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AIGA x COLLINS

Founded in 1914, the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) stands as a pillar in the world of design, its reputation cemented by over a century of advocacy, innovation, and recognition. Each year, the AIGA bestows its highest honor—the AIGA Medal—on those who have left an indelible mark on the discipline. In 2014, with the AIGA celebrating its centennial, COLLINS was given a task worthy of the occasion: to create a commemorative book that captured the essence of 100 years of design excellence.

Designers often speak of that one pivotal moment in their careers—the instant they first realized they had something special. A flash of talent, a spark of creative brilliance. For this project, we set out to align those defining moments for each AIGA Medal recipient with the organization itself, whose century-long legacy was built on nurturing and championing such talent.

The result was a book paying tribute to the individual journeys of the designers being honored.

The cover represented 100 years of the AIGA with 100 dots, each one symbolizing a key moment in time—their time—for the designers being recognized.

Each dot marked a breakthrough, a moment of triumph in the creative process. Together, the dots formed a collective narrative of a century’s worth of design evolution, from the luminaries of yesteryear to the visionaries of today.

The book, like the designers it honored, was a tribute to the enduring power of creativity: timeless and intimately personal, much like the AIGA.

Credits

Thomas Wilder

Gabe Benzur

Brian Collins