Friday, April 21, 2017, will see design’s social event of the year as the movers and shakers of the creative industry gather to celebrate this year's Medalists at the 2017 AIGA Awards Gala at Pier Sixty in Manhattan.
As America’s first and largest professional organization for design, with seventy chapters and over 25,000 members, the American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA) advances design as a professional craft, a strategic advantage, and a vital cultural force with far-reaching influence within business, our society, and our shared future.
The AIGA Medal, the most distinguished honor in the field, recognizes exceptional achievement in design and visual communication. The Medal has been awarded since 1920 to individuals who’ve set standards of excellence over a lifetime and had a significant impact on the practice of graphic design in the United States.
Given the increasing recognition and force of design in our daily lives, to say nothing of its emergence as a critical field of study and endeavor within innovation, the AIGA Awards remind us once again of the central role of individual creativity at the heart of all successful change and transformation.
Design’s contributions are truly universal.
They aren’t restricted to products or even experiences, much less images on the page or pixels on your screen. They reach far further. As my friend Michael Beirut says, "Designers escort big ideas into the culture”. ‘nough said.
AIGA’s 2017 Medalists have been recognized as masters of their craft whose persistent forward-thinking leadership has reimagined design’s function and impact on business, education, and all our communities. They include:
Art Chantry for his intrepid exploration of subculture visual communication, and his fearless celebration of cultural diversity
Emmett McBain for his revolutionary design leadership and profound social impact in co-founding Burrell-McBain Advertising
Rebeca Méndez for challenging and transforming academia and design through her innovative interplay of identity and culture
Mark Randall for his singular dedication to diversity in design, and his tenacity in funding minority and economically disadvantaged design students
Nancy Skolos and Thomas Wedell for pushing the boundaries of art, design, and technology with a distinctive vision finding connection among disparate forms
Lance Wyman for his mastery of visual ecosystems, and for setting the standard for the universal, public design experience
Bloomberg L.P. as recipient of AIGA’s 2017 Corporate Leadership Award, for its history of design innovation, its advancement of design on multiple fronts, and its role in expanding transparency by connecting networks of information, people, and ideas