A Breakfast Talk with AIGA Design Show 19 Judges Offers New Insights
Meeting. Greeting. Strange Donuts, Goshen Coffee and an eager crowd. And two eye-opening presentations from the judges of the AIGA St. Louis Design Show 19.
This morning at Atomicdust, Nolen Strals and Bruce Willen of Baltimore-based Post Typography and Marcia Lausen of the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Art and Design and Studio/lab shared their insights on the practice of design and the work coming out of the St. Louis region.
Nolen and Bruce spoke to the influence of music on their design, typography and illustration work on behalf of clients including the Washington Post, Houghton Mifflin and the Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Career Development. Marcia discussed the crucial role of design in democracy, particularly as it relates to ballot and election design (her book Design for Democracy is a must-read). She also presented her work for clients like Hot Wheels, Chicago’s Navy Pier, the Spertus Institute and the American Institute of Architects.
During the Q&A moderated by AIGA St. Louis’ Scott Gericke, the judges noted that if the Design Show submissions were any indication, our region’s work for more authoritative institutions and corporations has a unique “friendliness” and softness rarely seen in East Coast design for similar clients. Marcia also noted that there’s great value in events like the Design Show — shows for designers, judged by designers, without client input — because they celebrate the work outside of the context of the problem.
Thanks to our generous sponsors Strange Donuts and Goshen Coffee for keeping everyone well-fed and caffeinated. If you weren’t able to attend this morning’s event, you’ll have a chance to meet the judges tonight at the Design Show 19 Opening Reception, which starts at 6:00 p.m. at COCA. RSVP on Facebook now. We’ll see you there!
