“AIGA’s mission is to advance designing as a professional craft, strategic tool and vital cultural force.
“AIGA, the professional association for design, is the place design professionals turn to first to exchange ideas and information, participate in critical analysis and research and advance education and ethical practice. AIGA sets the national agenda for the role of design in its economic, social, political, cultural and creative contexts. AIGA is the oldest and largest membership association for professionals engaged in the discipline, practice and culture of designing. Founded as the American Institute of Graphic Arts in 1914 as a small, exclusive club, AIGA now represents more than 19,000 designers through national activities and local programs developed by more than 55 chapters and 200 student groups.”
This Web site offers many riches.
2. Why Design?
Published by the AIGA, undated
(http://www.aiga.org/resources/content/3/6/1/0/documents/aiga_designingprocess.pdf)
This promotional brochure from the AIGA offers an intelligent analysis of the process by which design is created.
3. The Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 1999
By Jakob Nielsen (http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990530.html)
OK, it’s from 1999, but it’s a very good introduction to Nielsen’s worldview on Web design. I could recommend dozens of his articles. Why not start here?
4. About InfoDesign: Understanding by Design
(http://www.informationdesign.org/)
“InfoDesign: Understanding by Design” supports the growth and application of information design. Information design helps people and organizations achieve understanding through the creation of relevant, clear and memorable information.
“InfoDesign: Understanding by Design” is dedicated to the growth and improvement of the information and experience industries through the provision of a centralized online resource that serves all interested audiences. Launched in 2004, the site will continually evolve to meet the needs and desires of its participants. “InfoDesign: Understanding by Design” is a non-profit informational resource.
5. Information Architecture Tutorial
By John Shiple, undated, published by WebMonkey (http://www.webmonkey.com/design/site_building/tutorials/tutorial1.html)
As the introduction reveals: “Information architecture is the science of figuring out what you want your site to do and then constructing a blueprint before you dive in and put the thing together.”
6. Creative Forecast 2007:
The Industry Measure perspective on the challenges and opportunities for the graphic design and production industry in the next 12 months and beyondBy Richard Romano. Published by The Industry Measure, December 2006
(http://www.theindustrymeasure.com/report/132?report_name=Creative_Forecast_2007)
The executive summary is $99; the full report is $995, but it’s always valuable to examine what intelligent industry analysts conclude about a market.
First of all, this report takes an appropriately broad view of the graphic design market in the modern era:
“This forecast report (looks) at the Internet design and development
markets:
• agencies (PR, ad, and interactive)
• Web design, development, and production establishments
• graphic design firms (those that specialize in new media)
• corporate Internet departments”
I think that perhaps the most salient conclusion from the report is:
“…the magic word today is “multichannel,” and in the case of Internet creative markets, those firms that can provide the most diverse solutions for clients will be the firms that get the lion’s share of the business. Specializing in any one medium or platform may not be the best strategy for graphic communications companies today. Even within the Internet markets…no one or two projects, tasks, or services dominate, but rather opportunities tend to be all over the map—as Web development becomes a case of providing custom Internet solutions that involve a wide variety of features, functionality, and other customized technologies, rather than simply “designing a Web site.”
This conclusion is echoed in many other articles and studies. It makes sense. However the implications to the practice of graphic design remain under-analysed. I’ll keep you posted.
7. Typography and the Aging Eye: Typeface Legibility for Older Viewers with Vision Problems
by Paul Nini, January 23, 2006, published by Voice: AIGA Journal of Design
(http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/typography-and-the-aging-eye — the illustrations associated with the article are available at this URL.)
The author points to a well-documented problem, usually seen in the context of health care rather than publishing: “The population is rapidly aging and becoming a larger share of the marketplace. 13 percent of the population is currently over 65 years old. In 30 years that group will double to 66 million people.” While Professor Nini is more focused on signage than publications, he correctly points out that: “Typographic designers must undertake a more comprehensive study of this subject and develop typefaces that work well with the common vision problems of the aging population.”