“The word and image are one.” – Hugo Ball
Community
Beyond Graphic “This site encourages debate and review of the professional title of 'graphic designer' within the global graphic design community. Today's graphic designer has moved beyond graphic. The term 'graphic' fails to accurately describe our profession to the business community and the public. We should consider replacing it with a more relevant, accurate description of what we do today. Why?”
Added December 1, 2003
Citizen Design—Social Issues in Design “This is a forum for designers, design educators, design students and those from affiliated fields. Design is never completely neutral. Both good and bad design make a difference (or cause problems). By exchanging ideas the organisers of this discussion forum hope to explore the fundamental underpinnings of what makes graphic design, 2D design and other cross over areas of design like signage and digital media—an important conveyer of political, social, or cultural change. How is design a means of political and social communication?”
Added August 19, 2002
Creative Latitude “Worldwide community that unites various creative disciplines for collective promotion, education and ethical business practice.”
Added September 30, 2007
Creators Channel “Creators, students aiming to become creators, users, and clients. The Creators Channel is a gathering place for anyone involved in creative work.”
Added December 28, 2001
designerID “Web-based, virtual design community serving designers, design students and schools, organizations and suppliers. It provides members with an easy-to-use way to stay in touch with fellow designers and an easy-to-search design library.”
Added April 1, 2007
designwire “At its core Designwire is a place to meet up, communicate and collaborate with like-minded creatives. Designwire was launched in December 2005 by a group of Australian creatives.”
Added April 1, 2007
Friends of Icograda “A worldwide network of individuals and corporations who share a common interest in graphic design and visual communication. Friends come from diverse backgrounds, cultures and social structures. Friends support the role that graphic design plays worldwide, today and tomorrow. Friends support Icograda and desire to contribute to Icograda and its worldwide aims. Friends improve relationships between people in emerging economies and those in established economies.”
Added January 7, 2003
Photohall.com “An interactive meeting place for photographers and image buyers.”
Added January 17, 2002
Pleix “A virtual community of digital artists. Some of us are 3D artists, some others are musicians or graphic designers. This website is the perfect place to share our latest creations.”
Added February 25, 2003
The Type Club of Toronto “There are many people and businesses involved with type, our aim is to give all these different sources a voice and a meeting point. The Club will hold regular meeting/events and be a forum for discussion.”
Added January 25, 2008
Under Consideration’s Speak Up “Since September of 2002 Speak Up has steadily grown into a community devoted to the constant discussion of issues related to Graphic Design through interviews, book reviews, analysis of rebranding projects and boldly asking the tough questions.”
Added March 27, 2004
Untold “Community for anyone interested in the issues surrounding the relationship between gender, design and technology.”
Added June 5, 2004
YCN “A member based organisation existing to stimulate and showcase emerging creative talent in design and communication.”
Added February 17, 2008
Competitions
100 Best Posters Of The Year—An International Poster Competition from Germany “It was in 1966 that a competition for the best posters of the year first took place in what was then the GDR (East Germany); the posters were awarded prizes and were subsequently presented in an exhibition. In 1980, this com- petition was re-named 'Die 100 besten Plakate des Jahres'(100 Best Posters of the Year). Thanks to the Graphic Designers' Association (Verband der Grafik-Designer e.V.), the competition survived in the reunited Germany. Since 1990, an increasing number of posters from the whole of Germany have been competing for '100 best Posters'—at the end of the decade over 1,000 per year.”
Added March 4, 2003
:output “Works of graphic design carried out by students usually disappear into drawers after presentation to a relatively small college audience. There the work remains invisible to outside eyes. We want to change that.”
Added December 23, 2004
Education
Bielenberg Institute at the Edge of the Earth “To inspire young graphic designers, writers, photographers and filmmakers in America by proving that their work can have a positive and significant impact on the world.”
Added July 1, 2005
Design History Mashup “Rather than viewing history as the linear progress of civilizations or chronicles of 'great men,' we will explore alternative approaches, having short, tempestuous affairs with historical designers and movements that allow us to 'give birth' to new work.”
Added April 18, 2008
Design Pedagogy “The site that provides interactive learning resources relating to design theory and graphic design.”
Added May 28, 2004
Design Thinkers “Attracting nearly 1,000 participants and a full line-up of fascinating speakers, DesignThinkers is Canada's largest, most important graphic design event.”
Added December 4, 2005
Ed “A continuing education series sponsored by NewPage. Over the years Ed has delivered technical advice on all things printing: coatings, inks, retouching, prepress, embossing and more. Above all, Ed is here to help you understand the amazing things you can do with paper, and how to improve the work you do with it.”
Added October 1, 2008
EMPRNT “Resource for designers who love design books and design related items. A platform to review books, promote new book releases, interview designers and geek out over cool bookshelves.”
