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Championing the future of design for all.

Our Mission

We encourage diversity in design education, discourse, and practice to strengthen and expand the relevance of design in all areas of society.

The New York City design community is an exceptional collection of talent, but falls short in reflecting the diversity of our vibrant city. Too many face explicit or implicit barriers to advancement. AIGA NY believes that diversity is essential to excellence, achievement, and creative innovation. Through our programming and initiatives we aim to foster the culture of inclusion in which all individuals feel respected and are treated fairly, and different viewpoints, opinions, thoughts, and ideas are encouraged and embraced.

We consider diversity comprehensively, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability and disability, age, and other factors that shape creative perspective and professional experience.

Conversations confronting privilege, bias, and exclusion are complex and can be difficult. A shared understanding that achieves equity is a continued process and is essential to building a more inclusive community.

Join us to:

  • Create a greater opportunity, awareness of diversity issues and inclusive design culture
  • Celebrate diversity in our programming
  • Foster open and constructive discussions amongst our members
  • Connect with students, emerging designers, and like-minded groups to support a broader range of future practitioners and leaders
What We Do

AIGA NY is committed to nurturing open dialogue and to evaluating our community’s shortcomings as well as our contributions. We host a series of town halls, roundtable discussions, and events, to provide opportunity for frank discussion, evaluation, and innovation on the topic of Diversity & Inclusion.

In a series of events open to the entire design community we discuss, refine, and incubate ideas on how to solve the most pressing issues of exclusion facing the NYC design community. We do so with the following steps:

1. Listen

Our cALL for Ideas is an open invitation to the design community to join us in a series of town hall events to listen, share, identify, and discuss how we might address issues of exclusivity, bias, privilege, and inequity in our own profession.

2. Refine

Themes and ideas that emerge from town hall events will be captured and brought to a roundtable/workshop setting, where members of the town hall will be invited to further discuss, refine, and shape these ideas into viable proposals submitted to AIGA NY. The format aims to engage a wide participation and to create opportunity for innovation and problem solving.

3. Activate

Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of jurors from across the profession. Top jury selections will be awarded funding and support from AIGA NY to assist in the implementation of project proposals. Design community will have an opportunity to become directly involved in the projects conceived, incubated, and born out of the first in a series of cALL for Ideas!

We’re grateful for the opportunity to listen to, learn from, and create with our community. As designers we have unique tools to inspire social change and engagement. Join us to work together towards a more equitable world here in our city.

More ways to take action:

Nominate a designer for a Design Journeys profile or a diversity expert for an AIGA national event: contact AIGA national strategic initiatives director Laetitia Wolff

Upcoming events in Inclusion in Design
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2018 cAll for Ideas

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Join us in affecting change within the NY design community as we dedicate ourselves to solving problems larger than the ones we already know.