In this post published September 11, “Username468” (later referred to as “the student”), has described an American design organization called AIGA or American Institute of Graphic Arts, focusing on where the organization is situated within the industry and on the basis of which it competes. The student also points out a couple of factors that make the organization unique. The student gives a comprehensive description of the organization and has researched its’ opponents and compares it to some other organizations in the same field. The post has a good basis for argumentation, but it’s missing sources and backup from the syllabus.
According to the student this is the largest and oldest professional membership organization. It does not say if it’s the largest in the US or in the world, only “in its’ field”. The student also mentions possible competing organizations, and I think that it is out good to point that even though they are big, they still have competitors. Therefore, AIGA has to stay unique and loyal. The student describes the organizations unique approach by mentioning that they are professional, but still open to everyone that has a passion for design, no matter your talent or skills. The organizations’ goal is also pointed out. They also have a diverse group of members. Describing the organization as a “club” or a “roof” for design passion is a good metaphor for describing what kind of organization they are. “The brand story is important in building the brand. Focusing solely on the product is simply not sustainable for a business. A business is so much more than the individual products it manufactures”. (Hestad, 54) Hestad describes the importance of a brand having a story and uniqueness beyond the product itself. The student describes that the organization is unique but could have backed it up with a reference to why this is important. In the final part of the post, the student points out a specific project, “the symbol sign project from 1974”, as giving them a unique approach to design, but doesn’t describe the project or tell us why.
After reading this post, I am left with a lot of interesting information about what seems like a great organization, but also a lot of questions. I don’t find much argumentation, nor arguments being backed up by the syllabus. It is a good post, and it could have been even better by explaining a little more and being more extensive in the argumentation. Also, it’s better to be more certain about the facts instead of writing for example “from my understanding, they are the largest…”. There is a lot of references in this text that are missing sources. This text has such a good basis but gives me a feeling that it is not a 100% finished. Spending a little more time and effort to perfect it, would make this a great post.
References:
Hestad, M. (2013) Branding and product design; an integrated perspective, Gower
https://content.talisaspire.com/binorway/bundles/5cf75a39540a263819451a14
Making sense of art and design industries 