2023 AIGA Design Conference Add-Ons
Get ready for tours and workshops at the 2023 AIGA Design Conference! Awaken your creativity and be inspired by the sights of New York City. Get your ticket and add-ons today.
**Please note all add-on purchases are nonrefundable**
Print Your Own Letterpress: Wood Type Poster Edition
The Arm Letterpress
281 N 7th St, Brooklyn, NY
In this in-person workshop you will be assisted in producing a wood type poster edition using our 1960s Vandercook presses and our giant collection of antique wood type fonts. Instructors will advise in composition, kerning, and press operation. Choose from a variety of our block-printed color gradient backgrounds and flats and run up to 20 sheets. Each person will leave with a stack of finished and wrapped 12x18 inch prints. For the sake of time, it is recommended that your composed text not exceed a dozen of so words. No previous letterpress printing experience is necessary. Group size will be limited to 12.
Intro to Riso Printing with Secret Riso Club
Secret Riso Club
41 Varick Ave, Brooklyn, NY
In this workshop, participants will learn about the risograph printing process from Secret Riso Club, a design and printing studio based in Brooklyn. Participants will learn the basics of how to prepare files and separate color layers to prepare for printing. They will then work collaboratively in groups to create their own 2 color design and print it on a risograph machine. Participants will leave the workshop with 5 copies of their poster.
Introduction to Laser Cutting at Skill Mill NYC
Skill Mill NYC
949 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY
Explore technology and art at Skill Mill NYC, a makerspace in Manhattan that offers 3D printing and laser cutting services. You will design your own project digitally and have it transformed into a physical object using the equipment available. This will be an opportunity to explore these technologies if you are not familiar with them, or a chance to test some new ideas. Skill Mill NYC will have some project prompts available and will provide all the technical assistance. You can bring your own computer or use one of Skill Mill NYC's. This is a creative interactive experience. Fee covers supplies, instructor fees, and use of equipment. Sessions last approximately 2.5 hours.
Photo-Emulsion Screen Printing at Brooklyn Textile Center
Textile Arts Center
505 Carroll St, Brooklyn, NY
In this group class, students will be taken through the basics of screen-printing on both fabric and paper. You'll learn to coat and expose a screen using photo-emulsion and an exposure unit, how to print with water based inks, the basic principles of color registration and make beautiful prints.
Guided Tour of Herman Miller NYC Flagship
Herman Miller
Herman Miller Retail Store, 251 Park Ave S, New York, NY
Join the Herman Miller team for a private tour of Flagship Showroom and building. For the first time in Herman Miller’s corporate history, the variety and versatility of their total offering to customers has come together in a single location. At 251 Park Avenue South, you’ll find textiles and coverings from Maharam, furnishings from Geiger, authentic modern design from Design Within Reach, and a full range of furnishings and tools from Herman Miller.
Cooper Union’s Herb Lubalin Study Center Archive Tour
Cooper Union Herb Lubalin Study Center
The Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design & Typography, 41 Cooper Sq, New York, NY
Cooper Union’s Herb Lubalin Study Center is a treasure-filled archive of graphic design ephemera spanning 125 years and four continents. Join the Center’s curator Alexander Tochilovsky for a special presentation for the AIGA conference attendees of a selection of material from the archive. The event will give participants a rare opportunity to see and handle the objects and to hear the often hidden stories behind them. It will give you a whole new outlook on design history and leave you with a richer perspective of the design practice.
GSB Digital Printing: Print Your Files
GSB Digital
33-01 Hunters Point Ave, Queens, NY
GSB Digital invites AIGA Design Conference attendees to Bring Your Files! This event serves to enlighten our guests through educational content on the capabilities and diversity of media, print applications, embellishments, and technologies used to distinguish print today. This event is geared towards designers and creative professionals who want to learn more about the applications and capabilities of digital printing. This includes the benefits of digital technologies, like personalization and sustainability, as well as digital embellishments such as white ink, raised effects and digital foil. For this event we ask that you submit a design file 2 days prior to the event to have it printed for free and picked up at GSB Digital. You will also enjoy a guided plant tour of the amazing GSB Digital facility for demonstrations of various printing equipment.
