August 2008
The AIGA Design Archives, the largest searchable online archive of curated communication design selections in existence, now represents selections from AIGA design exhibition catalogues from 1924–2007, including the longest running competition in AIGA’s history, “Fifty Books of the Year,” as well as “Contemporary Commercial Printing,” “Printing for Commerce,” “Design and Printing for Commerce,” “Fifty Advertisements of the Year,” “50 Ads and 50 TV Commercials” and “Communication Graphics.” All available catalogues have been scanned and are searchable in the AIGA Design Archives.
The expansion of the online archive was made possible by a grant of $22,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the continuing support of AIGA members nationwide through contributions to the AIGA Archive Fund. The addition of 7,500 selections commenced one year ago and will conclude August 31, 2008.
Richard Grefé, executive director of AIGA, the professional association for design, commented: “Design today is a dynamic profession, challenged by the opportunities of media that were not even conceived when AIGA was founded by a small group of graphic designers in 1914. Yet, even today, the use of words and images to improve understanding—the fundamental value of communication design—builds on the originality of those designers who came before. AIGA is proud to have used 21st-century technology to make the visual references of the finest designers of the past 84 years available to designers, students and the public.”
The physical artifacts selected in all competitions since 1980 are also available for study. These artifacts and materials are housed in the AIGA Design Archives collection at the Denver Art Museum, under the supervision of the AIGA assistant curator of design. Selections from the book competitions since 1923 are also kept for posterity at Columbia University’s Butler Library, Rare Books and Manuscripts Division, in New York City. The work of AIGA Medalists and AIGA’s institutional history are maintained in the AdamsMorioka Archives Vault at the AIGA National Design Center in New York City.
The goal of the online archive is to enable a larger audience to access the materials documenting past selections from AIGA competitions, which are central to the history of the design profession. Visitors are able to create lightboxes of images, annotate them for reference and share them with others. This project reinforces AIGA’s pledge to not only identify effective design, but to make it available to a global audience and to preserve the legacy of the profession.
About AIGA Design Archives
AIGA Design Archives is an online collection representing selections from AIGA’s annual juried design competitions. It reflects the quality of work being created and the shifting aesthetics or sensibilities of the designers of the day. AIGA continues to hold annual design competitions, which means the collection will continue to grow by 200–300 selections each year. The digital archive promises to be recognized as the ultimate resource for contemporary American design research and reference. The award-winning interactive resource is accessible online to audiences worldwide and allows searches using a variety of criteria. Design Archives now includes more than 19,000 selections from AIGA’s competitions from 1924–2007.
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