Design'', “an online publication for the discussion of design matters” listing Steven Heller as its editor. Although the journal was stated in “What AIGA is doing and why” and had been cited in scholarly research, after AIGA revamped its website in May 2011 it was subsumed under AIGA’s main site and ceased to exist as a distinct entity.


Books

As part of its strategy to “publish critical thinking about design and designing”, AIGA also “copublishes selected works by thought leaders in design” under the imprint of “AIGA Design Press”. Published titles include * ''The Open Brand: When Push Comes to Pull in a Web-Made World'' (Kelly Mooney and Nita Rollins, 2008) * ''Digital Foundations: Intro to Media Design with the Adobe Creative Suite'' (Xtine Burrough and
Michael Mandiberg Michael Mandiberg (born December 22, 1977) is an American artist, programmer, designer and educator. Mandiberg's works have been exhibited at venues, including the New Museum for Contemporary Art, New York City; the transmediale festival, Berlin ...
, 2008), which was released under a Creative Commons license * ''Designing for Interaction: Creating Smart Applications and Clever Devices'' (Dan Saffer, 2006) * ''Designing With Web Standards'' (
Jeffrey Zeldman Jeffrey Zeldman is an American entrepreneur, web designer, author, podcaster and speaker on web design. He is the co-founder of A List Apart Magazine and the Web Standards Project. He also founded the design studios Happy Cog and studio.zeldman, ...
, 2006) * ''Inside/Outside: From the Basics to the Practice of Design'' ( Malcolm Grear, 2006) * ''ZAG: The Number-One Strategy of High-Performance Brands'' ( Marty Neumeier, 2006) * ''Do Good: How Design Can Change the World'' (David B. Berman, 2008) * ''Writing for Visual Thinkers: A Guide for Artists and Designers'' (Andrea Marks, 2011) AIGA has also published the periodically updated ''AIGA professional practices in graphic design'' including a translation to simplified Chinese.


Other publication activities

In 2014, AIGA's editorial director Perrin Drumm created Eye on Design as the preeminent source for new and emerging graphic designers. Founded first as an online blog, Eye on Design grew into a multimedia platform that included a tri-annual print magazine, conference, event series, weekly newsletter, and social media activations in addition to leading regular designer rights advocacy initiatives around equity and inclusion. Through its majority online reporting, Eye on Design is dedicated to "covering the world's most exciting designers—and the issues they care about."


See also

*
List of AIGA medalists Following is a list of AIGA medalists who have been awarded the American Institute of Graphic Arts medal. On its website, AIGA says "The medal of the AIGA, the most distinguished in the field, is awarded to individuals in recognition of their exc ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aiga Design institutions Professional associations based in the United States Graphic design Communication design Organizations established in 1914 1914 establishments in the United States Organizations based in New York City Environmental design