la mag

It's an interesting place to advertise (?) AIGA, as I'm not sure the definition of "design" that the typical LA mag reader thinks of maps too well onto what the members of AIGA do (unless there's more AIGAers remodelling kitchens in Bev Hills than I know of). Nice to see the deserviing parties getting some face time — Doyald, you're looking hot! Did membership dues dollars pay for this or was it a freebie? I was never quite sure about the transparency of spending the chapter budget but I couldn't help that being one of my first thoughts.

I didn't see the magazine. Could anyone post a PDF of the ad here?

Maybe it will show up here, with the other ads, but unfortunately they're still showing Feb, and the AIGA ad is in the March 'Spring Fashion' Issue with Christina Ricci on the cover — what, they don't sell LA mag in NYC?!

That kind of goes back to the problem with the name change doesn't it? How are people ever going to know what we represent if AIGA means nothing and our tagline is ambiguous.

Me- "Hello I am calling on behalf of AIGA, the professional association for design"

Average Joe- "Oh interior design?"

Me- "Errr no"

Avg Joe- "So industrial design then?"

Me- "..."

If we are making it a goal to educate the masses on the subject of "graphic" design, ambiguity was a step in the wrong direction.

Is that what AIGA is trying to do? Educate [the masses] on the subject of "graphic" design? Is that what this ad is doing?

Note: I would certainly concur that no interior, environmental, industrial, architectural, fashion, software, or game 'designer' would consider the AIGA an organization [currently] relevant to their profession.

Getting out of the closet is hard guys… every now and then is good to talk to the world out there in general market media.

I can’t entirely disagree with the name issue, but I have to say that design IS a rather broad practice. A significant number of members offer more than graphic design services, that (yes Dolan…) include many of those services that you find AIGA so irrelevant to.

This year we have partnered with LA Magazine because their readership is interested in all areas of design. We are not pretending to educate the masses, but to get exposure and be counted. As we broaden the choice of media for next year we would appreciate your input and participation.

How did we pay for it? Look at page four.

I'm quite aware that many member studios offer more than graphic design services, as we're one of them, but I think it fair to say AIGA as an org doesn't offer much to those disciplines on their own (for instance, no self-contained industrial design firm would imagine there's anything of relevance for them at AIGA — and they'd be right, — hence the existance of parallel orgs like ISDA).

Agustin, as you volunteer "look at page four" — are you saying the co-op sponsors fully paid for the spread? Just curious.

Yes, that’s what I'm saying. Their sponsorship package included the funds for this promotion. In addition, LA Magazine sponsored us with an unprecedented page rate because they recognize that AIGA’s demographic is very relevant to them.

Last time I checked, it was "clients" (those who are not designers) that paid the bills of AIGA members. Clients tend to be part of the general public that reads things like LA Magazine among many other publications. One might even make the case that the readership of LA Mag in the region is perhaps more inclined to spend dollars on design services. Creating awareness in the SoCal client marketplace that there is a group of professionals out here that strive for certain standards and goals might not be such a bad thing. AIGA would not be the first design organization that has gone down this track... AIA's campaign for public awareness of architects being a recent example.

The goal of well crafted 'advertising/awareness' campaign is to do three things;
1: Inform/Educate
2: Motivate
3: Persuade

There is not a single day that my life is not affected by design of all kinds, Graphic, Product, Environmental, Automotive and so on. Graphic Design sometimes tends to fall between the cracks of Advertising and P/R, getting little recognition, and this is wrong.

The impact of Graphic Design on the sale of products is enormous. Just last night on the National Geographic channel there was a 30 minute show on the impact of Graphic Design on the sales of product that are 'canned'. They interviewed Brand Managers from Landor who succinctly delineated the critical role that Graphic Design has on overall Branding and Marketing.

Raising the "awareness" of the crucial and critical role that Graphic Design and therefore the AIGA plays in this process, will serve to help both the organization and its members.

The current Board of the AIGA (including myself, a CFO-COO with 35 years experience) works hard to ensure that we raise the requisite level of Sponsor/Partner support to pay for initiatives like the LA Magazine advertorial. The three goals stated at the outset, ar well served by what the AIGA has boldly done. BRAVO