Added March 7, 2010
Graphic Design History “Lecture by Nancy Stock-Allen, Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA”
Added March 1, 2009
Graphic Design: The New Basics “A guide to basic design principles. We created this book because we didn't see anything like it available for today's students and young designers: a concise, visually inspiring guide to two-dimensional design written for today's world.”
Added June 10, 2008
Massaging Media 2 “Graphic Design Education in the Age of Dynamic Media conference”
Added February 12, 2008
Paper Online “A new website that has games, sharing between kids, and stories-all about design and the visual world. It's targeted especially to 9
Added November 14, 2003
PrintWiki “Strives to provide a comprehensive, open-source knowledge base of information on the printing and graphic communication industry.”
Added March 1, 2008
Project M “Inspired by The Rural Studio, to inspire young graphic designers, writers, photographers and other creative people that their work can have a positive and significant impact on the world.”
Added September 1, 2007
Sensebox.com “A collection of resources related to Education in Graphic Design and New Media. The site is comprised of an extensive listing of direct links to graphic design schools in the US and worldwide, a message board focused on education issues, a graphic design quiz or two, and a series of web polls on topical issues.”
Symbols.com “Contains more than 2,500 Western signs, arranged into 54 groups according to their graphic characteristics. In 1,600 articles their histories, uses, and meanings are thoroughly discussed.”
Added October 2, 2001
TeachingType “An initiative by tutors, students and people interested in typography, typographic education and related subjects.”
Added November 16, 2007
The History of Visual Communication “This website attempts to walk you through the long and diverse history of a particular aspect of human endeavour: The translation of ideas, stories and concepts that are largely textual and/or word based into a visual format, i.e. visual communication.”
Added January 29, 2008
The Journal of Urban Typography “Dedicated to the documentation and study of signs, word fragments, and typography created with utilitarian intent in urban environments.”
Added March 1, 2009
The Letterpress Process “Sequences of photos illustrating the steps involved in printing jobs via the letterpress process.”
Added January 1, 2009
Type Camp “Aims to educate that there is no single approach within typography that applies to everything.”
Added March 8, 2008
TypeBooks “A leading online resource for publications concerning the letterform arts.”
Added January 1, 2009
VIDE “An original and carefully sculptured approach to the challenge of education in the visual communication. It was set up in May 2005 by Anno Fekkes, senior lecturer in Visual Communication (graphic design, photography and typography) at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague.”
Added August 1, 2008
Young Designer’s Guide “An online resource that guides new graphic designers for both print and web who are seeking to improve their Marketing, Business, Resume Building, Production and Networking skills.”
Added December 15, 2007
Glossaries
ArtLex “Definitions of more than 3,100 terms used in visual culture, along with thousands of images, pronunciation notes, great quotations and cross-references.”
Added July 5, 2001
History
evolution of type “From pictograms to pixel fonts, written language has evolved over time, changing in response to communication methods and printing technology. This overview is presented as an introduction to the origins, evolution, and applications of modern letterforms.”
Re:collection “An inventory of Australian graphic design produced in a period circa 1960
Added March 7, 2010
typoGRAPHIC “An interactive experience informed by type and typography. It aims to illustrate the depth and import of type, and to raise relevant questions about how typography is treated in the digital media, specifically online.”
Organizations
AIGA, the professional association for design “The purpose of AIGA is to further excellence in communication design as a broadly defined discipline, strategic tool for business and cultural force. AIGA is the place design professionals turn to first to exchange ideas and information, participate in critical analysis and research and advance education and ethical practice.”
American Society for Information Science and Technology “ASIST has been the society for information professionals leading the search for new and better theories, techniques, and technologies to improve access to information.”
Added August 24, 2001
Association for Women in Communications “AWC champions the advancement of women across all communications disciplines by recognizing excellence, promoting leadership and positioning its members at the forefront of the evolving communications era.”
Added May 29, 2002
Association Typrographique Internationale “ATypI is the only worldwide organisation dedicated to type and typography.”
Added August 1, 2002
Corporate Design Foundation “Corporate Design Foundation is a nonprofit educational and research organization founded on the belief that individual and organizational interests can best be served through the effective use of design disciplines: product design, communication design and architecture.”
Graphic Artists Guild “A national union of illustrators, designers, web creators, production artists, surface designers and other creatives who have come together to pursue common goals, share their experience, raise industry standards, and improve the ability of visual creators to achieve satisfying and rewarding careers.”
Icograda “The International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda) is the professional world body for graphic design and visual communications. Icograda unifies the voice of graphic and communication designers worldwide and promotes their vital role in commerce and society.”
IDEAlliance “International Digital Enterprise Alliance is a non-for-profit membership organization. Its mission is to advance user-driven, cross-industry solutions for all publishing and content-related processes by developing standards, fostering business alliances, and identifying best practices.”