Tour of the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
30 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY
Go behind the scenes at the Met’s Lincoln Center home for an exclusive look at what it takes to create design solutions that engage, educate, and connect audiences to opera. As a part of the Met’s Marketing & Communications department, the Metropolitan Opera Studio promotes more than 20 productions each season across various print and digital channels. The tour offers a fascinating backstage look at one of the world’s premier performing arts organizations, including visits to the multiple design disciplines that create the productions on the Met’s stage.
A behind the scenes tour of Times Square Broadway Plazas and Red Steps
Times Square Alliance
TKTS Times Square, Broadway at, W 47th St, New York, NY
Join our friends at Times Square Alliance for a tour of the Times Square Broadway pedestrian plazas and the Red Steps! The Times Square Alliance, founded in 1992, works to improve and promote Times Square — cultivating the creativity, energy and edge that have made the area an icon of entertainment, culture and urban life for over a century.
The Alliance's district covers most of the territory from 40th Street to 53rd Street between 6th and 8th Avenues, as well as Restaurant Row (46th Street between 8th and 9th Avenue). The Times Square Alliance is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization and is governed by a large, voluntary Board of Directors.
VR, AR, and The Future of the Immersive Web
Presented by Aktïga
Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, 811 7th Avenue, W 53rd St, New York, NY
With the advent of modern XR devices, many designers see the potential for spatial mediums and want to build for them. Design and development for immersive content has been limited to the Unity and Unreal Engine software environments since the advent of modern headset technology (Oculus, HTC, etc). Unfortunately, the learning curve for those tools are steep and present challenges for distribution: options are limited to "walled garden" app stores whose approval processes are tedious and monetization practices are egregious. At Aktïga, we're taking a different approach: designing web-based XR products, bypassing app stores, and making immersive experiences and spatial content more easily accessible than ever before. We're excited to share our vision for the immersive web, and introduce a philosophy that we believe will become a common approach for designers working in this new spatial paradigm.
Finding Your Dream Job: Tactics and Strategies for Professional Fulfillment
Presented by Cella
Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, 811 7th Avenue, W 53rd St, New York, NY
While it may take some serious soul searching and assessment of your strengths (and weaknesses) as well as intense research, finding the job that aligns with your career goals and professional passions is achievable. Cella is in the business of putting passion to work and we have effective actionable practices that can support creative professionals find their dream job. Whether it’s how to best brand yourself, design your resume, assemble your portfolio or how to do the detective work to suss out prospective employers, we’ll be sharing insights to help you along the way. It may require some serious legwork but the good news is you’ll be able to draw from your creative skills to land the gig that you deserve.
The Why’s and How’s of Indie Publications
Presented by Hemlock
Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, 811 7th Avenue, W 53rd St, New York, NY
For those who foray into the world of publications, creating a print magazine is a labor of love. The planning, the print knowledge, selling, and promotional aspects are key pillars. But so much more goes into creating a magazine. This panel discussion, presented by Hemlock, will feature three industry experts from renowned indie publications who will give their own unique insights into the making of a publication. Discussion will be scoped in terms of three segments of starting a publication: 1. Concept and pre-production; 2. Production and Print; and 3. Distribution and Promotion. This talk will be for designers who have considered dipping their toes into the world of publishing and wonder how or if they should start. It is also for indie publication readers who want a behind the scenes look at the passion the drives their favorite publication.
How Do I Land a Job? And Other Burning Questions Answered
Presented by AIGA Design Educators Community
Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, 811 7th Avenue, W 53rd St, New York, NY
Join us for a symposium geared towards students and emerging designers.
