AIGA announces the best in communication design and book design

273 works selected in “365: AIGA Annual Design Competition 30” and “AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers of 2008” competitions

NEW YORK, June 16, 2009. AIGA, the professional association for design, today announced the selection of nearly 300 works as a representation of the very best in communication design and book design.

More than 4,700 entries from across the United States and as far away as Australia, Brazil and Croatia were considered by this year’s juries. Hundreds of designers and firms entered their best work of 2008, and after two weeks of review by an esteemed panel of judges, the field was winnowed down to 182 pieces for “365: AIGA Annual Design Competition 30”—a showcase of the year’s best design work in visual communication—and a selection of 91 books and book covers for “AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers of 2008.”

All 2008 selections will be featured in upcoming traveling exhibitions beginning at the AIGA National Design Center this fall, publication in the 30th edition of the AIGA design annual 365: AIGA Year in Design, and included in the AIGA Design Archives both online and at the Denver Art Museum.

With a history stretching back 85 years, the “AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers Competition” has long been the source of identifying the best work in book design. All works selected for the competition this year will be added to the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Columbia University, in addition to being documented in the AIGA annual and included in the AIGA Design Archives.

AIGA’s “365: AIGA Annual Design Competition” has been held under different names for more than 40 years, and the resultant exhibition and annual publication have quickly become the place people turn to see the best in communication design. The selections—including motion graphics, websites, magazines, packaging, environmental graphics and more—represent the top examples of Branding, Informing, Entertaining, Experimenting, Promoting and Packaging.

See the selected works

“365: AIGA Annual Design Competition 30” selections can be seen at www.aiga.org/365-selections-recent.

“AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers of 2008” selections can be seen at www.aiga.org/5050-recent.

About AIGA

AIGA, the professional association for design, is the oldest and largest membership association for design professionals engaged in the discipline, practice and culture of designing. AIGA’s mission is to advance designing as a professional craft, strategic tool and vital cultural force.

Founded in 1914, AIGA is the preeminent professional association for communication designers, broadly defined. In the past decade, designers have increasingly been involved in creating value for clients (whether public or business) through applying design thinking to complex problems, even when the outcomes may be more strategic, multidimensional and conceptual than what most would consider traditional communication design. AIGA now represents more than 22,000 designers of all disciplines through national activities and local programs developed by 64 chapters and 240 student groups.

AIGA supports the interests of professionals, educators and students who are engaged in the process of designing. The association is committed to stimulating thinking about design, demonstrating the value of design and empowering success for designers throughout the arc of their careers.

For further information, please contact:
Jennifer Bender
Manager, communications and marketing
AIGA | the professional association for design
Tel 212 807 1990   Fax 212 807 1799