Transparency: Exposing Graphic Design

Steven Heller, the co-founder of the MFAH Designer as Author program at the School of Visual Arts, presents his ideas about the new role content plays in design.Over the next few weeks, Andy Altman, Ellen Lupton and others will discuss the complex blending of experience, aesthetics, information and identity that make up today's graphic design.

More: http://rda.rice.edu/

NEW VIEWS 2 EXHIBITION AND FORUM

An exhibition and series of forums, New Views 2 is a collaboration between RMIT University and the London College of Communication / University of the Arts London.100 international graphic design practitioners including students, emerging and established designers are featured in this exhibition of print and digital posters, in which the future of the profession of graphic design is questioned. The featured work address a variety of key issues such as design and the environment, social responsibility, new technologies and education.

AimThe overall aim is to encourage industry public debate about current issues and changes effecting graphic design practice, the future of graphic design, how the discipline relates to business and society and how design will change in the next decade and beyond.

ExhibitionDivided into two components, physical and digital, the range of techniques featured in the exhibition include using photographs, found object constructions, illustrations, collage, and typographic forms.The designs on display in New Views 2 were first seen in conjunction with the New Views 2 symposium held in London 2008, and are the result of an international call for posters. Submissions were received from students, design professionals and academics from around the world including Australia, United Kingdom, United States, Portugal, France, Turkey, Singapore and Switzerland.The London event was attended by practitioners, post graduate students and academics from around the world. This exhibition with travel to the Melbourne Museum for the November event.

More: http://newviews.co.uk

OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE EUROPEAN YEAR OF CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION 2009

Brussels (Belgium) - The Czech Presidency of the EU and European Commission will officially launch the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009 on Wednesday 7 January with the slogan “Imagine. Create. Innovate”.

The aim of the Year is to promote creative and innovative approaches in different sectors of human activity and help equip the European Union for the challenges ahead in a globalised world.The European Year will be launched in Prague in a conference attended by a host of personalities including high representatives of EU member states, Commissioners, members of the Czech government and several Ambassadors of the Year. The Conference will run in parallel to the meeting between the Commission and the Czech Government. After that, during a ceremony in the National Theatre in Prague, the launch of the Year will be announced by the Czech Prime Minister, Mirek Topolánek, and Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, simultaneously with the inauguration of the Czech Presidency.

The Prague conference will be preceded in the morning of the 7 January by a round table attended by a dozen Ambassadors of the Year and presided by Esko Aho, Executive Vice President Nokia, and Former Prime Minister of Finland. These eminent personalities will adopt a set of recommendations for EU governments and institutions which will be presented by Mr Aho at the afternoon conference. German inventor Mr. Karlheinz Brandenburg, French researcher Dominique Langevin, Hungarian creator Erno Rubik or Romanian film director Radu Mihaileanu will be among the participants, together with top businessmen, artists and designers.

More: http://www.create2009.europa.eu/

GRAPHEX 2008

Vancouver (Canada) - The winners of Graphex 2008, an Icograda endorsed event organised by the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC), are now online. Winners can be viewed on the Graphex 2008 website. The catalogue of the winners is also available and can be purchased through the GDC store.
The exhibit of winners began its tour across Canada with a showing in April at the HSBC Pendulum Gallery at Georgia and Hornby in Vancouver. The exhibit was also be shown in Vancouver at Roundhouse in Yaletown in May as part of the Salazar Student Awards (featuring keynote speaker Stefan Sagmeister) and mini design conference in conjunction with Kwantlen University College’s GDMA graduation activities.

More: www.icograda.org/news/year/2008_news/articles1366.htm

VII INTERNATIONAL TRIENNIAL OF THE ECO-POSTER, 4TH BLOCK

Kharkov (Ukraine) - Icograda proudly endorses the VII International Triennial of the eco-poster, the "4th Block", organised by Professional member the Association of Graphic Designers in Ukraine.

The main goal of this triennial is to showcase the most significant achievements of the world's design community related to ecological subjects.The first "4th Block" poster exhibition took place in 1991, when Oleg Veklenko, a professor at the Kharkiv Institute of Industrial Arts (now the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts) and former army officer, worked with his colleagues to organise an exhibition devoted to the fifth anniversary of the Chernobyl explosion. The competition and exhibition of eco-poster, graphics and youth eco-projects has since occurred every three years. Exhibitions touch upon the most painful ecological problems, such as pollution, global warming, genetic engineering, etc. The 2006 edition brought over 4500 works from 54 different countries.

More: www.icograda.org/news/year/2008_news/articles1360.htm

PRESIDENT'S DESIGN AWARD 2008

Singapore - President S R Nathan presented Singapore's top design accolade to three outstanding designers and seven iconic designs at the President's Design Award ceremony held on 1 December 2008 at the LASALLE College of the Arts.
Singapore's most prestigious design award recognises the ability of Singapore designers to create outstanding and iconic designs that push the boundaries of design and enhance lives.Launched in 2005, the President's Design Award acknowledges Singapore designers' ability to develop innovative designs that have contributed to Singapore's economy, environment and culture. The Award is presented to designers and designs across all design disciplines."In these times of economic uncertainty, it has become even more imperative for businesses to leverage design to remain strong and competitive. I would like to congratulate the recipients of this year's Award. Their outstanding designs have enhanced Singapore's position as a design hub and deepen our design culture," said Dr Milton Tan, Director, DesignSingapore Council.

More: www.icograda.org/news/year/2008_news/articles1358.htm

When design meets management

In this interview from the Hong Kong Designers Association's publication Xpress, Chloe Tang interviews design management consultant Edith Lee on the importance of good design management for the success of a design firm and for the promotion of design.
Two years ago I met Edith Lee by chance through work. What first impressed me was that Edith studied Design Management. I immediately felt interested and thought, "what is Design Management? Is it a left-brain and right-brain competition? Where can people study this discipline? Why pursue this study? How to use logical thinking to lead emotional creation? How is it helpful to designers? Will it hamper the creative process?" With the opportunity to cover this topic for Xpress, Edith answered all my questions. In Hong Kong, while our design industry is well-developed compared to other Asian countries, design management is still at a starting stage, still shaping itself.

More: www.icograda.org/feature/current/articles1357.htm

Benchmark Award 2008

Inspiration. Innovation. Perspiration. It takes a lot to land a Design Week Benchmark Award and this year the field was particularly fierce.
Honouring the year’s best brand communicators, the winners were announced on 2nd December in categories that included every major product sector as well as an overall ‘Best in Show’.
Click here for our exclusive podcast where you will hear the winners talk to Lynda Relph-Knight, editor of Design Week and chair of the judges, and get an insight into what it takes to achieve award winning work. Pictures from the awards are now online where you can see the winners and their work.

Index 2008’

With 80 products from 19 countries, red dot will be present from December 3 to 7, 2008 at the exhibition ‘Design on stage – Index presents red dot winners’ at ‘Index 2008’, the world’s largest interior design trade fair in the Middle East and Asia. Over 30,000 visitors from all over the world are expected to attend the fair, and the “red dot” winners in the exhibition will be showcased over a four-day period. On December 6, the ‘red dot reception’ will take place at the trade fair. This networking event serves as a platform for interaction between exhibitors and international customers. At the ‘red dot reception’, Professor Dr. Peter Zec, head of the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen, initiator of the red dot design award and Senator of the Icsid will speak about the activities of red dot in the Arab world and its cooperation with dmg world media.

More: http://en.red-dot.org/index.php?id=2987