Added June 3, 2002
Inter-Society Color Council “The ISCC is the principal professional society in the field of color in the United States, encompassing the arts, sciences and industry
Added June 14, 2002
Interational Association of Paper Historians “The IPH integrates professionals of different branches and all friends of paper within the field of paper history. It coordinates all interests and activities in paper history as an international specialist association co-operating with international, regional and local organisations not only of paper historians but also of keepers of archives and libraries, conservators, arthistorians, specialists in books, printing and technology, associations of the paper industry, the publishing trade etc., including handicraft and artistic activities in connection with paper. To reach these goals, IPH provides the necessary means.”
Added February 22, 2004
International Communication Association “ICA is an international association for scholars interested in the study of all aspects of human communication, as well as in the teaching of communication.”
Added May 29, 2002
International Federation for Information Processing “IFIP's mission is to be the leading, truly international, apolitical organization which encourages and assists in the development, exploitation and application of Information Technology for the benefit of all people.”
Added May 29, 2002
Proscodi: the Professional Society of Communication Design “Our mission is to establish a code of ethics, standards and professional practices within the Visual Communication Design industry.”
Added February 3, 2008
Scandinavian Colour Institute “The Colour Institute was founded in 1946 and was given its present name in 1978. The company is responsible for and has at its disposal the rights to the Natural Color System (NCS) system. Since the beginning it has developed and marketed different pioneering colour systems for increased and better use of colour in the environment.”
Added March 4, 2003
Society for News Design “Our membership is comprised of editors, designers, graphic artists, publishers, illustrators, art directors, photographers, advertising artists, Website designers, students and faculty. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in journalism and design.”
Added May 30, 2002
Society for Technical Communication “STC is an individual membership organization dedicated to advancing the arts and sciences of technical communication—it is the largest organization of its type in the world. Its 25,000 members include technical writers, editors, graphic designers, videographers, multimedia artists, Web and Intranet page information designers, translators and others whose work involves making technical information available to those who need it.”
Society of Environmental Graphic Design “SEGD is an interdisciplinary design association, founded in 1973 to promote the professional development and understanding of environmental graphic design. Environmental graphic design (EGD) is a diverse field that includes the planning, design and specifying of graphic elements in the built and natural environment.”
Added June 20, 2001
Society of Publication Designers “Since drafting its charter in 1965, SPD remains the only organization addressing the concerns of trade, corporate, institutional, newspaper and consumer editorial art directors and allied professionals.”
Added July 6, 2001
Society of Typographic Aficianados “SoTA is an International Organization dedicated to the promotion, study, and support of type, its history and development, its use in the world of print and digital imagery, its designers, and its admirers.”
Added October 1, 2002
The Australian Graphic Design Association “AGDA is the national association for professional graphic designers. It was founded in 1988 to facilitate the advancement of the graphic design profession in Australia.”
Added February 6, 2002
The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress “Ceated by an Act of Congress (Public Law 95-129) in 1977, was established to stimulate public interest in books, reading, and libraries and to encourage the study of books and print culture. Within the Library of Congress, the center is a focal point for celebrating the legacy of books and the printed word.”
Added July 24, 2001
The Typographic Circle “Was formed about thirty years ago by a group of advertising typographers as the Type Directors Club, to bring together anyone with an interest in type.”
Added July 2, 2002
University and College Designers Assocation “UCDA is a professional organization committed to promoting excellence in visual communications for educational institutions; our members include designers and educators.”
Visual Resources Association “VRA is a multi-disciplinary community of image management professionals working in educational and cultural heritage environments.”
Added January 9, 2003
Practice
COLOURlovers “A resource that monitors and influences color trends. COLOURlovers gives the people who use color - whether for ad campaigns, product design, or in architectural specification - a place to check out a world of color, compare color palettes, submit news and comments, and read color related articles and interviews.”
Added June 9, 2007
Creative Public “...this Web site dedicated to showing designers what to do and what not to do in the graphic design business. This site was created to give graphic designers resources for starting their own business or expanding into a freelance role without having to go through the headaches...”
Added July 3, 2002
digital thread “Digital artist's design and production resource.”
Ideabook.com “A resource for the designer, copywriter, illustrator, photographer, design student, and anyone else interested in the disciplines of design and marketing.”
Added September 30, 2007
Munsell Color Chart “The Munsell Palette software on this page is based on software Triplecode principal David Young encountered while a student at the MIT Media Lab. But that software (originally written by David Small) was developed before the web, was limited to use within a custom windowing system developed by fellow students, and only ran on high-end workstations. The updated version here uses the same Munsell data, but can be used on any computer that supports the Flash plugin.”
Added February 25, 2003
PaperSpecs “First online paper database specifically developed for the design/print industry.”
Added December 16, 2002
Publications
Interview: Director and Producer Justine Nagan of the Film “Typeface”
Detail of photograph by Kartemquin. Read more at Design Feaster blog.
Designer’s Quest(ionnaire)
Seven questions focused on the hard-working design practitioner—whether independent or in-house.
Design Thought Leader
Blog dedicated to fielding compelling ideas in the practice and theory of design—whatever the discipline. Read more.
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