Speakers:
- Kelsy Postlethwait, Senior Strategist at SYPartners
- David Tantrum, Founder & CEO at Tantrum Agency
- Alberto Rigau, Creative Director at Estudio Interlínea
- Q/A Moderated by Debbie Millman, Designer, Author, Illustrator, Educator, Brand Consultant, Host of the Webby-winning podcast 'Design Matters'
AIGA DEC Presents: LENS Symposium
Presented by AIGA Design Educators Community
Parsons School of Design, 63 E 5th Ave, New York, NY
The AIGA Design Educators Community (DEC) will host a one-day symposium as part of The View from Here, the 2023 AIGA National Design Conference, to be held in New York City on October 12, 2023. The symposium will include presentations and discussions that address ideas and topics connected to the theme LENS.A LENS can focus and direct light, bringing clarity and perspective to otherwise opaque or abstract ideas. We hope to utilize this metaphor to explore and reassess the current state of design education in innovative and insightful ways. This context can help to analyze and understand how we see, interpret, and create visual communication from interdisciplinary viewpoints.Some concepts we plan to address….
- The ways in which design education programs shape and influence the perspectives and practices of students and faculty.
- The ways a lens can be manipulated to shape the understanding of design as a discipline and profession.
- The ways in which these perspectives are shaped and influenced by various lenses, such as culture, ideology, and personal experience.
- The ways in which lenses can distort or clarify our understanding of complex issues and events.
- The ethics of using lenses to teach and evaluate design, and the implications of these lenses for social justice and equity in the field.
- The ethics of using lenses to interpret and represent the experiences of others.
- The role of power and privilege in determining the lenses that are privileged and those that are marginalized in design education.
- The lenses that design researchers and educators forecast will shape professional practice and student preparation in the near future.
Amazon Design Studio Tour and Meet the Team
Amazon Design
12 W 39th St, New York, NY
Get a glimpse into one of the Amazon creative workspaces where groundbreaking ideas are born and refined. This tour provides a look into the dynamic environments that shape our design processes, enabling you to see first-hand how innovative concepts transform into reality. Whether you're interested in the mechanics of our design process, the layout of our workspaces, or the innovative spirit that permeates our studio, this tour will provide insight into the heart of our creative world. In addition, you will meet some Amazon creatives who can share their experience. We look forward to welcoming you into our space.
Studio Tour: Mythology
Mythology
324 Lafayette St 2nd floor, New York, NY
Join us for an exclusive studio tour at Mythology, where you will experience our unique approach to design. Experience how we blend various creative disciplines to foster collaboration and innovation that is as functional as it is aesthetic, and gain insights into how an integrated approach to design can turn a space into more than just a studio, but an incubator for amazing ideas.
Attendee Takeaways:
- Unique Blend of Creative Disciplines: Discover how Mythology brings together diverse creative disciplines under one roof, creating a unique environment that encourages the cross-pollination of ideas and fuels innovation.
- Open and Collaborative Atmosphere: Experience the vibrant and collaborative atmosphere of our studio, where ideas flow freely and creativity thrives. Our open and inclusive space promotes communication, teamwork, and idea-sharing, fostering a culture of collaboration that is designed to generate creativity.
- Custom-Designed Spaces: Learn how we have designed our own studio spaces to reflect our agency's vision and aesthetic. Our attention to detail and level of taste is evident in every corner of our studio, showcasing our passion for design.
Tour of the PepsiCo Creative Center
PepsiCo Creative Center
PepsiCo Design and Innovation Centre, 350 Hudson St, New York, NY
Located at PepsiCo’s Creative Center in Manhattan is the company’s pioneering in-house Design and Innovation team. In this excursion, you’ll explore the space with an intimate tour of the center’s state-of-the-art facilities and an exclusive look at some of Design and Innovation’s most iconic work. You’ll also hear from PepsiCo Chief Design Officer Mauro Porcini. Attendees will walk away with a better understanding of PepsiCo Design and Innovation’s capabilities and how the team creates meaningful value for real people by bringing design excellence to PepsiCo’s global brand portfolio.
SYLVAIN Design: A Studio In Progress
SYLVAIN
176 Grand Street Third Floor, New York, NY
SYLVAIN is a strategy and design consultancy that provokes progress for companies, people and society at large. And its design studio is in the midst of accelerated growth—a practice literally in progress.
