GraphicDesign-Article2011-

Design Journeys Archive


•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, artist and designer
•Aaron Douglas, artist and illustrator
•Emory Douglas, graphic artist
•Rafael Esquer, founder and principal, alfalfa studio
•Karin Fong, director and partner, Imaginary Forces
•Sylvia Harris, information design strategist
•Lorenzo Homar, graphic artist
•John C Jay, global executive creative director and partner, Wieden+Kennedy
•Steve A. Jones, principal and creative director, Plantain Studio
•Garland Kirkpatrick, founder and principal, Helvetica Jones
•Saki Mafundikwa, founder and director, Zimbabwe Institute of Vigital Arts (ZIVA)
•Chaz Maviyane-Davies, professor of design, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston
•Pablo Medina, founder and principal, Cubanica
•Rebeca Méndez, founder and principal, Rebeca Méndez Design
•Bennett Peji, founder and principal, Bennett Peji Design
•Samina Quraeshi, co-founder and principal, SQ Design Associates

•Edel Rodriguez, artist and illustrator
•Art Sims, founder and CEO, 11:24 Design Advertising
•Lucille Lozada Tenazas, founder and principal, Tenazas Design, and professor, Parsons the New School for Design
•Michele Y. Washington, founder and principal, Washington Design
•LeRoy Winbush, founder and principal, Winbush Design
•Maurice Woods, founder and chair, Inneract Project
“Design Journeys” is a collection of stories about the professional lives, contributions and portfolios of historically under-represented designers that serves as an accessible body of research honoring their accomplishments.

Individuals selected for “Design Journeys” are published in this online archive including visual samples of their work with an insightful, biographical essay.

History of the project
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, ultimately selecting 25 designers to be featured in the first “Design Journeys” installment.

From May 20 through August 6, 2010, “Design Journeys” was presented to the public in an interactive exhibition at the AIGA National Design Center. “Design Journeys: You Are Here” celebrated the work of the 25 pioneering designers and invited audiences to consider their own paths in life.