As we ramp up for a new season of design experiences, we cannot help but smile as we reflect on the past year. We are proud of the range of content we’ve been able to present and grateful for the commitment that guest speakers, contributors, and sponsors have made to our community. We are energized by the conversations and new connections and encouraged by how we are seeing the Boston Design Community grow. We may be here to serve you, but it is you who have set us up in some of the best ways possible.
Here are some of AIGA Boston’s 2015-2016 design season accomplishments that wouldn’t have been possible without support from our members, partners, sponsors, and volunteers:
Photo from “Agents of Change: Driving Design Innovation In-House”, credit: Christian Gilbert
We hosted 23 programs and events for our members and friends.
This milestone would not have been possible without the help of 60 speakers and guests contributors. Content reflective of the changing design landscape was presented by local thought leaders, including: Suzanne Hamil from Fidelity Labs, Nate Cameron from EF, Sarah Syah from Rue La La, Tom Burchard from Altitude, C. Todd Lombardo from Fresh Tilled Soil, Elizabeth Resnick from Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and Thomas Starr from Northeastern University. We also benefited from the contributions of design luminaries from across the country, including: Ken Carbone, Nicholas Felton, James Victore, Susan Sellers, Tina Essmaker, and Rick Grefé.
We presented special events and communications, beginning with Design Exchange Boston in September 2015, and wrapping up with a multi-sensory event with the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in June 2016. Additional partners include the ICA, BSA, EF, Society of Grownups, IBM, LogMeIn, MassArt, Boston University, and Lesley University. Our partners have been instrumental not only in bringing rich and engaging experiences to our members, but also in providing spaces in which to gather, collaborate, and learn.
Photo from “Design at Scale Workshop”, credit: Shane Ernest
We broadened our programming to address the changing roles and broader set of tasks taken on by designers.
Over the past year, we implemented post-event surveys in order to better align our programming with your interests. We were floored by the doors that we were able to open thanks to your ideas, feedback, and our community support.
Most notably, we launched our Design Educator Forum – reviving a series our chapter hadn’t held since the 1980s – to better engage and strengthen connections with and amongst Boston’s design educators.
You spoke and we listened! Take a look at the programming we offered in the past year:
- Member specific events: AIGA Boston Town Hall, Re-Imagine Our City’s Flag, Get Out the Vote – Poster-Design-A-Thon
- Student and mentorship programs: Portfolio Review, New Voices Unique Visions, Take it From Me Series
- Design Educator series kick-off: Typography in the Classroom
- In-House initiative: Agents of Change, Brand Strategy
- Hands-on workshops: Show Me Don’t Tell Me – Visualizing Design Strategy, Group Facilitation, Design for the Senses
- Design for Good initiative: Design for Good – To Go
- The changing role of design: Design at Scale, Building Products Users Love, Experience Design – A New Mindset
Photo from “2016 Student Portfolio Review”, credit: Nile Hawver, Nile Scott Shots
We formed an education committee to better cater to our educator and student members.
This committee is a combination of student chapter advisors, advisory board members, and active volunteers interested in education. We are thrilled to boast 9 active students chapters, mostly located within Boston proper, but also in surrounding areas. Our student chapters and affiliated schools have acted as partners to organize, create content, and host multiple events.
2015 AIGA Boston Board
We grew our board and created opportunities for members to elevate their careers as volunteers.
We added new board members and created a board structure that encourages collaboration. It has proven to be effective in executing and promoting events.
We also created and released a volunteer form. We recognize that designers are often looking to build their portfolios and expand their skillsets outside of their work environment. We have those opportunities and we want to make them available to you! If you’d like to become more involved in Boston’s design community, please let us know. Fill out the volunteer form here: http://bit.ly/2cwrVVc.
As our organization continues to grow in 2016, we have you to thank – and we wanted to make sure we voiced our gratitude. AIGA Boston works to bring together practitioners, enthusiasts, and patrons to amplify the voice of design and create the vision for a collective future. We are committed to you, our members, and enhancing your professional development.
Banner image from “Design for the Senses” by Ben Gebo
Photo from “Agents of Change: Driving Design Innovation In-House”, credit: Christian Gilbert
Photo from “Design at Scale Workshop”, credit: Shane Ernest
Photo from “2016 Student Portfolio Review”, credit: Nile Hawver, Nile Scott Shots