On this studio tour and knowledge share, attendees will be pulled into the in-progress state of SYLVAIN’s expanding design practice. Experiencing real-time strategy and design teams in conversation, seeing design work in the middle of exploration, and hearing from studio members on the building of a design discipline with its newest work samples, the tour will provide a firsthand and immersive look into the multidisciplinary process behind design progress from a flourishing studio.
Participant Takeaways:
- Relevant case study examples, showcasing that tapping into the breadth of what strategic design is capable of vs yielding to methods of the moment leads to richer, more impactful work
- Resources and frameworks to help strategy and design companies start to self-impose higher standards and move towards a more accountable future
- Advice and anecdotal business experience from SYLVAIN Founder & CEO Alain Sylvain, Chief Design Officer Michael Ian Kaye, Partner Daniel Edmundson, and SYLVAIN's design team.
Studio Tour: Vault49
Vault 49
180 Varick St # 1018, New York, NY
John Glasgow, Co-Founder of Vault49, invites you on a tour of the agency’s New York studio. Hear Vault49’s inspiring origin story – from two street artists and screenprinters in London to a global brand experience and packaging design agency. Here are a couple of things that makes Vault49 a unique and inspiring design studio:
1. Diversity is in our DNA. We are one of few design agencies with a black Co-Founder, we have women at the head of every department, and our team is made up of a diverse mix of people from different backgrounds. John is an active voice within the design community for driving greater cultural diversity within the industry, and leads several initiatives with partners including Obama Foundation and Jay Z’s Shawn Carter Foundation, which he will share during the tour.
2. Craft and authenticity is super important to us, and it’s at the heart of everything we do for the brands we work with. Our team includes screenprinters, graffiti artists, illustrators and typographers, and we have a dedicated crafting area and screenprinting facilities in the studio – you never know, John may even give a demo.
What visitors will take away from our studio tour:
- A deeper understanding of why we champion the importance of craft in design (and why you should always get your hands dirty) _Inspiration from hearing the stories behind some of our award-winning work, such as Smirnoff X1 (Diageo’s most successful LTO), emerging cannabis brand Fuzed, and our collaborative Black Lives Matter poster project.
- New connections. We’re a friendly bunch at Vault49 and you’ll have the opportunity to meet different members of the team and get to know us a little better. Who knows what that might lead to…
Studio Tour: COLLINS
COLLINS
457 Grand Street Ground Floor, Brooklyn, NY
COLLINS opened its doors in 2008 with four desks, two laptops and a point of view: Design is not what we make. Design is what we make possible.
Put into action; we aim to use design as a bridge to tomorrow. To help people build futures that are so irresistible, they become inevitable. Over the last fifteen years, this ambition has informed every aspect of our work with our clients including Spotify, Target, Nike, Mailchimp, Figma, Sweetgreen, Girl Scouts and The San Francisco Symphony. For this visit to our studio in Brooklyn, the COLLINS team would like to invite participants to join us where every project begins—our library. We’ll have coffee, snacks and a discussion led by Co-Founders Leland Maschmeyer, Brian Collins and other COLLINS leadership and crew.
We’ll talk about visuality and storytelling.
We’ll explore design’s power to build bridges to better futures.
We’ll share our experiences and knowledge.
We’ll pull a lot of books off the shelves.
We'll give away some amazing objects from the library.
We’ll go down plenty of tangents.
We hope to see you there.
Studio Tour: Pentagram
Pentagram
250 Park Ave S, New York, NY
Join us for a visit to our New York office, where partners Michael Bierut, Michael Gericke, Luke Hayman, Natasha Jen, Giorgia Lupi, Abbott Miller, Emily Oberman, Eddie Opara, Paula Scher, and Matt Willey and their teams work on a wide range of projects that encompass brand identity, motion graphics, digital design, type design, signage, data visualization, and more. Our clients include The Public Theater, Saturday Night Live, Netflix, Google, Warner Bros., Slack, Waze, Verizon, American Express, Shake Shack, the MTA, NYC Parks, and the National Gallery of Art, among many, many others.
