AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) is an organization founded in 1914 to help graphic designers hone their skills. As its website says,”AIGA advances design as a professional craft, strategic advantage and vital cultural force. As the largest community of design advocates, we bring together practitioners, enthusiasts and patrons to amplify the voice of design and create the vision for a collective future. We define global standards and ethical practices, guide design education, inspire designers and the public, enhance professional development, and make powerful tools and resources accessible to all.” Under the inspiration tab on the AIGA website, there are many articles written by graphic designers from around the country, and the world. These articles are only available on the organization’s website, though they are free. What is not free is a membership with AIGA, though all members have access to a variety of benefits, which include being able to write articles for AIGA. Being a source for graphic design knowledge and trends, graphic designers are likely among its only readers and contributors, and they probably read it for the same reason I would: to gain further incite into their profession. However, I have not read much on the site, nor do I plan to. My reasoning is this: when it comes to graphic design beyond the fundamentals, you can gain incite and inspiration from all kinds of sources, and very rarely (at least in my experience) are any of them “official”. For me, the most effective thing to do if I need inspiration is to seek out what other designers have gotten up to. Whether I build upon their ideas or go in a completely different direction, everyone is a potential source for inspiration.
AIGA (n.d.). About AIGA
http://www.aiga.org/About/
AIGA (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.aiga.org/