As part of AIGA’s goal to empower the success of designers across the arc of their careers, designer and editor Petrula Vrontikis has curated several series of essays, written by influential and established designers, in order to inform and inspire the next generation.

The twelve new essays include writings from;  Jim Ales, Marian Bantjes, Craig Clark, Dori Drimalas, John Foster, Steve Gordon Jr., Stanley Hainsworth, DJ Stout, Debbie Millman, Ron Miriello and  Yolanda Santosa.

Read the essays at http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/the-quality-makers  

9/18/08 New York:  At the 2008 AIGA Annual Design Legends Gala, Ron Miriello was honored as an AIGA Fellow for his career accomplishments as a designer and his contributions to the design profession. Also honored from San Diego|AIGA was MaeLin Levine of Visual Asylum. Ron and MaeLin were two of twenty-one designers who were recognized at the national event held on the Hudson River at Chelsea Pier 60 in New York. Other 2008 Fellow inductees included Jennifer Morla/AIGA San Francisco, Art Paul/ AIGA Chicago and Terry Marks/ AIGA Seattle.

Harley-Davidson Motorcycles and Design Within Reach were recognized for their corporate design and brand leadership at the event.

Ron said, “I could see the lights of Jersey City across the Hudson River from my table at Chelsea Pier, where my Italian grandparents came to in the 20’s and where my dad grew up. They would have enjoyed the evening too.”

See photos and details of the event at: http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/fellow-award

Here’s what the AIGA website says about the 2008 365 Show which includes the Miriello Grafico new identity system (proudly):

“After careful and considered review of more than 4,700 entries, the jury of “365: AIGA Annual Design Competitions 29” selected a group of 255 examples of outstanding design produced in 2007.

The jury’s selections will be mounted as a public exhibition scheduled to open at the AIGA National Design Center in New York on December 10. The exhibit will travel across the country to AIGA chapters and student groups during 2009. In addition, selections become part of the AIGA Design Archives, a searchable visual database of exemplary design, are documented in 365: AIGA Year In Design 29, an annual print publication and the physical artifacts join the AIGA Design Archives at the Denver Art Museum.”

Take a look at the AIGA site at: http://aiga.org/

Coming on the heals of this Spring’s 2008 AIGA Y-Conference on Sustainability in Design was the recent AIGA San Diego Student Portfolio Review event. These two events seemed connected in my mind by how they both contributed small puzzle pieces of what I’m sensing is a rethinking of what will make design more relevant, or meaningful, in the coming years. (You might say brands and marketing are more relevant now than ever, but hold on.) Both events moved the design conversation away from “trend-talk” and, instead, showed how designers willing to apply their unique powers of influence and communications will undoubtedly change-thinking and stimulate positive action. (Lord knows there’s a huge market in our growing national “change needed” sector.)

The AIGA Y-Conference on Sustainability began the conversation shift. And Michael Osborne layered onto it when he spoke about the pro-bono efforts of his San Francisco studio MODSF, and how his team is efficiently directing some of their energy and skills to causes in need of a louder voice. I see a consciousness shift beginning in the new crop of designers - and it’s exciting. Osborne is a kind of design pragmatist, willing to share his abilities with as many as he can, rather than insisting they always go to the highest bidder. It’s a Target-like, egalitarian approach. In fact, his currency seems to be highest-need rather than fattest-wallet. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s an astute business man, creating the success that can fund the causes of choice.

The “shift” happens when the talented designer recognizes their most valuable currency is in their ability to reach people, to communicate. Michael Osborne and Free Range Studios are examples of studios changing the design dialog by shifting their intentions.

Learn about Michael Osborne at www.modsf.com/ Visit Free Range Studios at www.freerangestudios.com/

I spent the last three days at the AIGA San Diego Y-Conference which this year was about the role designer and design can and should play in contributing solutions to environmental issues. I’ve been attending the Y-Conference for the past decade. The 08 conference, while less stimulating visually and creatively, was a more meaningful and relevant dialog than in recent past. The abilities of a designer to understand a complex problem and then create communications in compelling and memorable ways that promote people take notice and change behavior- was a valuable and immediate contribution designers could be making. Jonah Sachs and Louis Fox from Free Range Studios were a prime example. The way these guys are using storytelling and the web to communicate on environmental issues is impressive. Particularly their simple and effective delivery of Annie Leonard’s STORY of STUFF : http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Janet Kulber of the Biomimicry Guild spoke about the natural environment and it’s ability to provide answers and clues to the situations we’ve gotten ourselves into. I thought of all the wisdoms I see from the farmers in small town Italy- and how must wisdom and logic has been lost in the name of convenience and consumption.

The Conference has started to move beyond designers talking to designers and on to helping designers fulfill their more important and critical role as idea creators and communicators of new wisdoms. See the Y-13 profile at www.y-conference.com