If you’re a graphic designer, you’ve heard of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA).
A professional association for design founded in 1914, AIGA’s mission, according to its website, is “to advance designing as a special craft, strategic tool and vital cultural force.”
Not surprisingly, Art Center has a student group affiliated with the association—ACCD/AIGA. We recently caught up with the group’s president, seventh-term Graphic Design student Amelia Stier, to get the lowdown.
Amelia Stier (7th term, GPK), ACCD/AIGA president
The Dotted Line: Tell me about AIGA.
Amelia Stier: It’s the largest graphic design network in the country and a very strong networking tool. I know a lot of people who have gotten jobs through AIGA. They hold big conferences every two years, and in Memphis this past October I had the opportunity to meet a bunch of my design heroes.
DL: Like who?
AS: Michael Beirut, Stefan Bucher, Michael Vanderbyl, Jamie Koval, Chip Kidd. It was an amazing experience.
DL: What can you tell me about ACCD/AIGA?
AS: It’s partly a networking opportunity, and partly about creating a sense of community. Here at Art Center, we don’t live on campus. It’s very much a commuter school and professionally oriented. So to have a “club” like ours, still under the guise of professional work, is a nice way to socialize without feeling like you’re losing time or energy.
DL: What types of events do you have coming up?
AS: Margo Chase is coming to campus and we’ll be having a members-only reception for her. Stefan Bucher, creator of Daily Monster, will be here March 18. We’re going on a tour of Typecraft. The Y Conference happens soon in San Diego, and we have several workshops and movie nights coming up.
DL: You recently held a workshop about landing internships. Is this typical of the type of workshops you do?
AS: More and more, our group is becoming a resource to inform students about the intricacies of the Graphic Design Department. For example, we hold a “Navigating” workshop series, where directors of individual tracks give presentations about their area of focus. So a student interested in, say, Interactive Design, can understand which classes to take.
DL: How many members are there in ACCD/AIGA?
AS: That depends on how you measure it. Our Facebook group has over 150 members. At our last meeting on February 11, we had 25 members present, which is our largest turnout since I started as president three years ago.
DL: How do people find out more about your group?
AS: There’s the Facebook group, which we use religiously, the ACCD/AIGA blog and our department chair, Nik Hafermaas, also sends out emails.
DL: I heard the blog’s name is going to change soon to teachevil.com?
AS: Yes, “Teachevil” is an anagram of “Helvetica.”
DL: So it’s not a commentary on the College?
AS: (laughs) No, we actually came up with that while in Hafermaas’ office, so we don’t feel too bad about it.
