Community Spotlight: AIGA Center for Cross-Cultural Design (AIGA XCD)

February 21, 2010 Filed Under: AIGA Chapter Spotlight 1 Comments

AIGA Center for Cross-Cultural Design (AIGA XCD)
Number of members: newsletter circulation 4,000+, Facebook membership 867+
Year started: 2002

AIGA XCD is an AIGA community of interest established to foster greater communication between designers across cultures, and highlight the interwoven experience of design and culture in our lives. Consequently, we are committed to engaging AIGA membership in the global design community and marketplace. Like AIGA Center for Sustainable Design, we believe we add value to AIGA membership by creating a forum for issues that cannot be limited to geographic boundaries.

In the past we have organized a variety of travelling exhibitions, travel tours abroad, presentations and a design competition. We are currently focused on growing our online presence and social network, to facilitate the dialogue about design and culture within AIGA chapters.

1. What is AIGA XCD's proudest recent accomplishment?
We are proud of all our accomplishments!

In the spring, we held the AIGA XCD Culture in Design competition. Entries came from around the world, including Lebanon, El Salvador, the Netherlands, Peru, Italy and from several AIGA chapters. Our international panel of judges selected 18 entries they felt best expressed the intersection between design and culture. Our Chinese partner, Package and Design magazine, published these submissions. They can be viewed online. The competition was important to us because it allowed our growing audience to share their ideas about the role of culture in their design.

AIGA XCD board members serve as a speaker's bureau, lecturing on issues of cross-cultural design around the world and across the United States. For example, Aaron Marcus has been keynote speaker at conferences in approximately 15 countries, and Bennett Peji has been a strong advocate for cross-cultural design across the US. Active AIGA XCD members are not only outstanding designers, but also thought leaders, moving the profession and non-AIGA organizations forward in understanding the issues of cross-cultural design and communication. They publish ideas about cross-cultural design and its impact on society, how to evaluate cross-cultural communication, and where to find resources of key information that help make design decisions.

2. Tell us about the best event AIGA XCD has put on this year?
In October 2009, we hosted our second AIGA XCD Expedition to China. We visited top design studios and design schools in HongKong, Shanghai and Beijing. We wrapped up our trip by attending the Icograda Bi-annual Congress in Beijing and still had time to visit Lan Kwai Fong, Shanghai Tang's, Lantau Island, the Pearl Tower, Suzhou, the Great Wall as well as the Forbidden City and Beijing's Hutongs.

3. What programs does AIGA XCD offer specifically for its student members?
As a demographic that is directly affected by continued globalisation of culture, design and communications, students are a very important audience. Our blog features the AIGA XCD Student Showcase where students demonstrate how culture has influenced their projects and thesis work. Students have also participated in our design competition and travelling exhibitions.

4. In what ways are volunteers most involved in AIGA XCD?
The contributions of our volunteers (including the AIGA XCD board) has been varied and invaluable. An incredible amount of time has gone into developing communication tools to share our mission as well as reflections about cross-cultural design. AIGA XCD is grateful for the regular design and blog contributions of Devon Hirth, Wendy Hu, Alan Jacobson, and Dan Formosa.

5. How does AIGA XCD utilize the internet and social media to communicate and connect with its members?
Again, given the global breadth of our activities — our board members span four states and three times zones; our newsletter readers hail from over 21 countries — an effective online presence and communication system is critical to us. We communicate with AIGA membershp through our newsletter, and messages to our Facebook members about events that highlight design across cultures in and outside the United States. Our Flickr albums contain photos of our travel tours and international presentations as well as examples of design from a multitude of cultures. Our goal this spring is to enhance our website with interactive features that will allow our community to spontaneously and more frequently participate in the crosscultural dialogue. Many thanks to Neil Matthiessen, AIGA XCD webmaster and Antonio Garcia, AIGA XCD Brandmaster for spearheading our web revamp.

6. If a movie were to be produced about AIGA XCD, what would the title be and which actors/actresses would star in it?
Our movie, "Designing Culture?" would explore the exciting questions that arise when cultures meet and identity is defended or redefined. How do people adapt their communication? How can designers counsel their clients looking to communicate to unfamiliar or global audiences? The storyline would emphasise our inherent connections and the paradoxal conflict these connections generate, like the movie "Babel".

Of course, Bradangelina wouldn't be up to snuff for our Casting Director, so we'd probably have to beg the AIGA XCD board to play themselves in the leading roles and demonstrate the usual creativity, tenacity and commitment :)