Pentagram celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022, and the New York office turns 45 this year. A group of the partners will talk about the firm’s unique structure and longevity, share a look at some recent work, and take you on a tour through our home in the Flatiron District.
Tour of the Museum of Arts and Design: Craft Front and Center
Museum of Arts and Design
2 Columbus Cir, New York, NY
Craft was once at the margins of the art world, but no longer. Today it is front and center in art galleries, museums, and fairs, widely recognized for its expressive potential and cultural significance. Assembled from the eclectic richness of MAD’s permanent collection, Craft Front & Center brings together more than 70 iconic and lesser-known works to highlight key thematic touchpoints in craft’s history that have brought us to this moment. Challenging traditional thinking of craft as separate from fine art, the exhibition reveals the field's deep engagement in art’s major movements, such as Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and Postmodernism, while also launching its own revolutions, particularly the elevation of women and people of color as significant artists.
Behind the Scenes at Poster House: Two Exhibit Options
Poster House NYC
119 W 23rd St, New York, NY
Join Poster House curators for one of two behind the scenes tours of featured exhibits at Poster House.
Poster House Curator Angelina Lippert will take participants on a guided tour of the "Art Deco: Commercializing the Avant-Garde" exhibition. This exhibition features over 50 posters by enduring masters of graphic design, including A.M. Cassandre, Charles Loupot, Marcello Nizzoli, Jean Dupas, Herbert Matter, Jean Carlu, Paul Colin, René Vincent, Edward McKnight Kauffer, Austin Cooper, Pierre Fix-Masseau, and Joseph Binder.
Or, join Poster House Curator Tim Medland for a tour of "We Tried to Warn You! Environmental Crisis Posters, 1970–2020" exhibition. Every poster in this exhibition is a failure—not in the sense that they failed in their graphic intent of communicating a message, but rather that they failed to successfully modify behavior. Almost all of the environmental issues showcased in these posters remain or have worsened. Nevertheless, these impactful images have shaped the bounds of public debate on environmental issues, drawing attention to distinct and particular concerns.
Peek Behind the Curtain: Tour of the Museum of Broadway
Museum of Broadway
145 W 45th St, New York, NY
The curtain is up on “one of the best things to happen in NYC this year!" (Time Out New York) So ease on down the road to the new museum that explores the rich history of Broadway from its origins to today. Immerse yourself in 26,000 sq feet, over 3 floors, featuring 20+ exhibits celebrating all things Broadway, on stage and behind-the-scenes. Don’t just see a show, see “Everything Broadway in one place!” –WCBS
A Dark, A Light, A Bright: The Designs of Dorothy Liebes
Cooper Hewitt
2 E 91st St, New York, NY
Join curator and educator Alexa Griffith Winton for a special tour of the exhibition A Dark, A Light, A Bright: The Designs of Dorothy Liebes. Designer and weaver Dorothy Liebes (1897–1972), who introduced handcraft and brilliant color to the modern interior, was among the most influential designers of the 20th century. The “Liebes Look”—which combined vivid color, lush texture, and often a glint of metallic—became inextricably linked with the American modern aesthetic. Liebes collaborated with the most prominent architects and designers of the mid-20th century, shaping American tastes in areas from interiors to transportation and industrial design, fashion, and film, and worked with dozens of U.S. firms to make her fabrics available at affordable prices. Despite widespread recognition during her lifetime, the details of her long and productive career are largely unknown. This exhibition will establish for the first time the full scope of her contributions as a designer, collaborator, mentor, public figure, and tireless promoter of American modernism.
After Hours: Mix & Sketch at Wix Playground
Wix Playground
100 Gansevoort St, New York, NY
Unwind with us at Wix Playground following your daytime AIGA activities! Immerse yourself in our creative atmosphere where we provide a variety of drinks and drawing materials with lots of space to doodle, sketch, and meet new people. To fuel your sketching inspiration, a talented emerging illustrator will give a brief presentation. Stay tuned for more details @wixplayground on IG.
