AIGA, Eye On Design. Words by The Editors.
Industry surveys are, by their very nature, a snapshot in time. Pull up the questionnaire, and fill it out. What happens tomorrow or the next day doesn’t count, in the most literal sense of the phrase. That reality makes it difficult to get a full and clear picture of what’s happening in the design industry, especially in a moment when the entire world feels like it’s on shifting ground. In years past, a snapshot was enough to glean a basic understanding of what was happening across the design world. Today, a more sophisticated approach is required to fully comprehend the forces that shape the industry and its practitioners’ lives.
With that, meet the Design Point of View (POV), AIGA’s reimagined research initiative that aims to uncover the complexity of what it means to be a designer in an ever-changing industry. The POV is meant to be an ongoing conversation about where the design industry is, and where it’s heading. Combining qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, the research is a holistic look at what’s happening in the design industry, how it impacts the world at large, and what that means for the people who are doing the work.
Over the course of the year, AIGA will roll out its findings in a series of reports that are freely accessible to members. We sat down with AIGA’s executive director, Bennie Johnson, and the organization’s chief of insights and learning, Dr. Rubens Pessanha, to hear a little more about what’s to come.
