Over five years ago, the AIGA Task Force on Professional Diversity developed a list of recommendations for increasing diversity within the profession. Among the stated goals were to create awareness of outstanding designers from culturally and racially diverse backgrounds and create traveling shows of the work of diverse designers. The Design Journeys project seeks to achieve both—by celebrating the lives and achievements of 25 selected practitioners, and encouraging aspiring designers from all backgrounds to consider design as a viable and rewarding career. The resulting show, an interactive exhibition open to the public, will be on display at the AIGA National Design Center at 164 Fifth Avenue (between 21st and 22nd Streets) in New York May 20 through July 23.
“Design Journeys” is a collection of stories about the professional lives, contributions and portfolios of historically underrepresented designers that serves as a publicly accessible comprehensive body of research honoring their accomplishments. Individuals selected for “Design Journeys” will be published in an online archive that includes visual samples of their work with an insightful, biographical essay. A traveling exhibition is planned for 2010.
The archive’s board of advisors convened for a day in the summer of 2007 and reviewed candidates recommended through AIGA’s online form for this project. The board selected the following designers to be featured in the first “Design Journeys” installment:
Gail Anderson, creative director, design, SpotCo
Archie Boston, founder and principal, Archie Boston Graphic Design
Andy Cruz, owner and art director, House Industries
Charles Dawson, artist and designer
Aaron Douglas, artist and illustrator
Emory Douglas, graphic artist
Rafael Esquer, founder and principal, alfalfa studio
Karin Fong, director and partner, Imaginary Forces
Sylvia Harris, information design strategist
Lorenzo Homar, graphic artist
John C Jay, global executive creative director and partner, Wieden+Kennedy
Steve Jones, principal and creative director, Plantain Studio
Garland Kirkpatrick, founder and principal, Helvetica Jones
Saki Mafundikwa, founder and director, Zimbabwe Institute of Vigital Arts (ZIVE)
Chaz Maviyane-Davies, professor of design, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston
Pablo Medina, founder and principal, Cubanica
Rebeca Méndez, founder and principal, Rebeca Méndez Communication Design
Bennett Peji, founder and principal, Bennett Peji Design
Samina Quraeshi, co-founder and principal, SQ Design Publishers
Edel Rodriguez, artist and illustrator
Art Sims, founder and CEO, 11:24 Design Advertising
Lucille Tenazas, founder and principal, Tenazas Design
Michele Washington, founder and principal, Washington Design
LeRoy Winbush, founder and principal, Winbush Design
Maurice Woods, founder and chair, Inneract Project
