AIGA 2019 Medalists
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AIGAWhat
Each year since 1920 AIGA, the oldest and largest professional organization for design, has awarded medals to individuals for their exceptional achievements, services and other contributions to the field of design and visual communication. We’ve partnered with Dress Code since 2011 to help tell the stories of the world’s most legendary designers through mini-documentaries designed to bring audiences closer to understanding the full scope and cultural context of recipients’ honored careers. Below we’re featuring two of this year’s medalists Alexander Girard and Geoff McFetridge.
Alexander Girard
Alexander Girard became director of design for Herman Miller’s textile division in 1952, a time when fabrics, especially in the office, tended toward the utilitarian, drab and pattern-less. “People got fainting fits if they saw bright, pure color,” Girard commented at the time. He employed primary colors, geometric patterns, and a touch of humor in creating memorable textile, wallpaper, and furniture designs.
Geoff McFetridge
Geoff Mcfetridge was awarded the 2019 AIGA Medal for deftly relating design to time-based considerations—film titles, music videos, envisioning of AI—and vibrant sculptural forms, and for welcoming graphically-charged outsider/street subculture into the mainstream conversation.