People & Purpose
With more than 70 local chapters and over 15,000 members throughout the country, AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) is the oldest and largest professional membership organization for design. AIGA was founded by a small group of graphic artists, printers, publishers, and illustrators in 1914—and has evolved into a nationwide network devoted to amplifying the voice of design and creating the vision for a collective future.
Services
- Visual Identity
Partners
- Diego Martinez
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As creatives, our careers—and our collective story at Principle—have been profoundly shaped by the AIGA Houston chapter, arguably the most active design-focused group in the region. Beyond offering top-notch continuing ed, networking opportunities, and other important programming, AIGA Houston nurtures the local design community in an organic and impactful way. So when the leadership team tapped Principle to design the brand identity for the 25th anniversary commemoration, we jumped into the project with vigor.
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The initial ideating phase for this project involved our entire design team, with the aim of assembling as many perspectives—and as much ingenuity—as we could muster. Three visual directions emerged from this collaborative exercise.
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AIGA selected our team’s concept “A,” a design anchored by the whimsical typeface “Teta” by ECALType Foundry. Custom numerals were created to supplement Teta’s dynamic letterforms. The identity is a touch daring, invoking the gritty spirit endemic to Houston, the vibrancy and diversity that has become the city’s hallmark, and the growing design community that calls Houston home. The brand’s aesthetic is as expressive as the process that birthed it—and the client for which it was created.
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Each character is unique in its own way—which to us feels sublimely suited to the city we love and serve.
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To promote the February 2023 anniversary event, AIGA leaders activated the concept through a robust social media campaign, which included mesmerizing motion design moments created by local artist Diego Martinez.
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The event was held at Ronin Harrisburg, a creative studio-cum-events venue in Houston’s East Downtown neighborhood. Deployed in vinyl on building windows and other signage moments, the design punctuated the space’s industrial aesthetic, reinforcing the buzzy energy of those celebrating.
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Principle Creative Director Ally Lack and Design Director Carissa Hempton participated in the evening’s Chapter Journey Panel with founders and past presidents. Afterward, keynote speaker DJ Stout—an AIGA Fellow, a partner at design firm Pentagram, and recipient of the prestigious Richard Gangel Award—addressed the crowd.
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When creatives join AIGA, they receive more than professional development opportunities and access to high quality programming—they also gain community. Deep personal connections with others locally and across the nation. As designers, we know the impact this can have personally and professionally. We are the designers we are, we are the firm we are, because people once believed in us—and because the community continues to trust us. It was an honor to contribute our time and talent to this network of creative changemakers, problem solvers, and design industry leaders on this milestone occasion.