Richard Grefé
Executive Director, AIGA
One of the real advantages of leading a design organization is the chance to benefit from creative thinking on how to design the organization itself—so that it is more responsive, more relevant and more valuable to members in advocating their interests. Particularly over the past two years, we have been listening carefully and considering the changes in students, young designers and the environment in which they will practice design—as well as what “design” will include.
We have surveyed members and nonmembers, undertaken research on demographics and new disciplines, considered the influence of the web on associations, held focused discussions with board members and thought leaders, and benefited from the engagement of VSA Partners in launching One Day for Design to engage the Twitter community of designers on what AIGA can be.
We are poised for change and eager for it. When Karl and his team approached us to undertake a workshop to elicit best thinking from participants at our biennial conference as a means of demonstrating their own approach, we jumped on it. When it comes to strategic thinking about AIGA and designers’ needs and concerns, AIGA is open and inclusive, because we believe in continuous improvement and do not believe we can be any stronger than the ideas of smart designers.
We are committed to act on any recommendations that represent a progressive pivoting of the organization toward deeper service to the emerging generations of designers, given the mission and resources of the organization.
