Design Journeys Archive

“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 2009.

In 2005, the AIGA Task Force on Professional Diversity developed a list of recommendations for increasing diversity within the profession. Among the stated goals were to publicize outstanding designers of varying backgrounds and create traveling shows of the work of diverse designers. The “Design Journeys” project seeks to achieve both—by not only celebrating the stories and work of these practitioners, but also influencing the next generation of young people from all backgrounds to consider design as a viable and rewarding career.

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 25 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, illustrator
• Aaron Douglas, illustrator
• Emory Douglas, graphic artist
• Rafael Esquer, founder and principal, Alfalfa
• Karin Fong, director, Imaginary Forces
• Sylvia Harris, information design strategist
• Lorenzo Homar, graphic artist
• John Jay, 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 Fine Arts, 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, illustrator
• Art Sims, founder and CEO, 11:24 Design Advertising
• Lucille Tenazas, founder and principal, Tenazas Design
• Michele Washington, founder and principal, Flow9
• LeRoy Winbush, founder and principal, Winbush Design
• Maurice Woods, founder and chair, Inneract Project