Design Associations & Organisations

Design Associations and Organisations connecting designers and industry. Associations and organizations play a crucial role in connecting designers and industry.

These groups provide a platform for designers to showcase their work, network with industry professionals, and gain exposure to potential clients. The benefits of joining these associations are numerous, including access to industry events, educational resources, and mentorship opportunities. Additionally, many associations offer certification programs to help designers stand out in a competitive job market.

Some of the most well-known design associations include the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), and the International Interior Design Association (IIDA). These organizations are dedicated to promoting excellence in design and advancing the profession. By joining an association or organisation, designers can tap into a wealth of resources to help them succeed in their careers and make meaningful contributions to the industry.

Institut d'Esthétique Industrielle French promotional organization

The Institut d’Esthétique Industrielle, founded in 1949, is a crucial institution in French design, promoting good design and fostering innovation. It emphasizes functionality, sustainability, and aesthetic value in industrial production, contributing to the rich tapestry of French design and enhancing user experience and quality of life.Read More →

International Symposium "Art Sciences on the Border of Science and Art: GAKhN and Aesthetic Experience of the 1920s"

The GAkhN, active from 1921 to 1934, was a crucial chapter in Russia’s intellectual and artistic history, fostering artistic culture and innovation. It served as an academic hub, fostering innovative thinking, and shaping public understanding of the arts.Read More →

Industrial design featured image

IDSA’s mission is to provide a platform that both elevates public awareness of design and strengthens the connection between design and business. One of the primary ways we accomplish this is through our vast portfolio of awards programs, which recognize designers for their achievements and contributions to the industrial design profession.Read More →

Hannah Höch, Der Zaun, 1928 - Featured Image

Novembergruppe 1918 was a German artists and architects’ group established in 1918 in Berlin. It was described as radical in its use of new expressive techniques and rejection of earlier forms of expression. Members included Hans Eisler, Walter Gropius, Hugo Häring, Ludwig Hilberseimer, Hans and Wassili Luckhardt, Erich Mendelsohn, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Bruno and Max Taut, Lyonel Feininger, Vassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and Ludwig Meidner.Read More →

The Entrance to the Moblier National

The Mobilier National is an institution attached to the Ministry of Culture that maintains, creates and distributes a unique collection of over 130,000 pieces of furniture and textiles. Its mission is to ensure the conservation and restoration of its collections, perpetuate and transmit exceptional know-how, and promote French decorative arts.Read More →

AIGA promotional poster

The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) is a group of professional designers who aim to show how important design is to industry, society, and our future as a whole. It was started in 1914 by a small group of graphic designers, printers, publishers, and illustrators. Since then, it has developed into a national network of skilled designers, educators, students, and fans. AIGA aims to help individuals in business, the media, and the government understand how vital design and designers are. It also works to improve professional growth, promote the value of design, and set worldwide conventions and moral guidelines.Read More →

The American Union of Decorative Artists and Craftsmen (AUDAC) was an organisation of designers and artists engaged in designing for individual needs, commercial organisations, industrial firms, heads of stores and manufacturing establishments, and all other persons interested in the industrial, decorative, and applied arts. Read More →

Proust Geometrica By Alessandro Mendini

Studio Alchimia Italian design collaborative located in Milan. Alessandro Guerriero (b. 1943), an architect, created Studio Alchimia in 1976 as a gallery to show experimental work that was not limited by industrial production. Read More →

A Finnish long pile rug model Friends of Finnish Handicraft.

The Friends of Finnish Handicraft aims to document and promote typically Finnish textiles. The association was founded in 1879 by Fanny Churberg and inspired by the Swedish Friends of Handicraft association, founded five years earlier. The association has always worked closely with artists and architects and, from an early date, cooperated with, e.g. Jac Ahrenberg. The association collected and published a pattern book of traditional textile patterns in its early days. Read More →